I've taken 10 glass blowing classes (softglass through furnace work) and now I want to setup my own glass work workshop the only thing is I am intendingon doing torch work for boro glass so I can blow pipes, beads, pendants etc - anyone have experience or reviews on this torch with perhaps a premix top torch? http://www.sundanceglass.com/red-max-tor%E2%80%A6 & anyone have suggestions on size of a kiln for annealing?
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glass blowing torch setup?
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Hi,
I personally have not used that torch but I know a few people who have. It's a good torch to start with, but if you can afford to get a Carlisle or GTT torch you'll be able to produce glass much faster. Having the center flame really increases the heat of the glass. With the Red Max, you're going to have to jump from the top to the bottom. You will build heat in areas that you want with the small torch, then hit the big flame to spread the heat. With a Carlisle you have a centerfire that gets the glass really hot where you want and have the outer flame to disperse the heat. I would look for a used Carlisle that's in good shape if you can afford it. As far as a kiln, you want to think about how much you want to be able to fit in there per day, and the size of the work you want to make. If you want to make pipes and beads you don't need a very tall kiln, you just want a wide area that you can fit all your work and a door in the front to put your handles in. Out of all the kilns I have, my favorite is the paragon. It's great because it has a rack for your handles on the front which makes sure your stuff never falls out of the kiln. It really depends on your budget, and how serious you are about doing this for a long time. One great thing about glass blowing equipment is it keeps it's value well. Especially if you buy used and get a good deal. I've bought and sold around ten torches and a couple kilns, and almost every time I got 80-90% of what I paid on resell, sometimes I even made a profit. If you are buying used make sure that you get to test it out, insist that they hook the torch up and fire it up. Before firing it up look to make sure all the ports are clear, look for dents from being dropped etc... Then when you fire it up look at the needles of the flame, if they are all different lengths then the torch has had a lot of use. A little difference is normal, but if the needles are way off from each other then you may want to look for something else or offer a low amount to cover the cost of refurbishing it. I would stay away from Bethlehem torches, only because I had a bad experience where the head of my torch blew apart and the guys at Bethlehem told me they don't fix them. That made me really mad because I now have a $1500 paperweight to remind me never to buy a Bethlehem torch again. If you are needing glass, we started a supplies business and have great deals on Boro color, you can check us out at http://www.lampworksupply.com/ If you have any more questions I'd be glad to help you make the right decision. Good Luck!!
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