I have been doing my best at the hardest part of this Neon Course. Basically it is working with bending glass. The glass comes in tubes about 1/2″ round and hollow inside. What is done is a cork is put in one end of the glass tube. The other end gets something called a blowhose slipped over it. It is basically a piece of surgical tubing with a mouthpiece and an adapter on the other end to slip over the glass tube end. The idea is to heat the glass evenly while turning it in a propane gas flame. The glass starts to wobble when it begins to melt. I gently blow into the hose to keep the glass from collapsing or kinking like a garden hose. Sometimes 12 inches of glass has to be heated at once. When I judge that the glass is at the right temperature, I remove it from the gas flame and bend it roughly by eye to the shape I want it to be.
Next the glass is laid on a pattern, that is a full size drawing of the letter or curve or whatever you want to make. The pattern is drawn on paper. It has marks for the bends and welds (splices). A piece of metal window screen is laid over the paper pattern to keep the hot glass from burning the paper. Once the hot glass is laid over the pattern you have a few seconds to move it into the shape to match the pattern. A flat piece of wood is touched over the glass to make sure it is flat and even with the table top.
Sounds simple huh? You all are welcome to try it! After a week I was told I have only done about 2% of the practice amount required. Oh well.
Another detail is how to cut the glass. A metal file is used. You turn the glass about 1/3 while holding the edge of the file at a 45 degree angle to the glass and make a scratch. Then if all is well, you pull the glass apart and PRESTO! It cuts (breaks) cleanly if you did it right! If not you get a jagged edge. I got a few cuts and burns already!
Hope you all find this interesting!
Filed under: Neon Training
