Tools.

by E.S. McCloskey

Tools. I just love the sound of that word! This article will deal

with basic glass tools and small jigs to repeatedly make the same

shape using Borosilicate glass. Some of which could be adaptable

to other types of glasses.

Every glass shop should be equipped with a glass knife which is a

piece of tungsten carbide ground square on all sides and mounted

in a sturdy handle. This type of knife is far superior to the 3

cornered file that has been used extensively for years, primarily

for its ability to keep an edge over thousands of cuts and

producing a fine score line for cutting rod up to 3/4" in

diameter. One other scoring device that I have in my shop is one

of those hobby tools that take the Dremel line of attachments.

The one I purchased is the Sears model with the flexible shaft.

The flexible shaft was chosen because of the slim tool holder.

This can be mounted on a piece of angle iron with a long bolt

brazed to it so it can be elevated above the bench at a

comfortable height. A worm gear clamp is used to hold the tool

head onto the angle iron. Dremel makes an emery type cut off

blade (part #409) which is attached to a mandrel and mounted in

the tool holder. A stop block can be used to get exact lengths of

rod cut. The glass just needs to be touched to the blade to

produce the score and on larger rod might need to be rotated

slightly.

Next on my list of the necessary tools is a variety of different

sizes of tweezers some of which two or more should be kept on

hand. One for general use and one to be used only to mark the

glass with the pattern from the tips. I find farmers markets are

a good source to find a wide variety of different types. Another

type of tweezer-like device that I use extensively are 1.5"

straight nose alligator clips mounted on 3/8" wood dowels about 6"

long. They come in very handy for handling small pieces that are

made up before hand such as a leaf to be sealed on as a final

step.

One of the most over looked tools for adding features to a piece

are leather stamps. They come in a variety of sizes and types.

Pick and choose and let your imagination run wild with the

different patterns they will produce. But, keep in mind to select

the ones that have edges that will not become trapped in the glass

when used. Also, keep a small can of water handy for cooling the

tool. Repeated uses will rapidly wear away any plating that is

present on the tool and it is recommended that it be sprayed with

WD-40 or dipped in oil when stored away for any period of time to

prevent rusting. Window cleaner will easily remove

the"preservative" when used next time.

Hobby shops offer a number of different sizes of brass tubes.

They are available from round to rectangle and are easily modified

to produce different types of eyes from teardrop to a conventional

eye by inserting a nail in the end of a square tube and using a

crimper to gently round opposite corners against the nail. Most

sizes of rod will fit very nicely into some of the round tubes.

If you use the emery wheel on the Dremel to cut two parallel slots

length wise near the end and cut a slot to connect them width wise

and push in the tab that was created just a little bit to create a

spring action you can use it to hold a very short piece of rod

without torching your fingers.

Squashers.

Now this is an interesting tool to talk about. Basically it's two

metal plates mounted on a pair of pliers or a heavy pair of

tweezers. I still use my first pair every day and they are over

20 years old. They're made from 2- 2" x 2" metal plates that I

got for nothing from a machine shop and were welded on a pair of

heavy forceps by a high school student in the schools' industrial

metal shop. That's right, a high school student. This is

another often overlooked method of obtaining special tools.

Almost every school district has an industrial art's dept. and

will be more than willing to do small jobs like this for student

experience and best of all, they charge nothing. All that is

required is a basic drawing or set of plans on exactly what you

require. Some are even willing to do light machinist work. Such

as milling grooves on a plate to produce leaf patterns. Curved

rose pedals can be made by taking two knockouts from a metal

electrical box and while holding them with pliers heat them on

torch till cherry red and carefully bend over a pipe nipple with a

hammer and weld or braze them onto a pair of 6" needle nose

pliers. If there are any blemishes on the faces of the disks use

very fine wet sandpaper and sand the faces smooth or if you have

one of the miniature sandblasters that use powdered aluminum oxide

it will produce good results also. Just remember to quench often

in water and spray with WD-40 when done.

Pipe nipples are a handy item to have around the shop. They make

excellent tools to produce gills on sharks with the threads. Want

to make perfect rings? Wrap a glass rod heated lengthwise around

a pipe nipple mounted hanging over the bench top. Remove from

nipple while still hot. When cool make a single pass with the

emery cutting wheel and snap off extra rod. Next lay on graphite

pad and use hand torch to sag flat. This method will also work

for twisted rings. Squash a section of rod, attach rod, heat,

pull and twist then wrap around pipe as quick as you can.

Feather features can be obtained using rat tail files of different

sizes. Heat the surface of glass and roll the file over it

leaving the desired feathering. A tree bark effect can be

obtained by using a coarse file. First heat a section of rod a

little wider than file, lay rod on graphite pad and roll it back

and forth with file pressed against it to create the pattern.

Short pieces of rod can be joined together also in this manner by

sealing two ends together and rolling it between the pad and a

graphite paddle. Gently heat the surface of the seal to remove

any lines picked upon the pad. By rolling between the pad and

paddle the rod will be perfectly straight.

Graphite pads can be cut and sanded into basic shapes such as half

a heart. Rod can be heated along its length and wrapped around

the frame. When cool, mark equally and cut off any excess and

seal together the halves to have a nicely shaped heart.

I used to make a lot of strawberries using the head of a finishing

nail to create the seed effect. This was tedious work since each

one averaged 75 seeds. Then one day I was making coleslaw in the

kitchen with one of those hand grater things. It suddenly dawned

on me, as I was grating my knuckles, which I could roll a hot ball

of glass over the tiny holes and produce the same effect that the

nail was giving me.

Some of the weekend farmers and flea markets in my area have at

least one or two vendors selling various dental picks. These have

come in very handy when a small amount of glass needs to be

manipulated, such as putting a funny smile on a clowns face. Add

a bit of glass where you want the mouth and heat the spot, then

use a pick with a round end to move the molten glass around to

shape the mouth. Sure beats 2mm rod! I guess this shows that if

you keep your mind open the whole world becomes a tool.

I just love the sound of that word....Tools!