Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

o.k, so if you can't tell by the title, I am just a wee bit frustrated with the hot head torch I am using.  I am going to take a moment to vent.  If anyone out there reading my blog is new to glass bead making/Lampwork, let me just save you the time and frustration by saying go buy a Minor Torch....it is worth the money.  First of all, I got the glass kit that hobby lobby sells....and it is a pretty nice kit for starting out. Starting out....meaning once you use the hot head torch, you'll want to take a nap. I used it one time and I was ready for the minor torch.  The hot head torch I have is hooked up to Map gas and pulls the oxygen from the room......this does not make for good beads.  My beads look horrible, they are not round and they look dirty. This is because the flame is not hot enough.  Grrrrrrrrrr Not to mention the glass does not get hot enough nor does it stick to the mandrel very well.  When the glass doesn't get hot, and you touch it to the mandrel it then pulls/drags and causes the bead release to break off.  Talk about frustrating!  Needless to say, I complained to my husband and he just said "told ya so.." He tried telling me that I wouldn't be happy with the hot head torch and tried to buy me a minor torch......if you know my husband, you know what he did next. Yup! he bought the Mega Minor Torch. Sweet! Oh, and did I mention that you have to have propane for it and an oxygen tank. Lucky for me, he already has that stuff. Gotta love when you can borrow your husbands tools!  So I have been practicing with different colors etc. and I am learning that different colors seem to take longer than others. Now this may be because I am using a hot head torch right now with map gas.  I used a yellow glass rod and it took, no joke, 30 min. to get a hot enough "blob" to make a bead....I still have so much to learn and I can't wait to start making some really cool pieces of jewelry.  Check out my etsy site as I add new jewelry www.lfjewelry.etsy.com