Butane is made by many companies as well as purities.
We have heard that the best butane comes from Europe, but this could be just a feeling.
We have also talked with butane manufacturers and they say we can have any purity on the label but it is all the same. Many brands do 7x refined, 10x refined or whatnot. This is just a gimick and not true.
We do believe that Europe is held to a higher standard then China or India.
Use the butane recommended by the torch manufacturer.
Over time pretty much all metals have been tried with only gold and silver giving us the visual look we want.
It could be due to the fact that gold and silver
Some metal can become toxic when heated to a point that they fume. Stick to gold and silver with a TON of moving air and you should be ok.
Silver gives blues and purples
Gold gives pinks and oranges
Mixed you get greens
Striking colors are glasses that can be 2 different colors. It has to do with the orientation of the molecules inside the glass, which will change from one state to another on being cooled and re-heated. Transparent reds, oranges and yellows and most opaque pinks, for example, are striking colors. Usually, you strike colors at the last step after shaping a bead, by letting the glass cool and reheating it quickly in the flame so that it takes the shade you want it to be. By Henry Grimmett
What determines what is good and bad is really do you like it? A higher dollar torch will cost more because of the materials used in the production of the torch as well as where the torch is made.
It is undisputed that a blazer torch is the top of the line torches. This torch is made in Japan and has been for 20 years so they know what they are doing.
Another thing that makes a torch cheap or expensive is the size. The larger the torch the more expensive usually.
Reality is you get what you pay for in life. Cheap in the long run can cost more over time, making a higher $ purchase actually cheaper in the long run.
Electroforming is a metal forming process that forms parts through electrodeposition on a model, known in the industry as a mandrel. Conductive mandrels are passivated to preclude ‘plating’ and thereby to allow subsequent separation of the finished electroform.
| Electroforming is a space age technology used effectively to produce shapes and accuracies in metal products unmatched by any other fabrication method. Electrochemistry, and additives in plating baths, permit close control of electroformed parts. Results are now as reproducible as those obtained with welding, casting, forging, and other conventional techniques.
In electroforming, as in plating, metal ions are transferred electrochemically through an electrolyte from an anode to a surface where they are deposited as atoms of plated metal. But in electroforming, the surface that is to receive the plated metal, called a mandrel, is conditioned so that the plating does not adhere. Instead, the plated metal, or electroform, is lifted away and retains its as-deposited shape as a discrete component.
A part formed by this process has several unusual characteristics:
|
Probably the most interesting aspect of electroforming is the ease with which complex shapes are produced. The mandrel and electroform bear the same geometric relationship that exists between a mold and a cast metal. Internal features of the electroform, therefore, are simply machined as negative-image external features on the mandrel.
Two types of mandrels are used: permanent and disposable. Permanent mandrels are used where the electroform has no undercut surfaces and can thus be lifted directly from the mandrel. Where undercuts are required on the electroform, the mandrel must be dissolved or melted away, or in some other way destroyed to be removed.
GAR Electroforming Division products need not be made entirely from deposited metal. Other materials, even non-conductors, can be incorporated into the component by plating onto, over, or around separate pieces attached to the mandrel. Threaded inserts, bearing surfaces, shafts, and other such inserts – called grow-ons – are often incorporated in electroforms by this technique, a patented process. The non-deposited metal, in fact, often constitutes a larger portion of the final part than the electroformed metal. Some waveguides are comprised primarily of machined wrought pieces, joined by a relatively small amount of electrodeposited metal. The joining aspect of electroforming is an important feature. Two parts of an assembly can be formed separately by electroforming, machined to mate with the proper degree of precision, then joined in a second electroforming step. |
This all comes down the end users. For durability, nothing beats titanium. For a clean taste, we find glass (borosilicate or quartz) to be the best while boro is not good as it can not withstand the thermal resistance that a banger is put through.
We feel a quartz banger is best overall and a thick wall is better than a thin wall to retain heat.
Really any fire can be used to heat glass. The bigger the torch the hotter the flame to a point. Eventually, each fule can only reach a max temperature, but any fuel such as butane, propane, MAP gas or even asetilen can be used. Asetilen is a dirty fuel used mostly in welding in a bad environment like when a building is coming out of the ground.
NEVER HEAT borosilicate glass past 1000 as it will un aneal it, and never ever get it red hot. Red hot is beyond 1000.
Check out how to use a banger blog for more info
So for me, what I’ve found to be really helpful in maintaining and cleaning your glass, is using the right cleaners, as well as resin blockers like RezBlock, or weekly cleaning.
So start off. It works well to run warm to hot water (depending on the type of glass) through your piece to help knock off any loose flower residue or reclaim. Do that thoroughly with the spots you notice have the most build-up. Then drain the water and switch to a cleaner. Isopropyl alcohol and some kind of coarse salt can do the job if no cleaner is available. Preferably use a cleaning product meant for cleaning glass, such as Resinate, Formula 420 or even Grunge off.
Thoroughly shake the cleaner throughout the glass as to hit every surface area inside. Be very careful so you do not let it come out and get on you. You should also wear protective eyewear to avoid any chance of any cleaner getting in your eyes. Do so until all residue has been stricken from the glass walls and percs. Then make sure to run warm to hot water through your entire piece as to remove all traces of the cleaner. Cold water will result in any leftover residue inside to re-stick to the walls of the glass.
When it comes to maintaining the glass. It’s recommended to clean after you notice your product is no longer tasting fresh, or residue has visibly built up inside your piece. For any piece, it’s optimal to clean it at least once a week to keep from any bacteria growing in your water.
Depending on what and how much is being smoked. For water pieces, RezBlock is a good tool to use for any reclaim/resin build up on the percs. in your glass, which would normally lead to clogging.
These things happen.
How to solve this? Below are some good tries. One is not better than the other, but more of another way to try if one did not work.
