Taking the former first. Provide a piece of glass rod and warm its end. Direct a small flame against the spot on the thick tube where the proposed joint is to be. When the glass becomes almost incandescent at this spot, put the end of the rod against it and draw out a thread of glass till sufficient "metal" has been removed. Then fuse off the thread close to the tube.
Fig. 27.
The subsequent procedure is the same as for thin tubes. In this case heat the spot by the smallest flame available, and get the spot very hot. Blow it out gently into a bubble, perhaps extending to a height equal to its diameter. Then heat the top of the bubble till it is incandescent and blow violently. This will produce an opening fringed by glass so thin as to exhibit interference colours. Remove the filmy part, and heat the frayed edges till they cohere and form an incipient tube. If the flame has been of a correct size, the tube will now be of the same diameter as the tube to be welded on, and will project perhaps one-sixteenth of an inch from the surface of the main tube (Fig. 28).
Fig. 28.
Fig.
29.
When this stage is reached, again heat the tube all round till it nearly softens, and by means of the other hand heat the end of the other tube which it is proposed to weld. Just before the main tube actually softens, turn it so as to heat the edges of the aperture, and at the same time get the end of the side tube very hot. Take both out of the flame for an instant, and press the parts together, instantly slightly withdrawing the side tube. If the operation is well performed, it will be found that the point of maximum thickness of glass is now clear of the main tube. The joint is then to be heated all round and blown out — a rather awkward operation, and one requiring some practice, but it can be done.