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I got a new torch! Well, I got it last summer, but I finally set it up!
I've been using a Nortel Mega Minor for the last year.
I love this torch! It's perfect for what I do, the flame is big enough to melt glass fast, and small enough for detail work. I can fiddle with the knobs for a wide range of propane and oxygen mixes to affect the colors of different glass. Plus, it's pretty!
But, I bought this guy. It's big. So big that I've been afraid to set it up. It's been in a cupboard in my studio since last summer. I finally decided I had to set it up, so I cleared my bench and set it up next to my mega minor, because I knew I didn't want to switch completely yet.
This one has a HUGE flame! Just about the first thing I did was burn through a mandrel. Mandrels are made of stainless steel and I didn't even know it was possible to melt them! So far, in two days of playing with this, I've made approximately ONE bead that wasn't totally ugly. I even pulled out my boro glass, and still got ugly beads. I'm going to have to use my smaller torch for a while to catch up on orders, but I WILL master this one!
