Ancestors

Written by James Akers on 2025-01-10 at 03:54

Another exciting thing I did at work was make this 25mm crackle tube!

The folks in the office are talking about selling 8 foot crackle tubes. I had never done one in 25mm, but hey it totally works, especially when you bake out the filling in a kiln! I dont think 8 feet would be too heavy... so long as it was handled carefully.

I learned that the opaque colorful frit is not as nice as the clear-and that it will actually be cheaper to buy crystal f4 "frit" than it will be to pay people to crush glass. That is, unless the office can upsell the recycling- our fill glass is currently recycled tubes.

I was kinda fearing the 8 footer, but now I really DO want to make one. Its slow and meditative- as long as the tube doesn't split open and spill its crushed glass guts everywhere :)

I really should make a peertube video of this so you can see the lightning

[#]neon #crackletube #plasma #plasma? #glass #specialeffects #fancy #25mm #nyc #workinprogress #work #frit #crush #recycled

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Written by I’m 481 Phones on 2025-01-10 at 04:19

@JamesAkers beautiful! How big a diameter can you do without needing to add an inner tube? Is there any reason you used two different colors of filler “frit?” If you post video, do you mind mentioning me so I can find it again?

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Written by James Akers on 2025-01-10 at 04:21

@benetherington sure, I am not sure I would go too far over 30mm without an inner tube. getting bigger than 25mm in soft glass is kinda tricky though.

too big and the arc will get lost in the fill I hear.

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Toot

Written by I’m 481 Phones on 2025-01-10 at 04:23

@JamesAkers Soft glass? For the bigger ones are they bending sheet glass or something?

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Descendants

Written by James Akers on 2025-01-10 at 04:50

@benetherington no, just using borosilicate glass. You really need oxygen for those fires for the lab glass. The soft glass I like can melt with just gas an air.

For a scientific glassblower with a lathe, the crackle tube is a fun job.

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