Tag Archives: glassworking

Using a furnace blower in your ventilation system

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Early this morning, I came across this post on one of the glassworking forums.

… My hubby went to a furnace expert and asked about squirrel cage fans from a furnace and using them for an exhaust hood. That we wanted to use 8″ duct. They pretty much told him he couldn’t, we’d need 10″ or larger to do get anywhere near 1200 cfm. I was frustrated because hubby said it sounded like we couldn’t do it. I said that if science labs can have a fume hood with a strong draft there was no reason why we couldn’t. And since I worked in a lab once, I know how strong those fume hoods can be. Continue reading →

Safety breaks

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A thread on another forum got me to thinking about knowing when its time to take a safety break and when its time to stop for the day. We’ve all been there and done that: had a marble break off a punty and land in your lap, pick up the hot end of a rod etc…and we write it up to an “oops”.

But what do you do when things happen multiple times? I firmly believe that there are good days to sit down behind the torch and there are bad days. You know it is a bad day when:

  • This is the third time you’ve cut yourself in the past 2 hours
  • You pick up the rod at the hot end and cuss because the burn is right next to the one you got 5 minutes ago.
  • The shocky rod of glass breaks and your hand sails into the flame

Yeah, I can see all of you out there wincing in sympathy.

We all know about the days when your ‘muse’ takes the day off and everything you touch turns to crap, but what about those days when it is injury after injury? When do you stop and call it a day?

My personal rule is: once is happenstance, twice is a habit and I’m done for the day.

If your attention is wandering, and you just can’t get that fight you had on-line or with your kid/spouse/significant other out of your head, then this isn’t a good time to torch. Read a book. Watch a movie on TV. But don’t play with fire today!

And take a safety break every couple of hours — not only will your mind be fresh when you sit back down, but you’ve gotten up, stretched, gone to the bathroom (if necessary), and can return to the torch ready to start again.

Bulk tanks and the Hot Head Torch

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It is my opinion that using a bulk tank and a Hot Head torch is the single most dangerous activity a glassworker can do. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

The Hot Head torch is designed to operate at full tank pressure, which averages around 120 PSI. One crack or one cut in your fuel line and your studio will be filled with an explosive level of fuel. The explosive limit on propane is somewhere around 3-4%, so in an average sized room, it would not take long for the room to reach that limit. “But I keep my tank inside right next to me” you might say. And keeping your tank right next to you MIGHT save you from blowing up with your house, but it is in violation of the NFPA codes and laws, and if there were ever a fire in your building, most likely your insurance company would not pay for any damage and would probably cancel your insurance policy.

You might also say “But glass distributors sell these hoses all the time”. Yes they do. But once again, that doesn’t mean you should use them. The hoses being sold are for use in RV’s, construction work, and other non-code applications. Using a bulk tank and a Hot Head torch is flat out DANGEROUS. There is no safe way to use a bulk tank and a Hot Head torch.

“Can I plumb the fuel line for a Hot Head torch?” NO. NFPA and building codes around the US limit the maximum pressure for a through-the-wall connection to 20 PSI. The Hot Head torch cannot operate at 20 PSI.

The Hot Head torch is a good beginners torch. You can learn the basics of glassworking with it and build up your experience level. And then move on to a oxygen-fuel gas torch. You will find that using an oxygen-fuel gas torch will be hotter, more focused, and use far less fuel. And they are miles away more quieter.