OMG this is such a world of difference, so nice! I love how quickly the glass melts, and with the new CG Beadroller I picked up, (the Donut Spacers, BR-1301), I can make a bunch of spacers quick and easy. You can see it hiding behind the torch in the above picture.
While I was waiting for the the oxy-con to arrive, I put together a glass storage rack for all the new glass I've been acquiring, and the glass cataloging project has continued.
I've changed the catalog system a bit, but I'm hoping the new system will work better. Those sharpie numbers I wrote on that batch of sample beads I showed a picture of earlier all got rubbed off, so I decided to use little little price tags on strings to thread through the bead. This way, I can label every bead I make so I don't forget what colors I used on them. Now that I've got the torch and oxy-con set up I've started making sample beads of all the colors of glass I have. Yeah, still OCD about stuff like that. Maybe I should seek help. :^)
I'm really happy with the first results I've had with the new setup. The Minor burns so clean and hot that I haven't had any trouble with soot, glass burning or bubbles. I was even able to get Electric Yellow and Carnelian Opal to strike! I've heard people say that compared to an oxy/fuel torch the colors you get on a Hot Head are duller and the glass is less shiny, and I think I've actually seen that about the "shininess". I know when I'm taking the beads off the mandrel, the new beads are more slippery, even when I'm using a towel.
Since today is Sunday, my husband and daughter are going to a friend's house to give me some free time to torch, and I'm going to see what I can do about practicing stringer work. Yup, I'm obsessed with perfecting my stringer work, and now with the hotter Minor it's like I have to learn how to make beads all over again.
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