Pre-heating my marver pad fixed my rough surface issue

I used to shape glass right on a cold marver pad, and it would stick and leave bumps. Now I warm the pad with my torch for thirty seconds before using it. The glass moves smoothly and my pieces come out with a clean finish. What's your go-to method for keeping surfaces smooth?

3 comments

3 Comments

jasons9320d ago

Ever try beeswax on a graphite paddle? I keep a little chunk handy and rub it on the cold surface before I start. It leaves a super thin film that stops the glass from sticking outright, kind of like non-stick cookware but for torch work.

charlesj4620d ago

Jason's beeswax trick reminds me of the weird stuff people try to keep things from sticking. A guy in my old shop swore by rubbing a bar of soapstone on his marver, which just made a dusty mess. Another friend used a smooth marble slab for a while until it cracked from the heat change. Graphite is still my go-to, even if it gets a little gunked up over time.

masona6215d ago

Tbh, I used to skip any kind of coating on my graphite tools. After seeing Jason's post, I gave beeswax a shot and it works way better than I expected. Honestly, it's made my torch sessions a lot smoother with less cleanup.