BLOG – 35 YEARS AGO BLOG 17

My one constant in thirty-five years of Glass Creations is my burner. This ain’t no tee light but a real mean machine gun like multi jet fire breathing monster emitting heat that would melt a hundred lesser souls. Without heat I would be well and truly stuck. Amazingly I have used the same burner for over forty years. If you look after something, then I believe it will look after you. I seem to have collected bits of burners plus bits of regulators and flashback arrestors. You may ask what on Earth am I talking about?

I use oxygen and propane combines from cylinder piped through hoses to a burner which results in the perfect flame, so this allows me to manipulate glass tubing and rod to shape wonderful objects. Using a glass type such as borosilicate means I need the input of Oxygen which increases the flame temperature. Using Propane on its own just wouldn’t cut the mustard! In fact, it wouldn’t even melt mustard!

Some think using naked flames is dangerous but being naked oneself when using a flame is more dangerous! I have never felt scared of the flame, everything else scares me but not a flame. It could be because I know how to use the burner, how the gases are safely stored, controlled, and delivered to the jets.

As with many crafts there are a huge range of tools available, and I sometimes feel these exists to increase the profits of tool makers. The last tool I bought was 15 years ago. I don’t need much, a flame, a knife, tweezers and a carbon paddle, rod, and reamer. Of course, there is some safety equipment to be acknowledged such as spectacles but overall, when it comes to equipment less really is more. All my money goes on buying Propane and Oxygen

I have always felt my hands are my best tools, and I am lucky to be blessed with a good pair. Not sure if I would replace them and doubt if they have my size in stock anymore!