Reconstructing a 200 year old device for Melting Glass in your Living Room

In my third video on the topic of the blow lamp, I finally get down to business working glass in my off-grid workshop by reconstructing the "continued Current Blow Pipe" that made glass working easier for individuals in the 1800s, so much so that some people kept them in their bedrooms.
link to my previous blow lamp video: • Bringing Back The Firs...
and to my first blow lamp video: • The Worlds First Blow ...
Thanks to the Corning Museum of Glass for constantly being an amazing source of information on this topic, and to Beth Hylen for this article: www.cmog.org/article/lamp
The primary sources I used in this video, in order of appearance:
Theophilus 'On Divers Arts' as translated by Hawthorne and Smith 1963
T.P. Danger 'Art of Glass Blowing' translated in 1831, reprinted by lector house
Michael Faraday 'Chemical Manipulation' second edition 1842

[@mackdog3270]

LoL I never thought I'd see the day. Children replaced by machines!

[@ARandomTroll]

Bored metallurgy student and high functioning pyromaniac here. To improve the performance of your blowlamp, I would suggest a few small modifications: Instead of your lungs, use some sort of bellows or pump as an air supply. Your breath depletes a small portion of oxygen and also adds moisture. Both increase the ratio of dead weight to available oxygen, decreasing flame temperature and thus available power vs exhaust losses. Water is especially bad because it has a high heat capacity, limiting the flame temperature of hydrocarbon fuels where the hydrogen actually contributes. Now imagine adding it as dead weight. (that's part of the reason why charcoal and unsaturated fuels are so good- especially with pure oxygen. Despite sometimes having a lower energy density, they have low heat capacity reaction products and thus the same energy reaches a much higher temperature.) Second suggestion: Preheat the air. Just add a copper coil around a second wick. Even if you burn some extra (cheaper) fuel, the increased headroom for the flame temperature should drastically increase both the speed and fuel efficiency of your (working) flame. I built a simple burner running on crappy butane cans once but used a heat gun as a blower. It did some magical things. Melting crappy fire cement and the rebar I used to poke around in it. Unfortunately everyone else seems to be building lame venturi burners so It would be nice to get a second data point on my reasoning.

[@fisharmor]

When I was starting the build of my propane forge, a blacksmith friend told me "Just be careful... there are a lot of really mediocre blacksmiths who are great at building forges." Venturi burners might be lame but they are seldom the point. ;)

[@JustAnotherAlchemist]

It's funny; my first thought for period appropriate improvement to his blower was to use something like the Venturi / Bernoulli principle to get his low volume and high velocity air to pull in some high volume fresh air. Simple improvement, dramatic effect.

[@JohnSmith-il4wi]

People jokingly say that alchemy lead to chemistry.... but every chemist I ever met secretly wants to become an alchemist. -Ros Dominus

[@janrace6466]

People say that jokingly???? Isn't chemistry developing from alchemy just a well-known historical fact?

[@JohnSmith-il4wi]

@@janrace6466 Depends on who you talk to

[@janrace6466]

@@JohnSmith-il4wi Huh. We were actually given a brief rundown of the history of chemistry in university, starting all the way back at phlogiston, so I just assumed that chemistry developing from alchemy was common knowledge.

[@TimeSurfer206]

@@janrace6466 I am an Electrician, the hands-on Physicist son of a Doctorate of Physics. I grew up reading my dad's textbooks (The ones he kept) because we didn't get much TV and I was bored. I subscribe to the Phlogiston Theory of Electron Flow.

[@NothingXemnas]

​@@janrace6466 Same, but in a parallel science, pharmacy. Because our knowledge is heavily based on chemistry, we had loads of classes on chemistry AND medicine history. Though apothecaries and alchemists were not the same, empirical studies were done just the same way, so surprises me the natural progression of human discovery is any less obvious than this. Turns out this level of knowledge on our past is NOT so broadly accessible, which is a shame.

[@jordanborj8137]

15:20 "nor am I trying to make the philosophers stone" - he said with a devilish grin

[@Elimino_P]

I particularly like the idea of using the first torch to make a second, improved torch. Very neat. 👍

[@jagtan13]

That's the only way precision was invented. It took a 2nd tool to make a 3rd better tool, add infinitum.

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

even better, this is the third torch, made by the second, which was made by the first

[@jerbear7952]

You won't like it when it's you training your replacement... Oh crap did I ruin the moment. Sorry. Nice lamps though right

[@minhducnguyen9276]

This is the improved version of "I used a spoon to make a spoon" from IDAT.

[@1islam1]

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[@toast156able]

"Just like any other ghost, our spirit lamp only shows it's true self in the dark of night." Very nice touch Fraser! Thank you for these videos!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you! :)

[@lazygardens]

I read a Georgian era memoir where they mentioned that someone's pastime was "lampwork flowers" ... and now I know what they were doing. Making pretty glass flowers.

[@fraserbuilds]

Thats so cool! the corning museum of glass has some great examples of aithentic lamp-worked glass flowers on their website, some are indistinguishable from the real plants, its incredible.

[@lazygardens]

@@fraserbuilds I loved that museum! It was a genteel hobby, although to the gentleman-scientist of the day, having a daughter who could make your lab glassware would have been handy.

[@professorvaudevillain]

The algorithm smiles upon you sir, I love your style and format! I absolutely love this type of historical tinkering diy content!

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you!

[@chiaraoneill2050]

I love to see the community you're making in your comment section! A fantastic discourse going on here

[@fraserbuilds]

it makes me very happy to see :)

[@terrydavis8451]

Glassblower here....This is amazing history I had no idea about. Really glad I dont have to use these tools today and it just blows my mind at the art work of that time being made with these things.

[@LFTRnow]

The blow lamp is certainly an improvement, but I wanted to mention you can melt, bend and stretch glass tubing with just an alcohol (spirit) lamp alone. I once had one of those kids' chem sets and it clearly outlines you can do this just by putting the glass in the middle of the flame. The lamp included with the kit was small, holding about 20 ml of alcohol and a small (~6 mm) wick. You might want to try the same melting of glass in a regular lamp and see how it compares as a control test.

[@redneckhippiefreak]

This is awesome. I have been a Boro worker for nearly 18 years and honestly I have never seen a working kit of the old flameworking tech... Thank You.

[@platibyte]

Dude, you made me dust off my tools and actually build something. I never knew those tools can be so simple. It's insane how little space the blowtorch takes compared to modern tools. you can easily keep a blowtube and lamp in your household! And there's Zero hazard in storing those! Seems also much safer in use, because the flame is only really hot when you want it to.

[@Ravenist]

I’m so happy I found this channel. I’m a second year materials science and engineering undergrad, and I’m also helping start a glass blowing club for my university, so this video and channel hits all the right spots for my interests!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you! best of luck! :)

[@pixelpixelpixel3181]

Its unimaginable how creative people were back in the days. Just imagine how hard it was to get all the stuff you needed to build this torch. I wish i would live in this time period.

[@bruce-le-smith]

Thank you for including commentary and visuals of the historical texts you use in your craftwork, so cool.

[@toneringer]

Are you familiar with pipe organ and reed organ technology? The ‘steady-wind’ development used a small feeder bellows to fill a larger bellows that was slowly collapsed by a weight or from an internal spring.

[@fraserbuilds]

Interesting! Ill have to look more into this, thank you!

[@shedactivist]

I love your channel, so informative, interesting and entertaining. Far be it for me to make a suggestion but I have a suggestion to make. Make a small wooden bench extension with a V-shape notch in it. It is what jewelers use to support thin sheet metal when cutting and drilling. Much better than struggling with the end of the bench.

[@fraserbuilds]

thats a great idea! I like that, I think I just might have to try making one today

[@smoothbrain8519]

I just came down to the comments to say the same thing :) A bench pin is a wonderful tool

[@ChillCat665]

You should get some ace glasses so you can see through the sodium flare when working glass and if you make full rotations when you heat the tubing you will get more symmetrical shapes and it allows you to shape the glass easier because the slass will be the same temperature where you want to manipulate it

[@Finding_Arcadia]

Everybody shut up, the alchemist is speaking

[@ahbushnell1]

Also glass blowing glasses might rest your eyes. There is sodium in the flame. The glass blowing glasses block the sodium line. And you can see better.

[@xact.toeblades]

Dude faraday is just beaming at you and your love of science. I cant wait soosee all your glassware when you post your next video

[@fraserbuilds]

thanks :) i really appreciate that sentiment! hopefully this will all lead to some fun custom glassware sooner or later!

[@jercos]

Beautiful work! In researching fuels for modern lampwork, I noticed several sources mention B100 biodiesel burning well in a spirit lamp, with minimal scent... I'm sure it's dirtier than isopropanol, but has a low viscosity, and could potentially bring more energy to the same wick size. I've long been fascinated by the pneumatic trompe compressor: a small flume carrying creek water to a ~10 meter vertical segment (for ~100kPa) then returning it downstream ought to be able to inflate balloons all day long, or the air can simply be piped away for direct use. The volume is proportional to water flow at best, quite small for many purposes, but the continual steady flow of air, and (perhaps counterintuitively) chilled dry air in particular make it a useful source for cooling, drying, lubrication, and combustion.

[@fraserbuilds]

interesting! I'll have to look into that! that it can use so many different fuels really has to be one of the biggest advantages of the blow lamp. in Chemical manipulation faraday mentions using a biofuel with his spirit lamps he calls "pyroxylic spirit" that came from charcoal production in london. (undoubtedly methanol/acetone mix) he thought it worked great except for the "peculiar odor" also what an interesting idea for a pump! I might just have to give that a try, it sounds like it could be handy!

[@TheNightwalker247]

Check out " ragged chutes trompé " here on youtube to see the big version of that trompé that powered several mines

[@bigislandoutdoorlife1489]

Great vid!! I'm a lampworker and obsessed with torches. I love these history lessons on antique torches! Looks like the glass tube your melting is more than likely 33coe borosilicate, a modern glass that has a very high melting point (like 2800 to 3500). I would try melting soft glass rod ,particularly 104coe ( what artist use and is redily avaliable) ,has a much lower melting point around 1000 ish. I'm sure you could make a penny size "gather" on that torch with 104. Aloha keep it up homie!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thanks! thats super helpful. I'll have to stock up on 104coe

[@jasonhatch814]

You are a very talented and intelligent young man. I hope you enjoy your life and all it presents your mind with. Well done! Very instructive and nice narrative . Ji

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you!

[@bunni3140]

"automates away the need for a family and replaces your children with technology" lmfao 😅😂🤣💀

[@xxFreakifyxx]

This is so cool - I saw one of these historical glass lamp tables at the Harvard natural history museum in the Blaschka Glass Flowers Collection - hundreds of gorgeous realistic plant specimens made by a Czech father and son in a home workshop

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you! its really amazing how detailed and delicate pieces artists were sble to make with such lamps, it always amazes me to see

[@luisuriashermosillo6804]

Excellent works, all integrated. Just a great Homo Faber. Doing things like this, as you do, like in old times, was what we all wanted to do, and did, still in the 40s and 50s. A personal development of the best whole quality. Kids now are lost in virtual intangible worlds, completly frustraded and cancelled, not to say castrated. Your great work just gave me the enthusiasm to keep doing things. Good by, depression! Greetings from the North of Mexico. 🤗🙏

[@jerbear7952]

I feel humbled. I'm pretty handy and not too far away from clever. Your solutions and workflows are wonderful. You are dialed in to some true fundamental craftsmanship and I'm so grateful you decided to make a chanel about it.

[@Neural-Awakening]

This has got to be added to my list of things to do

[@jameshicks7125]

This was fascinating. Now all you need is a treadle-operated glass lathe!

[@fraserbuilds]

now that is a phenomenal idea!

[@K0ester]

Your narration is top notch, i love your in depth explanations and stories, your video work is also very good. Ive got a new channel to binge watch, your videos are just amazing, thankyou for what you do

[@rodmena3404]

In the fifties I got a chemistry set for Christmas and it came with an alcohol lamp with a blowpipe on it for working with glass tubing to make stuff for the lab

[@johnkoury1116]

You are truly a "Modern Alchemist".......

[@mats8375]

Wow, that was a quality video. Not only practical, but you also explain underlying concepts. Subscribed!

[@Writhe_n_Shine]

First practical thing i went to look for from your alchemy vid. Glad it was here already. What a treasure house, thank you!

[@simonstergaard]

just found your channel, and i love it. thankyou for showing this kind of basic technology. this is important.

[@smoothbrain8519]

Your channel is amazing ! Your projects are so much fun and your executions are inspirational science demos. You’ve got a great teaching demeanor and voice, in that you’re calm, patient, and find humor and learning in your errs. Really fantastic, I feel like a kid. Alchemy is magic :) I’ve been into woodworking and have done some minimal brass/tin metal forming. I feel invigorated to try my hand more at building with the brass and making simple constructions like you’ve achieved here. Great stuff keep it up!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thanks! best of luck!!

[@blkscratch]

Nice, thank you for your research, and the reading list. all blessings.

[@That_dirty_hobo]

This is so cool. I can't wait to make one

[@ricardosoaresbalestra4069]

Congratulations, very cool , IF you use a bladder to blow the flame, fill it with purê oxigen to se what temperatures it reaches. I saw this in a very old chemistry book but it was an engraving where melted a Platinum wire.

[@littlehills739]

tip ---- the glass plug in air freshners /smally wall plug ins make good lamp if u make a metal cone lid good for staying lit wile u play with par cord

[@FuzBrain]

This is so awesome, I really wish I had more time. Your videos make me want to make so much art and tools

[@user-dw2ye9ng3y]

I love this information🎉

[@P.T.S.E.]

I'm slightly worried about the evaporation of alcohol from underneath the wick holder, especially when the flame is redirected. But seeing this fires up my maker spirit and turns my brain to come up with ideas. Like, I would put an inverted U shaped cap on top of the main flame, and blow at one end to get more out of the flame. The blow-in side a bit wider than the flame side (with the same top height), so the flow of heat would help naturally pull in more air. I would also wrap the flexible tubing, so there is less pressure lost to expanding the silicone tube. I would also try putting some fuel into the balloon, so there is some vapor in the blown out air, but alcohol may damage the silicone. Or maybe a second container with alcohol, sealed airtight and a thin reed connected to the blowpipe at thinned section, working like a carburetor. Also, I have not seen the piece that you blow into, but using a somewhat thicker tube then the one used at the nozzle would ease some work on your lungs. Although, you would loose some generated pressure, but with the flexible latex balloon, you would not notice it that much, only loose on reservoir capacity. But maybe using a leg pump would be the best option out of all, as there would be less water-vapor and more oxygen in the air used, still having your hands free and being able to control the airflow. I would also try making a self propelled blowtorch, where you add a secondary wick and thread it into the blowpipe, the main flame heating the nozzle, generating the vapor. The nozzle should be able to turn out of the flame to cut off the heat supply. By controlling the position of the nozzle, you would also be able to somewhat control the flame you have. Although, I don't know if you would gain or loose heat by using this kind of blowtorch compared to the one you already have. And if you want to work with glass, you should use a roller, so you could rotate the piece more evenly. They are not cheap, so making one yourself is probably the better option.

[@PhilieBlunt666]

That soldering with the lamp is quite impressive my friend!

[@bDwS27]

this was such a fascinating video ! im looking forward to looking through your others!

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you! I hope you find them enjoyable!

[@umdasu]

let your glass heat soak more while constantly rotating it. basically your spinning it too fast and not spinning when it gets soft. heat rises so you always want to heat the bottom of your tube. finally from the flame characteristics based on the video you shot in the dark, you are to far out on your flame. work your glass at the end of the blue portion of the flame ( 2-3 cm off wick ). also dont forget to get eyewear or reduce the contrast on a camera to -3 and melt through the camera.

[@luism.raposo5138]

You are a smart young man. Good job!.

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you!

[@jammerzz]

man, i love this guys videos

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you! :)

[@jammerzz]

@@fraserbuilds i love your accent too. where is it from?

[@dercebe]

Very nice work! In an old french script about vacuum tube making, I once saw a similar setup described where the wick was more of an oval or flat shape instead of your round arrangement. Also this somewhat flatter arrangement was sloped upwards and the air introduced also at an slightly upwars angle, maybe 10° . This was to enable the jet of air wo make use of more surface area of the flame. In contrast, you are only using the center portion. I guess you yould get much more out of your setup by this simple modification. Just my 2 cents... ;-)

[@Switch620]

So cool!

[@snubig1698]

Thank you for once again giving us another gret video.

[@fraserbuilds]

im glad you liked it! :)

[@snubig1698]

@@fraserbuilds And i'm glad that you are glad that i liked it! :) And also that you made the video.

[@Br1cht]

I truly enjoy your videos, kudos.

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you!

[@ravensnflies8167]

im sorry but your videos are so mind blowing it takes me 5 mins before i can even remember to thumb it up.

[@grinninggoat5369]

If you lived next to a stream or a rain downspout, you could charge a trompe pump (gravity assisted, water powered air compressor) to continuously supply blowpipe air 24/7. Or, skip the bladder by just compressing air in a U-tube and 1 way valve & outlet at 1 end to store and pressurize blown air in from the lungs.

[@TheNightwalker247]

The Trompé is such a fascinating technology. Because you get dry cold air as long as the water runs. Great for cooling (just putting a nozzle on it in the cold room... watch out for nitrogen narcosis though) , motiv power for all kinds of tools, airlift water pumps, combustion. The amish run whole workshops on air power.

[@JustThisGuy42]

Very cool

[@coreyh55]

Your videos are fascinating. Even more so since all the tools and meat gods you employ are tools and methods I own and know. Learning how to turn an oil lamp into a torch was super interesting. I’m half wondering if I could make a setup that would melt metals. Keep up the great work

[@mrgreenguy]

This was really interesting! Im surprised at what you can do with those limited materials

[@chaosordeal294]

I believe ancients betimes weighed down their air bladders to provide additional (and more consistent?) pressure than simply the elasticity of the bladder. Of course that means it's harder to get the air in, but I suspect that's trivial if configured correctly.

[@DragonsAndDragons777]

Okay this is cool I'm subbing

[@refundreplay]

I need one of these....

[@Ensensu2]

Just chiming in to say that my idea to work with the threads of the 3D printer nozzles paid off. I had to use a vice on the soldered offset blowpipe I made earlier, then widened the opening slightly with a punch, because I thought that would make things easier, I may not have needed to because the thread cutting kit had the appropriately sized male thread cutter bit and that worked wonders. As of now, I had a bit of a problem with the seal, but if the nozzle is the path of least resistance the air should exit it properly enough.

[@fraserbuilds]

nice! Glad to hear it worked for you! I was recently re-reading T.P. Danger's manual and noticed he actually recommends threaded nozzles that can be interchanged, so it sounds like using the nozzle that way would bring it closer to the genuine article!

[@fraserbuilds]

nice! Glad to hear it worked for you! I was recently re-reading T.P. Danger's manual and noticed he actually recommends threaded nozzles that can be interchanged, so it sounds like using the nozzle that way would bring it closer to the genuine article!

[@M1sc3]

Your channel is amazing!! Muito bom!

[@jasonjaffray4025]

Awsome Channel BROTHER!

[@benhartley1757]

That test-tube is probably borosilicate glass, which you need to work at a higher temperature than soda-lime glass. It's more forgiving to work because it is less likely to crack due to uneven heating, but it is harder to heat up if your torch is underpowered.

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

I wish my dad thought about replacing children with machinery. He used to say "That's what having kids is for, free labor!" And he seemed to mean it!

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

This is how you get mechanicus

[@GabeSullice]

Just discovered your channel and very much enjoying it! Great work. You have an interesting regional accent that I can't place. Not bothersome at all, just intriguing. For example, I hear you say "erientation" vs "orientation", "fur" vs "for", and "serce" vs. "source".

[@alexna6129]

OMG! Your fingaaaaaa! 😮

[@LiborTinka]

Very cool. You may be interested in old chemistry textbooks from ~1920-1960 (e.g. Vogel, Brauer) - these contain useful tips for scientific glassblowing and more. As someone wrote below, using a copper coil enhances your torch. Similar principle is used to generate superheated steam that can actually light a match. When hight temperatures are needed, authors in the old books were talking about "roaring flame" - meaning the air/oxygen flow is increased enough so it is quite noisy. It might be interesting (but not necessarily economical) to use oxygen generator (Kipp's apparatur) to fill your balloon or at least enrich the gas mixture. Humidity can be removed from the air by passing through a drying tube filled with calcium chloride (warning: cakes) or bubbling through conc. sulfuric acid (warning: splashes). An oxygen concentrator is a modern convenient way to get oxygen-rich mixture in the lab, e.g. for the preparation of ozone, liquid oxygen or sparging/aeration.

[@chamberlandfill]

This is so cool and interesting! I know it might be a weird offer but I’ve been blowing soda lime and borosilicate glass for about 19 years. I’d really like to try this. I have some access to a shop that melts soda lime and I could possibly help make you some soft glass tubes if you want to try using handmade tubing the way some would have hundreds of years ago.

[@simonfraser3332]

Oh my god!! Bag pipe powered blow torch!!!

[@lorddervish212quinterosara6]

Besides your understanding of ancient, medieval and modern alchemy you clearly have a lot of knowledge on chemistry and metalworking. Could you please point some texts to educate myself better on these fields? I am curious to know how can you tell materials one from others and their components, like in the alchemy video, in which you were able to tell what material you were left with at the end of the process

[@vysakhak191]

Hello 🤩

[@ChillCat665]

If you heat tublig that has alcohol in it it will vaporize it and push it out the oriface. Some mini camp stoves work like this and if you ad a venturi you can make it into a torch

[@SumNumber]

LOL Nice ! A Craftsman ! :O)

[@Metal_Master_YT]

The spirit also burns cleaner becasue it naturally contains oxygen and is partially oxidized. this means that reaching the necessary concentration of oxygen to burn the fuel without soot/smoke etc. becomes a whole lot easier.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

You are definitely a fan of clickspring! 😂

[@fraserbuilds]

yes! I love clickspring, also a big fan of Uri Tuchman!

[@d36williams]

make a clay impeller and use a footboard to spin it, converting reciporcating motion to rotatary, use spring under foot board -- maybe a seesaw like mechanism

[@IanZainea1990]

15:23 and yet, I really wanna see you try to make the philosophers stone

[@MaximumPower1]

Oh, it's fevka. Work with gold.

[@jeffreydustin5303]

when you heat the ampule neck are you able to twist the two ends of the ampule as a blacksmith would create a twist in a steel bar? Would that create two sealed ampule halves?

[@jeremycalnan4180]

Yup...!!!

[@JD150R]

Nice use of a 3d printer nozzle.

[@rtonce]

I see Styropyro has remade himself! More good fun and the lost skills of craftsmanship.

[@Embassy_of_Jupiter]

it woild be cool if you could replicate the first oxyacetylene torch. you turn limestone (calcium carbonate) into quicklime (calcium oxide) by heating it in a fire, then you need to mix it with charcoal and heat it to above 2000°C to get calcium carbide. Then you just mix the caclium carbide with water to get acetylene. The tricky part is getting the 2000°C+ temperatures. You need a very good furnace with very good fuel, or an arc furnace. Perhaps you could also do it with a giant lens to focus sunlight, these days you can heat and get a TV fresnel lens. Like the guy with the solar death ray.

[@stauffap]

I'm curious. Where did you learn to build things? After all it seems like you have a background in chemistry. Yet your ability to work with hand tools is quite impressive. Most people nowadays seem to have forgotten how to use handtools. They don't know how to use them properly, so they use them incorrectly and then think that working with hand tools is hard and required inhumane amounts of effort (which obviously isn't true).

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you! Chemistry is definitely where I'm most experienced as its been a passion of mine for many years, though in all things I'm a total amateur. I really enjoy working with hand tools, but this channel documents most of my experience with them (in my earlier videos you can see I could hardly hold a chisel a couple years ago😅) but I hope to always keep learning. My background is actually in industrial design using modern tools like 3d printers and the like, but after feeling a little disconnected from my tools and materials I decided to try a more craft approach to making, especially after reading the archaeologist Alex Langland's book 'Craeft' which spoke to exactly that virtue of hand tools you mention! theyre often far more effective and effecient than more complex tools, with the only trick being you need to learn how to use them😅

[@tuxedogaming5289]

Hey, love your videos! Have you thought of trying a HHO torch using electrolysis? I made one a while back which worked for a bit but then the trouble of maintaining the electrodes lead me to just stop all together.

[@fraserbuilds]

Ive thought a bit about it! I might just give it a go, id certainly like to try working with an oxy-hydrogen torch in one way ir another! though as you say it can certainly present a challenge!

[@tuxedogaming5289]

@@fraserbuilds great! I’m also trying to build a lathe of some sort. though it’s posing a big challenge. I’m currently finding a suitable motor as the 3phase induction motor i have salvaged is super low power ;(. I believe your are much more mechanically inclined than and would like to see you build a lathe one day

[@elarcadenoah9000]

can u make a video makink fiber glass with this torch and also ammonia

[@xxdragonrenderxx]

What about having a second candle run a sterling engine fan to supply the air?

[@vysakhak191]

Is it possible to take a roll of copper sheet of sufficient thickness, inscribed with writings and seal it inside a glass tube like you have done here? What I want to make is a time capsule that will survive at least 10,000 years or more! We would have to ensure it will not break of course, Like placing it inside a jar filled with inorganic cushioning (Talc? Diatomaceous earth? I don't know what I'm talking about. your suggestions are welcomed). Is some kind of ph buffer needed to protect the glass from alkaline material? if yes what might that be? At last the whole thing is encased in concrete. Little overkill I know, but I just laid out all that came to my mind after watching this video. Anyway, good video as always!😊

[@jercos]

Fused silica is very chemically resistant, and an inert atmosphere (argon?) would help preserve the foil... though I'm sure the amount of oxygen in an ampoule would make a very small amount of copper oxide. PET bottle preforms are very impact-resistant and fairly chemically stable, you might use one for an outer casing to hold your soft packing around the ampoule.

[@fraserbuilds]

thats an awesome idea! i definitely think that would work! ampoules are pretty good at their job and you could probably even get away with some types of organic material inside. like you say, i think the hardest part would just be keeping the glass from breaking, but i think some kind of cushioning and a nice solid container, like maybe a aluminum or stainless steel bottle, and youd have a pretty durable time capsule!

[@averyanderson8402]

Great idea

[@christopherparis6841]

Not in a tube lol silly but in a solid block or chunk possibly use some type of mesh rebar in the center of two sheets text side out just for added strength, though the copper might serve that purpose very well. I like the tube idea and without you having said that I might have pondered the rest of my life considering a way to retain non fictional things of this day and time along with past events or choices that brought society to its break in diff countries or tech growth global events ya know. Damn Georgia guide stone guy helped prove the carved in stone theory to not be much a good idea lol. Thank you again

[@jackpreston8762]

Like other videos you have made, excellent. I have a copy of the book you mention but it has no illustrations and trying to understand his instructions from the translation of the Latin original, was impossible.. I will search for the book you have..thanks

[@fraserbuilds]

the diagrams certainly help! theophilus's descriptions can certainly be a little arcane 😅 my edition is translated by Hawthorne and Smith and along with the illustrations has lots of helpful annotations and other notes. the digrams include the translator's own interpretation along with diagrams depicting the interpretations of earlier translators like theobald

[@jackpreston8762]

@@fraserbuilds Thank you for that information!

[@christopherconaway3549]

Fraser, for your blow pipe, what size 3dprinter nozzel did you use

[@jamesfloyd6693]

Practice condensing your glass when pulling it closed. Letting the glass roll back onto itself will do a lot of the work for you

[@Pluap]

I am really glad KZbin recommended your channel, I love your style and enthusiasm but I always jump a bit when you hit something with a hammer and the whole camera shakes :)

[@larva5606]

as as hobbyist blacksmith i'd love to see some iron working with this even if its just on a small scale

[@hanavesela5884]

Wonderful video. Can the glass be created from scratch with this or can you only remelt it?

[@fraserbuilds]

Thats a great question! I have no idea, hypothetically it should be possible, but historically it seems to have only been used to shape existing glass. I'll have to give that a shot now!

[@hanavesela5884]

@@fraserbuilds Would love to see that. A lot of channels tried but ended up with an opaque cracked lumps.

[@terrydavis8451]

GLASSBLOWING WARNING. You need proper eye protection if you are blowing glass. I started out with no glasses and it ruined my vision. Philips Saftey has all sorts of glass blowing eye wear. Also getting the glasses lets you see the work because it removes the sodium flare. One hint for glass blowing is you have to find a way to rotate it 360deg cleanly the reason all of your necks came out sideways was you were flicking the glass back and forth that little pause between directions will cause slumping and then not hitting the back side of the glass with the flame makes it harder to seperate.

[@firstmkb]

The small anvil-ish tool you were using at 10:13 - what is that called and where did you get it? I feel like I need one!

[@wardogdauwdd3020]

What are the books you use/recommend for a project like this ?

[@fraserbuilds]

I used the accounts of the device in Michael Faraday's 'chemical manipulation' and T.P. Danger's 'art of glass blowing' these are both primary sources from history however and its best to get modern safety information from modern glass working manuals or tutorials