A guy at the Philly glass market told me my punties were too thick

I was at the Philadelphia Glass Market last fall, just watching people work. I had a few of my own pieces on display, nothing fancy. This older guy, maybe in his 60s, came up and looked at my stuff for a long time. He pointed at a simple vase and said, 'Your color work is clean, but you're fighting yourself. Look at the punty mark.' He was right, it was a mess. He told me my punties were way too thick, like using a baseball bat to hold a feather. He showed me on his own hand how thin he rolls his, maybe the width of two pennies stacked. I went home and tried it that night. It took three tries to get it right without the piece falling off, but the difference was huge. The break-off was so much cleaner. Anyone else have a simple tip that fixed a problem you didn't even know you had?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark_miller3h ago

Yeah, I get what @oliver_carr28 is saying about the heat, but honestly I've cracked more pieces that way. I keep my punty cooler, just a dull red, and let the piece itself be the hot part. It sticks fine if you're patient.

oliver_carr284h ago

Ever try heating the punty a bit more before you attach it? I found if I get it just to that sticky, orange peel stage, not fully molten, the thinner punty actually grabs better. Lets you wiggle it on there without shocking the piece.