I read somewhere last night i could use a pencil sharpener, so thats what i did but im not diggin the results too much. I'll have to take your suggestion and im sure ill get much better results. I dig your stuff man ive been going at this for alittle under a month and marbles are def. some of my fav. things to do. For right now, im figuring out ways to sculpt things. so far im getting the fish down and the winged insects.
Wow i just got these graphite chunks and now thers alot of work to be done. I had one question, what do you think is a good method to grind down and shape these? Besides the tools i want to make i have a reamer the broke at the tip and i need to re shape. Sweet vids man keep it up!
@stopo47 all you have to do to grind down your reamer is to rub it on a rough surface like a brick or concrete. hold it at an angle to the concrete and rub the tip back and forth along the tip. It will shape really easily. It won't take long to get the hang of. As for the blocks I recommend a circular saw with a tile blade. Cutting and grinding the blocks causes a lot of graphite powder. Not healthy so take care when working with it.
FYI: epoxy off-gases nasty toxins if heated over 500 degrees.. JB Weld is slightly better with resistance to 600 degrees... depending on how much you use an individual tool and its size, you might hit this temp.
I prefer using 'hangar bolts' which have wood screw type tips on both ends... a little trickier to use, but totally heat resistant and non-toxic... you can even 'preheat' your graphite in the kiln if needed...
Excellent idea for the roller. I have some big chunks of brass I've hung on to. Someday I plan on doing something with them. I'm all for crafting your own tools, buying them can get expensive. I'd rather spend the money on glass rod and oxygen costs. I lease 3 tanks and when I'm down to one, I call for a delivery. Costs $115 total which includes delivery. Working solid boro sculpture eats that right up! Thx for the vid
@fireandglass13 I feel your pain about the oxygen expense. It is by far my largest expense. It looks like we pay about the same for oxy, And I too go thourgh a ton of it when making large marbles. Best of luck to you turning that brass into tools.
@galabuffalo I have found that using a standard masonary sawblade for the standard circular saw works pretty well. Got one at Lowe`s for less than $10. I am not sure what else would work because I have not tried anything else.
@destructovision I didn't know anything about JB Weld, and had know idea it would work so well; but that roller sits in on the edge of the flame, when I am turning mibs and absorbs tons of heat( you can see in the vid that the top of the roller is a diff. color, that is cause it sits in the flame a lot).
Now I endorse it fully, it is so easy to use and inexpensive as well.
@destructovision Very interesting Idea, got's me marbles thinking now. I bet it would hold up, at least for a run of presses. I bet you could come up with a ton of mold ideas since the stuff can be easily manipulated while it's wet. Good Thinking destructoaliensnake!!!
@destructovision the manufacturing grade of graphite varies considerably and will greatly affect mold making detail and durability...
avoid using cheap graphite which has a flaky layered consistency and won't hold up under constant use... isomolded graphite is expensive but worth it.
what is the link to buy thses
amad16z6 6 months ago
@amad16z6 it's not letting me post the link here. But the link s in video description.
bzglass 6 months ago
I read somewhere last night i could use a pencil sharpener, so thats what i did but im not diggin the results too much. I'll have to take your suggestion and im sure ill get much better results. I dig your stuff man ive been going at this for alittle under a month and marbles are def. some of my fav. things to do. For right now, im figuring out ways to sculpt things. so far im getting the fish down and the winged insects.
stopo47 1 year ago
Wow i just got these graphite chunks and now thers alot of work to be done. I had one question, what do you think is a good method to grind down and shape these? Besides the tools i want to make i have a reamer the broke at the tip and i need to re shape. Sweet vids man keep it up!
stopo47 1 year ago
@stopo47 all you have to do to grind down your reamer is to rub it on a rough surface like a brick or concrete. hold it at an angle to the concrete and rub the tip back and forth along the tip. It will shape really easily. It won't take long to get the hang of. As for the blocks I recommend a circular saw with a tile blade. Cutting and grinding the blocks causes a lot of graphite powder. Not healthy so take care when working with it.
bzglass 1 year ago
FYI: epoxy off-gases nasty toxins if heated over 500 degrees.. JB Weld is slightly better with resistance to 600 degrees... depending on how much you use an individual tool and its size, you might hit this temp.
I prefer using 'hangar bolts' which have wood screw type tips on both ends... a little trickier to use, but totally heat resistant and non-toxic... you can even 'preheat' your graphite in the kiln if needed...
dogboydesigns 1 year ago
@dogboydesigns (also, if you heat it far enough, it'll turn into graphite!)
nathan7tube 6 months ago
that's awesome! If nothing else, I've been wondering what I can use to stick a handle to one of my press molds. It's a great mold, but it gets warm.
Thanks for sharing!
menty6666 1 year ago
Excellent idea for the roller. I have some big chunks of brass I've hung on to. Someday I plan on doing something with them. I'm all for crafting your own tools, buying them can get expensive. I'd rather spend the money on glass rod and oxygen costs. I lease 3 tanks and when I'm down to one, I call for a delivery. Costs $115 total which includes delivery. Working solid boro sculpture eats that right up! Thx for the vid
fireandglass13 1 year ago
@fireandglass13 I feel your pain about the oxygen expense. It is by far my largest expense. It looks like we pay about the same for oxy, And I too go thourgh a ton of it when making large marbles. Best of luck to you turning that brass into tools.
bzglass 1 year ago
greetings, Thanks for your vids. Question what do you use / recommend to cut your graphite blocks.?
galabuffalo 1 year ago
@galabuffalo I have found that using a standard masonary sawblade for the standard circular saw works pretty well. Got one at Lowe`s for less than $10. I am not sure what else would work because I have not tried anything else.
bzglass 1 year ago
wow, J B Weld huh? Thanks for the tip man!
destructovision 1 year ago
@destructovision I didn't know anything about JB Weld, and had know idea it would work so well; but that roller sits in on the edge of the flame, when I am turning mibs and absorbs tons of heat( you can see in the vid that the top of the roller is a diff. color, that is cause it sits in the flame a lot).
Now I endorse it fully, it is so easy to use and inexpensive as well.
bzglass 1 year ago
@bzglass Thats really good to know, and its got me wondering if it would hold up as mold/ stamp material if ya keeps it outta the flame.
destructovision 1 year ago
@destructovision Very interesting Idea, got's me marbles thinking now. I bet it would hold up, at least for a run of presses. I bet you could come up with a ton of mold ideas since the stuff can be easily manipulated while it's wet. Good Thinking destructoaliensnake!!!
bzglass 1 year ago
@destructovision the manufacturing grade of graphite varies considerably and will greatly affect mold making detail and durability...
avoid using cheap graphite which has a flaky layered consistency and won't hold up under constant use... isomolded graphite is expensive but worth it.
dogboydesigns 1 year ago
@destructovision the manufacturing grade of graphite varies considerably and will greatly affect mold making detail and durability...
avoid using cheap graphite which has a flaky layered consistency and won't hold up under use... isomolded graphite is expensive but worth it.
dogboydesigns 1 year ago
Tools look great BZ
ornametalsmith 1 year ago
this is an awesome video! I love your tools!-)
acroduster 1 year ago
Awesome man.... ya gotta let me know where you got that stuff from. The cost savings there is insane. Did you use anything special to cut it with?
syrKYLE 1 year ago
@syrKYLE I bought a masonary saw blade for my circular/skill saw and it worked great to cut the graphite.
bzglass 1 year ago