Help for Hot Head Torch
Jim Moore
A couple of week ago I went to a Lampworking class for newbies. Had a great
time and learned a great deal. I worked with brand new equipment torches
etc.
I live in an apartment and want to buy a "Hot Head" torch with the beginners
kit etc.
Could someone tell me the disadvantages of a "Hot Head" torch and possibly
the advantages?
Thanks for any input.
Jim Moore
(The Old One)
Glenn Woolum
> the advantages?
Disadvantages:
1) Can't do hard glass (borosilicate) with it.
2) Can't do anything larger than a fairly small to medium bead. The larger
you go, the more heat you need.
3) Can't do sculptural (need more heat)
Advantages:
1) Cheap
2) Less complicated setup than dual gas
3) Easy to use
Hot heads are great to learn on, but you'll quickly want to upgrade IMO.
--
Regards,
Glenn Woolum
Suzanne Gunn
Hotheads are loud. I listen to music or audio books a lot in my studio,
but not too much when using the hothead...as it's all just too much.
I look forward to doing beads with music.
Ive been using a hothead for 4 months. I ordered a surface mix 2 days
ago. One thing that drives me crazy about the hothead is that I use the
mapp gas cannisters and cant find a way to dispose of them. My studio
is filling up with used ones.
The garbage man wont take them. The city offers no help. Called the
hazardous waste guys. The man I spoke to at Hazardous waste says if I
find a way to dispose of them, let him know!!!
Oh..fire dept cant help either. Called gas places/hardware stores places
that sell the stuff, none of them have a clue what to do with the empty
cannisters either.
So....... I wait for the one day a year when the city does it's thing
where you can take all your hazardous waste to the fair grounds and they
take care of it. I'll be glad to have refillable tanks.
Sure feels like Im doing something pretty dumb environmentally using
disposible cannisters like that. Wish they were refillable AND bigger.
Because of the disposible tanks...once I get my surface mix, I dont
suppose I'll use my hothead much any more.
I bought it because it was cheap, easy to use/set up, and find out if I
liked hot glass enough to want to spend a lot more money for the surface
mix torch, hoses, regulators etc...
Suzanne
Neon John
Suzanne Gunn wrote:
> Ive been using a hothead for 4 months. I ordered a surface mix 2 days
> ago. One thing that drives me crazy about the hothead is that I use the
> mapp gas cannisters and cant find a way to dispose of them. My studio
> is filling up with used ones.
>
> The garbage man wont take them. The city offers no help. Called the
> hazardous waste guys. The man I spoke to at Hazardous waste says if I
> find a way to dispose of them, let him know!!!
> Oh..fire dept cant help either. Called gas places/hardware stores places
> that sell the stuff, none of them have a clue what to do with the empty
> cannisters either.
Those are disposable cylinders that may be tossed in the garbage
like any other waste. If your city says otherwise, well, what
ignorant *ssholes. Anyway,
If you want to convert the tanks into inert pieces of scrap steel,
simply let all the gas out. Leave the torch (preferably a cheap
propane torch) on the cylinder and open so that absolutely all
pressure is gone. Then take an ordinary electric drill, oh, a 1/4"
drill bit and drill a hole or two through the sides of the tank. No
it won't explode or catch fire because there is no oxygen and only a
tiny bit of gas inside. Yes, the label says not to puncture but
this is the accepted method of de-activating all types of
pressurized gas cylinders and is federally mandated for disposing of
condemned propane tanks such as your grill tank. Once the tank is
ventilated, it is no longer a tank and can be disposed of as scrap
metal or garbage.
Plan 2, one that I've used on occasion. From an auto parts store,
get a long Shraeder valve (valve stem) remover. The one you want is
a long tube of metal with a notch in one end to turn the shraeder
valve and a screwdriver type handle on the other. Cost should be a
couple of bux. Use this tool to unscrew the shraeder valve from the
hole where the torch attaches and from the safety valve (the little
fitting off to the side). This ventilates the tank just like the
drilled holes. If you have to do something cosmetic to make the
dimwits at the dump or recycling center believe that they've been
de-miled, put them in a barrel and burn them. All the burning will
do is burn the paint off but it'll make them look harmless.
Plan 3. Cut the ends off of several cylinders, weld them together
to make a tube and use it as a hell of a tennis ball or spud cannon
:-) They work great for that! Make 'em and sell 'em on Ebay and
make some money.
Plan 4. Put 'em in a box, ship 'em to me and I'll cut the ends off,
weld 'em together, sell 'em on ebay, etc....
John
--
John De Armond
johngdDO...@bellsouth.net
http://personal.bellsouth.net/~johngd/
Cleveland, occupied TN
Suzanne Gunn
You pay the shippin', they're on the way! ;o)
Suzanne Gunn
lol...think I ordered the wrong torch for that!
Suddenly Im seeing yellow sculptures littering my yard.
Mike Firth
other odd things. Following the lead of a fellow glassworker, I mounted it
so it could be hands off, and used an extension hose from a 20# tank.
Advantages: It gets hot enough to work color and to braise metal up to 16
gauge 1" square tubing.
Disadvantages: It gets hot enough to make me not want to hold it: when
mounted on a bracket I added, and I take it off to use it loose on the hose
instead of fixed on the (adjustable) bracket, it is too hot for me to hold
comfortably. [See also previous note about using a lot of gas and chilling
down the small cylinders to inoperability.]
Jim Moore wrote in message ...
Jim Moore
This is a great group!!
Jim Moore
Dick Wollt
cylinders. I know TOLL Welding here in Minnesota can.
Dick W
"Suzanne Gunn" <gun...@home.com> wrote in message
news:3ACE243A...@home.com...
Suzanne Gunn
big propane tank, and oxygen tank chained to the outside wall of my
studio, with the hoses coming in through holes I drilled through the
wall. :o)
Suzanne