SO CLOSE AND ALL AROUND

I’m talking about oxygen. In my career of glass working that gas has been a constant. Usually delivered to me in cylinders although I did work for a large company that used liquid oxygen. Had to as it needed to be cost effective for over twenty glassblowers working many hours using large burners.

When I started working with glass for my uncle there really was just one company that supplied Oxygen and that was British Oxygen Company or BOC. That was in about 1970, before we enjoyed the benefits of Natural Gas. All the burning and heating equipment we used was set for town gas so when natural gas became compulsory all the burners had to be changed. It was a massive exercise and cost a lot of money. One constant which didn’t seem to change was BOC. They were there delivering cylinders and at that stage I took it for granted. We never run out of oxygen. It was like we just snapped our fingers and lo behold black cylinders looking like missiles landed in our workshop ready and waiting to be connected to our burners.

When I left my uncles firm to travel the World, I ended up in Manchester working for another glass company. Again, the constant was those magical black heavy metal cylinders and this time they were positioned inside the workshop as opposed to outside where they lived at my uncle’s business.

On moving to Hertfordshire to work at other glass company I was introduced to oxygen being supplied to its working from liquid gas tanks. I thought this was a bit like science fiction. Again, though it was Oxygen from BOC.

During my time in Hertfordshire, I worked part time for various people making glass animals and other such novelties. These activities tended to take place in garages or sheds of people who were trying to supplement their salaries by doing a bit of moonlighting. There was no escaping from the classic oxygen cylinder though and many a time I was involved in wheeling a cylinder down a garden to a persons shed in complete darkness in case the neighbours saw what was going on and assumed something illegal was happening in their locality. We always used large cylinders about five foot high and although I am developing the traditional manner to roll the cylinders by leaning the cylinder into oneself and using the palm of the hands to aim the “beast” in the right direction. It was still tough, especially on crazy paving! I am aware that there are characters that good pick up two oxygen cylinders, one under each arm and jump onto the back of a lorry but that aint me!

In 1981 I came to Dounreay to work and manage their glassblowing department. Part of my responsibilities was to ensure full capacity of oxygen was always at the ready. We were not on mains gas so in addition to Oxygen a fuel gas had to used. In this case in was bottled town gas, known as simulated town gas, STG. This does sound a bit like a sexually transmitted disease and often I would become tongue tied and call the gas “Stimulated Gas” which I think sounds worse, (or better depending upon your position in life!). Again, all gases originated from BOC. I didn’t realise there were alternatives.

When in 1990 I set up my own business called Glass Creations I needed a way to get my Propane and Oxygen. I was by then using Propane as the fuel gas since not connected to mains gas. It was handy having the same supplier BOC provide both types of gases through their agent which was Thurso Engineering. A very helpful man called Andy Bruce used to deliver gases as I opened an account so just a phone calls away from supply.

I have taught glass working at Northlands Creative and currently they use Air Products for Oxygen. I did consider this development but my regulators only fit BOC cylinders. Then guess what? BOC decided to change the design of their large cylinders which meant all customers had to buy special regulators to fit. I found the smaller Oxygen cylinders sold by OC were fine for me to still use my older regulars. Having said that I don’t use BOC regulators but compatible ones by alternative companies of which there are many. Even Amazon can supply! Shame they don’t do Oxygen! They do so I hear you cry but only for health reasons. They also supply “Oxygene” but that’s an album by Jean Michael Jarre.

I have always found the pricing system of BOC supplying gas cylinders completely baffling. You buy the gas inside each cylinder but don’t buy the cylinder. As for delivery charges well that’s just bizarre. On statements it appears as “fixed charges.” My Thurso suppler closed and my current supplier is a seven-mile drive away. I did initially ask for deliveries but for one cylinder I seem to be charge over £70! Even collecting still incurred charges which is in my opinion a bit of a con.

Equally confusing is the habit of scanning barcodes on cylinders so that BOC know what cylinders you are returning for a full one. Of course, a lot of cylinders are stored outside and poor weather does damage labels which have barcodes printed on. On more than one occasion I have been charged for eight cylinders instead of one due to a well-worn barcode.

When talking about Propane and Oxygen which of course are gases its easy (for me) to get confused when also talking about the Glass Art Society. I attended a conference of theirs at Corning and became a proud owner of a GAS tee shirt which of course has nothing to do with Propane or Oxygen!

A few days ago, I run out of propane. Apparently, BOC have a shortage of Propane and I knew that has been ongoing for over a year. It’s not that there’s a shortage of the gas but mor caused by a lack of cylinders. My normal supplier said the only Propane available was designated for forklift trucks. I did think about the practicalities of buying a forklift and then tapping into the system but that would be daft. Dafter though is ignoring a nearer supplier of Propane. In fact, just a five-minute walk from my workshop. A garden centre and DIY store sells gases. They are agents for Flogas flogas.co.uk which is a company I have only vaguely heard of. I went into the shop bought a propane cylinder and bought the gas inside and carried it back to my workshop. All seems well and I’m saving a twenty-minute drive but is this all too good to believe? I still need BOC for Oxygen of course unless you know something different.