WARP & RAKE, CUT & FLIP

Instructions:

1. Cut a 4" to 6" section of scalloped tubing.

 

2. Wash glass with soap and water. Rinse well. Remove remaining water with alcohol and do a final exterior cleaning with alcohol.

 

3. Using lathe tape secure the section in the tail stock of the lathe. If working by hand secure we'll in a grabber or creat a centered off side connection. 

 

4. Prepare 2 16 mm blow tubes by opening and flairing the end. (For lathe) Secure one  in the head stock and attach the swivel and blow tube. Attach the other end of the tube to your oxygen valve. On the tube that is opposite the tube with the swivel pop a small hole one inch down from the flair and plug the end with a stopper.

 

5. Preheat the section of tube with a bunsen burner and after it's sufficiently hot finish heating it with a hand or mounted torch. Bring it to a light glow (glowing but still stiff enough to not change shape) and as it's glowing lightly fume heavily with silver.

 

6. Attach 16mm blow pipe. As it's a no blow connection make sure it's stable. 

 

7. Now as you heat the exterior reach the tiny torch into the tube and heat the inside in the same spot while rotating and moving from left to right. The tube should glow a beautiful red that fades to a yellow gold. Make sure your torch flame is neutral.

 

8. Attach the second 16 mm blow tube to the opposite end. Now you can work the seals a little with air pressure to insure stability. 

 

9. Heat and expand the fumed tube slightly with oxygen, then collapse the tube with O2 off. Leave an opening in the center (don't collapse fully) do this process one half tube at time.start with the head stock end. 

Now open the oxygen valve and cool the collapsed section (inside and out if possible) maintaining heat on the attachments if possible. If not just avoid reheating any cooled section before returning section to the kiln.

 

10. Now cut the collapsed (but not yet shaped) section from the left blow tube and place in the kiln. 

 

11. For long working, set the kiln on a cycle that heats up to 1150f and then cools to 950f for 5 cycles -- with minimal hold (5 min) and the ramp set at 300f per hour. In the 6th cycle let the kiln crash.