Glass tubing water cooling loop.

[B NEGATIVE]

*UPDATE*

Expected Hiccup number 1.

 

I finally got the glass.

As expected my dinky little 20 dollar propane torch is more than hot enough to bend the glass, however the flame it produces is not hot enough to heat a sufficient area to create a bend that doesn't kink. Although it could be my inexperience and probably is. It will just take some practice I guess. However the good news is that the package I ordered for 40$ contained twelve, 4 foot sections of tubing so I have more than enough to play with.

 

With my work schedule being what it is, this will be a fairly long term build. Today its just too hot and too humid to be out in the shed, I live in the south and for those of you that don't know, about 5 minutes is all it takes for your forehead to become a faucet. Although I did manage to get a couple bends in, and found cutting the glass to be easy. I even managed to close one end of a piece of tubing.

 

Next time the atmospheric conditions are slightly more favorable than the current state of "pea soup", I shall break out the big grill deep fryer burner and give that a try.

 

The issue is that to heat a sufficient length of tubing I have to hold the tube at a near to parallel position compared to the flame, which causes some inconsistencies in the bend, or so it seems to me, could just be that I am a complete amateur.

 

Failing that, I will probably also attempt to make welded junctions by blowing a glass ball (if I can, the big burner should be more than enough for that) and then making a hole and welding another piece of tubing to that, which would look kind of cool even though it would be slightly inefficient in flow.

 

More to come, thanks for the support and advice.

Use MAPP gas and a fan spreader on your torch

[Trik'Stari]

I dont know where to get a fan spreader.

 

Why mapp? is the propane too hot or too cold?

@B NEGATIVE

 

Thanks for the advice. really appreciate it. The torch I have is a crappy standard 20/30$ torch you'd get at lowes, can't change tips on it or anything.

Edit: just went and checked, it appears I was wrong about the tips.

[nick99n]

@Rumikarimu

@nick99n

 

Black noctua's (of course), gold fittings, purple coolant? or perhaps black chrome fittings.

whoa cool idea 

[Bagmup]

Need pics of failures as well as the good times please.

[Trik'Stari]

Will upload some later today when I get home. @Bagmup

[Kittke]

Yeeah first pics can't wait

[Trik'Stari]

So I have pic's. Can't upload em. I keep getting a 413 Request entity too large. What should I do? Took them with my windows 8 phone.

[Trik'Stari]

uploading them to imgur

[Trik'Stari]

Enjoy!

http://imgur.com/a/8Lyr2#0

[Tearass]

Enjoy!

http://imgur.com/a/8Lyr2#0

 

congrats. You deserve a star.

[Trik'Stari]

@Rumikarimu thanks lol.

 

I'm looking at fittings and stuff now. Along with a better torch, similar to the one I have, but supposedly made for glass work, called a hot head torch.

[Trik'Stari]

Now, to get the creative juices flowing I shall play some bad company 2. Anyone on steam is welcome to join me, my in game name is BEEEEEEEEEEEEES

[Bagmup]

So what do they use to stop glass kinking? Sand?

[Trik'Stari]

@Bagmup well from watching video's they just blow into one end of the tube, after plugging the other, I tried this, but it didnt really work for me.

 

I think the kinking issue is a combination of me not really knowing what I'm doing, the wrong torch, and soft glass.

 

I even tried what one guy does in one video, just holding the glass in the torch, rotating it, until it gets hot enough to bend under its own weight, then just letting gravity do the work, but this resulted in a kink was well, and according to some of the posts I've read on glass blowing forums, if the tube is hot enough to bend under its own weight, then you've over heated the part and ruined it.

 

It's probably a lot like working with wrought iron, just a matter of the correct heat, timing, and a big enough torch.

[Kittke]

I heard you can hold glass infront of a tv or pc screen and with different colours you can see the glass stress or something?

[Trik'Stari]

@Kittke never heard that before, I doubt it's true. they do make a thing for that, although I can't remember what it's called.

 

I made 2 accounts on 2 different glass blowing forums, although I don't expect to get much more advice than "get someone to do it for you" as artisans like glass blower's and blacksmiths tend to be unwilling to help anyone not willing to apprentice for them (And as a result spend years being demeaned by them, its not all artisans, but alot more than you'd think are like that). But I can only hope for the best.

 

As it sits, what I've been told is that I would need 5 of the same torches I have to heat an area wide enough to bend, I dont see how though considering the video's showing people doing simple 90'degree bends with bunsen burners. Perhaps those video's are of much smaller tubing.

 

So all in all, things are at a stand still, I tried the big burner, but didn't anticipate the ring around the burner that keeps things from getting close to it. I may end up cheating and getting a glass blower to make the bends and what not, then just use my torch to heat and fit the tubing (small adjustments seem to be somewhat easy, I made a 75 degree bend today that wasn't kinked, but when I reheated and tried to go to 90 it just kinked AGAIN.

[Kittke]

Not the right video but he explains from 1:50-2:02 how to see the tension

maybe this can help you?

[Trik'Stari]

@Kittke thats actually really cool.

 

I wish it helped more lol. It looks like if I really want to do this myself I will have to invest in an expensive torch setup. I'm still waiting to hear back from the second forum though.

 

Worst comes to worse, I buy 2 more torches, and rig something up lol. That or cheat and have someone else make the bends.

[Trik'Stari]

I am also reading that mapp gas is indeed better because it burns more cleanly, and hotter.

[Trik'Stari]

So, the more I read the more impossible this whole thing seems, which pisses me off. I guess I'm just placing this on an indefinite hold, until either I have the money and or skill to make it happen. I hate to do it because I was really excited about it.

 

I might still have my local glass blower make me a thing or two to incorporate into a cooling loop, cuz I've got a few idea's that could be incorporated into a hardline acrylic loop with ease, and if done right would still look amazing in my opinion.

 

So I guess for now, this is on pause/impossible dream status. I wont give up, I'll get a better torch eventually, or at least one I can put a flame spreader on, then we shall see.

[VSG]

So, the more I read the more impossible this whole thing seems, which pisses me off. I guess I'm just placing this on an indefinite hold, until either I have the money and or skill to make it happen. I hate to do it because I was really excited about it.

 

I might still have my local glass blower make me a thing or two to incorporate into a cooling loop, cuz I've got a few idea's that could be incorporated into a hardline acrylic loop with ease, and if done right would still look amazing in my opinion.

 

So I guess for now, this is on pause/impossible dream status. I wont give up, I'll get a better torch eventually, or at least one I can put a flame spreader on, then we shall see.

 

You tried, so that's better than nothing. Just go acrylic now with your setup (replace torch with heatgun of course) and see how much easier it is.

[Trik'Stari]

Just got a reply on one of the forums, they basically said a professional MIGHT be able to pull it off with just doing bends, however doing it with straight pieces and connections would be easily doable if not expensive.

 

So, I don't know what to do, I'll look at some things and see.

 

@VSG whaddya mean replace torch with heatgun? just hold it further away! *immediately starts a fire* woops

 

Lol I'm super bummed about this. Had so many hopes. However I will look into doing this with fittings and connectors and what not.

[Lays]

Are you actually going to do this? I didn't see any pictures so far, and considering this is in build logs and not build planning I was JW when the actual log will start.

[spwath]

Are you actually going to do this? I didn't see any pictures so far, and considering this is in build logs and not build planning I was JW when the actual log will start.

He posted pics...

[Lays]

He posted pics...

 

one imgur album of bent glass >.>