TIL a trick for keeping my punty from sticking when working with soft glass

I was making a series of small perfume bottles and kept having the punty weld too hard, ruining the piece when I tried to crack it off. My buddy in the studio said to heat the punty tip to a dull orange, then dip it in a tiny bit of powdered graphite from a pencil lead. Tried it on my next three pieces and it worked perfectly, clean break every time. Anyone have other tricks for punty adhesion besides graphite?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleyk872mo ago

Ever notice how the simplest hacks, like pencil lead, fix the stickiest problems?

paul_morgan2mo ago

My old garage door lock froze solid last winter. A number two pencil rubbed on the key got it open in ten seconds. Felt like cheating the system.

bettykim1mo ago

Right there with you, Paul. My car door handle iced over last month and I was out there with a hair dryer looking like a fool. Pencil lead is one of those things you don't think about until you're stuck and it saves the day.