Little bit OT, but always wonder how to make these dimples into a straight glass tube?
What tools are required? Maybe just a butane torch? How's the technique?
Well i have a little glassblowers torch and a small tank. I cant do complicated stuff that involves fusing high mass stuff with it,neither i have the skills to. So glass screen is out of the question for now,unless i source ready made ones.
Bending borosilicate is a bit dangerous ,cause it causes stress to glass,which needs to be relieved via ANNEALING which is done for hours in a PID controlled oven and the thing is not only expensive to purchase but also adds a lot of cost to the electricity bill .They let me use the one at the studio i was taking the classes as i dont own one.Without the stress relief ,the glass can shatter at any moment,which includes while you are inhaling. Even when annealing is not done properly,the danger still presents,ones my gf bought a cheap chinese boro pendant which almost "exploded" while she was wearing it,so i would advise against trying it ,but if you are going to do it anyway,get MAPP gas(butane is too weak for the job )and a torch that can handle it,even the cheap ones will do the trick for the dimples. But then you gotta also find yourself a graphite tool which doesnt stick to the glass like metal ones when heated so you can actually make dimples,if you use a metal one you will most likely fuse it with the glass.
There is no middle road for it,in order to make safeglassware one should not make compromise skipping steps or using unsafe gear/environment to do it. I personally gave up on the idea of delevoping further in the field as it would require an investment in gear i could never afford in this country,unless i move to a better one ,this is it for now .