The day I stopped using a hand torch for punty work changed everything

I've been blowing glass for about 12 years now, and I remember my first mentor in Seattle used nothing but a tiny hand torch for attaching punties. It worked fine but man, it took forever and you had to be super careful with the heat. About 5 years ago I finally got a bench mounted punty burner from a guy in Portland, and the difference was night and day. My attachment time went from maybe 3 minutes down to under 30 seconds, and I stopped losing pieces because of cold joints. Anyone else switch to a dedicated burner setup and feel like they wasted years of their life?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy2053d ago

That bench mounted burner is the real deal alright. I felt like such a knucklehead after I got mine, all those years of sweating over a hand torch for punty work. Your mentor in Seattle must have had some serious patience, I would have lost my mind after a week with that setup. The cold joint problem was the worst, I swear I broke more pieces from a bad punty connection than from anything else. Now I just kick myself for not making the switch sooner, but hey, at least we got there eventually right?

jordan3053d ago

Oh man, going from a hand torch to a bench mounted burner feels like going from a horse and buggy to a car. You're absolutely right about losing pieces to cold joints, I had the same issue until I upgraded. If you haven't already, try dialing in your flame chemistry a bit more on that new burner, it'll save you even more time.