DIY Network

Inside Out Turtle Visit DIY's Craft Lab to learn how to create a unique glass turtle. From "Craft Lab" episode DCLB-155

Guest Chad Pitts joins host Jennifer Perkins and demonstrates the step-by-step process for creating a glass turtle. He shows how to create the shell design by burning dots from a blue glass rod to the clear glass shell. Next, he closes up the shell and creates the head, fins, and back feet of the turtle by burning pieces of the green glass rod to the turtle shell.

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Guest Chad Pitts demonstrates how to create this eye-catching glass turtle.

Inside Out Turtle

Project designed by Chad Pitts.

Materials:

metal work surface (to protect your table)
clear Corning Pyrex tubing (25mm-heavy all)
clear 6mm Corning Pyrex rod
2 rods of Precision colored glass (unobtanium, Abes Avocado)
small piece of silver
safety glasses
torch (with hoses and regulator)
kiln
oxygen
propane
hemostats (these are like medical tweezers)
graphite paddle
1/2" graphite rod
needle tool
parallel press
small piece quartz rod
1" piece latex tubing closed on one end
receptacle for scrap glass (i.e. glass with water in it)

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H
	Figure I
	Figure J
	Figure K

1. Pulling a Point. Begin by grasping a two foot 25mm tube by either end, heat a one inch section in the middle of the tube, slowing turning the piece to be sure it is evenly heated all the way around. Use the highest setting on your torch and keep rotating for even heat. You will be able to tell it is evenly heated as it will glow the same color. Once the piece is heated, take it out of the flame for a couple of seconds, then slowly pull the ends of the tube away from each other (about ten inches), while trying to keep it straight and centered (figure A). You do not want to pull too fast as your point will be thin or too slow as it will be short. This may take some practice. Next, evenly heat the shoulder on either side and pull slowly, burning off one side of the tube.

   Then, snap off the end into your receptacle (figure B) and polish it. Gently heat the broken edges of the glass hole so that you won't cut yourself later on. This will be your blow tube (commonly called a point).

   Tip: Beginner torch kits are available online that include glass and safety supplies. If you want to give this hobby a trial run, most places that teach classes will let you rent studio time until you are ready to buy your own torch, etc.

2. Pulling Off a Section. Once your point (blow tube) is cool to touch, repeat the steps above holding the point in one hand and the end of the tube in the other, you will be making a point for your next piece while pulling off a section to work with. Begin heating a one inch section for your point about three fourths inch from where your point connects to the tube, pull, burn off, snap, and polish. You should be left with a three fourths section of tube on the end of a point and a point connected to the rest of your tubing, already started for your next piece.

3. Blowing a Ball. Heat the whole three fourths section of tube evenly, while constantly turning the piece in the flame. Once it is evenly heated, heat the end of the tube slightly more. Remove the piece from the flame and blow into the point, you will want to use a slow firm breath while constantly turning to keep the piece centered. Since the end of the piece was heated slightly more you should end up with an egg shape. Be careful as to not blow the piece to thin as it will pop! Once you have your egg shape, reheat the end one fourth of the egg and blow again — thinning out and widening the end of the egg (figure C).

4. Opening the End. Dial in a nice tight flame. Insert the very tip of the egg back into the flame and hold for a second or two. If done properly a hole will pop in the end, if not you may need to heat a little section and blow it out a little thinner and then try to pop the hole. Once you have a hole in the end you will reintroduce the piece into the flame holding the point up, heating only the glass around the hole using a bushy flame, while constantly turning the piece to distribute the heat evenly. This will thicken up the glass and open the hole a little more. Once it is a little thicker (about the same thickness as the rest of the egg) begin to spin the piece faster, if evenly heated and centered on your blow tube (point), the piece will open up or flare out. By varying the amount of glass heated and the speed of your spinning you can control the amount the piece will open. At this point you should be left with a bell shape (figure D) on the end of your blow tube (or point).

5. Adding Color. Next you will want to cap the end of the point that you have been blowing into with the piece of latex tubing, this will prevent the flame from shooting up through the point and burning you. With the end capped you start adding color, which will be the design on the turtle shell. Dial in a small tight flame on the torch holding the point in one hand so the flame licks the inside and a unobatanium colored rod of glass in the other. Heat just the end of the unobatanium colored rod and touch the hot end inside the bell close to the point while in the flame; pull out the colored rod making a small dot of colored glass within the piece (figure E). Continue making dots within the piece starting closest to the point and working your way out (make three layers of five dots). If you start to lose control of your glass you are heating it too much, try removing from the flame between dots.

   Note: Starting out this can be a little tricky, practice making dots of color on the outside of the rod to get a feel for the glass.

6. Vapor. Begin by setting a small piece of either gold or silver on the end of a piece of quartz. Start to slowly heat the quartz in the flame while balancing the metal on the end, the quartz will get red hot and melt the metal, sticking the metal to the quartz. While holding the point with the flame licking the inside, slowly introduce the metal into the flame using a small bushy flame between the torch and open bell shape (figure F). This will vaporize the metal and adhere it inside the tube, giving you a background color. Gold produces colors from pink to orange and silver from yellow to blue. You must have excellent ventilation when using metal vapors.

7. Closing It Up. Now that you have done all of your design working inside the tube, it is time to close it up. Uncap the end of the point, turn your flame on and heat the end of the bell, holding the point at a 45-degree angle. It will slowly start to thicken and close — you can help it along by pushing it closed with a rod or paddle once it is hot (figure G).

8. Shaping. Once the piece is closed you will want to heat the whole piece in the flame, this will reduce the piece (make it thick) and work in the color. You will have to slightly blow the piece back out, this will help make the wall thickness the same throughout the piece and keep a nice shape. Looking down at the end of the piece you will see the design that will become the turtle shell; you want to let the glass gather here to make a smooth round shape. Once you have it smooth on the end, heat a 6mm rod and slightly flatten the end (this is called a punt rod). Heat the end of the rod and tack it to the top of the turtle shell — slightly touch the hot punt rod to the turtle's back and pull out (figure H). This will temporarily tack the rod to the shell enabling you to break it off fairly easily. Now heat a small area where the blow tube meets the turtle and blow out a hole and burn off your blow tube. Clean up the hole and heat the bottom and press against the graphite to make the bottom of your turtle flat.

9. Adding a Head and Hole. Now that you have the shell made, heat up the area where you wish to add the head and press the area against the five eighth inch graphite rod. This will make a collar on the turtle so it will look as if his head can slide back into the shell (figure I). Heat up the end of the Abes avocado colored glass rod and heat the inside the color where you would like the head, touch the rod to the shell and gently pull back a little. Burn off the rod leaving about one half inch attached to the shell. Heat up the rod (attached to the turtle) and turn it in the flame, it will begin to swell up making the turtles head. Once you have the head the size you want add a little heat to his neck area and flip him onto his back, letting gravity pull his head down. Looking at the bottom of the turtle, heat up the tip of your Abes avocado rod and touch it above the hole in the center and pull out trying to leave a good one eighth inch wide/three eighth inch long section attached, then do this again under his head but when pulling off this section attach it to the bottom section. Now heat up where the two meet and blend them in. Once hot, take it out of the flame and adjust the hole with the needle tool.

10. Adding Flippers. Heat your Abes avocado rod, slightly swelling it and mash it with the parallel press, making a small elongated lollipop shape about one eighth inch thick. Heat the edge of the piece and heat it next to the head (where you want the flipper attached), press the two together and gently pull them apart (figure J). If there are creases where the flipper meets the body you need to gently heat the connection to blend them in, if the not the flipper will break off. If you are having trouble with your flippers practice making clear ones and attaching them to a rod of glass. Now that you have your lollipop welded onto the turtle body, reheat the middle to the end of it and gently pull it out and back creating a flipper shape. Repeat these steps for the other front flipper. To make the back flippers add a one eighth inch dot of Abes avocado glass, each where you want them, heat them and gently squeeze them with your hemostats.

11. Finishing the Piece Off. Grab your turtle by the flipper with your hemostats and tap the rod on your torch. If your tack was done correctly the rod should snap free from the turtle. If it didn't snap free, you used too much heat while tacking your rod (don't heat it as much text time), go ahead and burn off the attaching punt rod using the rod to pull off any excess glass. Now heat the area where your punt rod was (fire polishing it smooth).

12. Annealing. Once the turtle is made, you need to anneal it. Annealing is the process of aligning the molecules of glass to stabilize the piece. If you are holding a glass rod in your hand and it is hot on one end, the molecules in the hot end are moving fast and they are moving slow where cool. If let to cool naturally, the piece will have stress where the two meet and will crack eventually. So, stick your bead in a kiln and soak it for an hour or so at 1050 degrees and then ramp the kiln down slowly. This will stabilize the piece so you can enjoy it for years to come (figure K).

Tips:

• Safety first — if you have questions about setting up a safe studio, ask someone.

• Different cities have different fire codes so you may want to check with your local fire marshal.

• Always store propane tanks outside!

• Always wear safety glasses and non-flammable clothing.

• Practice, practice, practice.

• Don't overheat your glass, if you are losing control of the glass chances are you are overheating it.

• If you would like to learn more, find a competent teacher. You can check with a local bead society or glass studio in your area.

RESOURCES :

Torch — Barracuda
Bethlehem Torches
Website: www.bethlehemburners.com

Colored Glass
Precision Glass
Phone: 360-734-8012

Tools, Safety Glasses and Clear Glass
Wale Apparatus
Website: www.waleapparatus.com

GUESTS :

Chad Pitts
Art Attacks and Strokes.com
Website: www.artattacksndstrokes.com