Honestly, I think everyone's wrong about using a glory hole for everything

Tbh, I had a major fail last Thursday trying to make a big vase. I was working on a 12 inch piece and tried to use the glory hole to heat the whole thing evenly like everyone says. Ngl, it cracked right down the side after about 15 minutes. I think for large, thick work, you need to go way slower on the bench with the hand torch. Has anyone else had a big piece fail from glory hole heating? What's your method?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamiemiller16d ago

James92 is giving textbook advice, but man, an hour in the glory hole for a 12 inch vase sounds like a recipe for a puddle. My garage is drafty too, and I've had pieces go from cold to cracked just from a door opening. Sometimes the bench torch is the only way to baby a thick bottom while keeping the top cool. You get more control, even if it takes forever and your arm wants to fall off.

james9217d ago

Your failure was a heating schedule problem, not a glory hole problem. That tool gives you the most even, gentle heat you can get for a large mass of glass. A hand torch on the bench creates wild hot spots on a piece that size. You likely ramped up the temperature too fast or had a cold spot in your garage. The correct method is to use the glory hole but give it a full hour of slow, incremental heat.

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