LITMIR.BIZ

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that he feels comfortable and at his ease, and that the blow-pipe flame (a single flame in this instance) is well under control, the preliminary heating may be commenced. With a tube of the dimensions given this is a very simple affair. Turn the air partly off, or blow gently, to get a partly luminous gas flame; hold the tube about an inch from the end of this flame, and turn it round and round till it commences to soften.

      In the case of soda glass it is usual to employ the gas flame only, but I find that it is better in most cases to use the hot air of a gently-blown flame, rather than have the disadvantage of the soot deposited in the alternative operation. When the glass begins to soften, or even before, it may be moved right into the blow-pipe flame, and the latter may be properly urged.

      It is not possible to give quite explicit and definite instructions, applicable to every case, as to when the time is ripe for passing the work into the flame, but the following notes will indicate the general rules to be observed:—

      (1) A thick tube must be warmed more slowly and raised to a higher temperature than a thin tube.

      (2) The same remark applies to a tube of large diameter, as compared with one of small diameter, whatever the thickness.

      (3) In the case of very large or thick tubes the hot air is advantageously employed at first, and to complete the preliminary heating, the luminous flame alone may be used. The object of this is to enable the operator to judge, by the presence of soot, its inability to deposit—or its burning off if deposited—of the temperature of the glass, and of the equality of this temperature all over the surface, for a large and thick tube might be heated quite enough to enable it to be safely exposed to the full heat before it is appreciably yielding to the fingers. In general, when the soot burns off freely, or lead glass begins to show the faintest sign of reduction, or soda glass begins to colour the flame, it is more than safe to proceed.

      In order to turn on the full flame the operator will form a habit of holding the work in the left hand only, and he will also take care not to let anything his right hand may be doing cause him to stop rotating the tube with his left thumb and finger.

      The preliminary adjustment of air or oxygen supply will enable the change to a flame of maximum power to be made very quickly. The tube having been introduced with constant rotation, it will soon soften sufficiently to be worked. The beginner will find it best to decide the convenient degree of softness by trial.

      With soda glass it does not much matter how soft the glass becomes, for it remains viscous, but with lead glass the viscosity persists for a longer time and then suddenly gives place to a much greater degree of fluidity. [Footnote: This is only drawn from my impressions acquired in glass-working. I have never explicitly tested the matter experimentally.]

      It is just at this point that a beginner will probably meet with his first difficulty. As soon as the glass gets soft he will find that he no longer rotates the glass at the same speed by the right and left hand, and, moreover, he will probably unconsciously bend the tube, and even deform it, by pushing or pulling.

      The second third of the art of the glass-blower consists in being able to move both hands about, rotating a tube with each thumb and finger, and keeping the distance between the hands, and also the speed of rotation, constant. Nothing but long practice can give this facility, but it is essential that it be acquired to some extent, or no progress can be made. Some people acquire a moderate proficiency very quickly, others, of whom the writer is one, only become reasonably proficient by months, or even years, of practice.

      Supposing that the tube is now ready to be drawn down, the operator will remove it from the flame, and will gently pull the ends apart, interrupting his turning as little as possible. If the tube be pulled too hard, or if the area heated be too small (about three-eighths of an inch in length in the case given would be proper), it will be found that the ends of the two portions of the tube will be nearly closed at a very sharp angle (nearly a right angle to the length of the tube), that the ends will be thin, and that a long length of very fine tube will be produced. To heat a short length of tube and pull hard and suddenly is the proper way to make a very fine capillary tube, but, in general, this is what we want to avoid.

      If the operation be successfully performed, the drawn-down tube will have the appearance exhibited, which is suitable either for subsequently closing or handling by means of the drawn-down portion. The straightness of the point can be obtained by a little practice in "feeling" the glass when the tube is rotated as it cools just before it loses its viscous condition.

      When the operation is carried out properly the shoulder of the "draw" should be perfectly symmetrical and of even thickness, and its axis regarded as that of a cone should lie in the axis of the tube produced. The operation should be repeated till the student finds that he can produce this result with certainty, and he should not be discouraged if this takes several days, or even weeks. Of course, it is probable that within the first hour he will succeed in making a tolerable job, but it is his business to learn never to make anything else.

      Fig. 9.

      Fig. 10. — Diagram of a folded end.

       § 20. Closing and blowing out the End of a Tube. —

      When it is desired to close the end of a particular bit of tube, this is easily done by heating the end, and at the same time heating the end of a waste bit of tube or rod; the ends, when placed in contact, stick together, and a point can be drawn down as before. [Footnote: "Point" is here used in the technical sense, i.e. it is a thin tail of glass produced by drawing down a tube.] Having got a point, it will be found that the thin glass cools enough to allow of the point being handled after a few moments.

      The most convenient way of reducing the point to a suitable length (say 1.5 inch) is to fuse it off in the flame, but this must be done neatly; if a tail is left it may cause inconvenience by catching, or even piercing the finger and breaking off. The blow-pipe flame being turned down to a suitable size, and the shoulder of the "draw" having been kept warm meanwhile, let the tip of the flame impinge on a point where the diameter is about half that of the undrawn tube, and let the temperature be very high (Fig. 11). The tube is to be inclined to the flame so that the latter strikes the shoulder normally, or nearly so. Then, according to circumstances, little or much of the glass can be removed at will by drawing off the tail (Fig. 12), till, finally, a small drop of melted glass only, adheres to the end of the now closed tube (Fig. 13).

      Fig. 11.

      Fig. 12.

      Fig. 13.

      Fig. 14.

      When this is satisfactorily accomplished, heat the extreme end of the tube most carefully and equally, holding it in such a position that the glass will tend to flow from the bead back on to the tube, i.e. hold the closed end up to the flame, the tube being, say, at 45 degrees to the horizontal. Then when the temperature is such as to indicate complete softness lift the tube to the mouth, still holding the tube pointing with its closed end a little above the horizontal, and blow gently. A beginner almost always blows too hard.

      What is wanted, of course, is a continued pressure, to give the viscous glass time to yield gradually, if it is uniform; or else intermittent puffs to enable the thinner parts, if there are any, to cool more, and hence become more resisting than the thicker ones. In any case a little practice will enable the operator to blow out a round and even end—neither thicker nor thinner than the rest of the tube.

       § 21. To make a Weld. —

      To begin with, try on two bits of glass of

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