Safety and needing a plan for a Barley box.

[Hotglass28]

Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone uses/has plans for a Barley box or similar.

I was reading another lampworking forum at it has made me think very hard on treating ventilation as a real issue and really doing the best I can for protecting my lungs.

I high spec box I can make, as my other half is a sheet metal worker. So please, if anyone has plans please share.

Thanks in advance

Denise

[beadmonkey]

Excuse my ignorance but what is a Barley Box?

Roy

[Lush!]

Phew ... I was waiting for somebody to ask!

[Les]

here's a picture of one.... it's an enclosed workspace / ventilation system....

[DragonflyLynne]

Thanks for that Les - I was wondering what one was too 

[Mary]

The idea is that your fan only needs to suck the air from a smaller volume space, instead of the whole room, so it's more efficient at clearing the fumes. I think my workspace is too big to be a proper Barley box, but it works well for me. I'm in the conservatory, so it's freestanding not built in.
The best idea was the perspex front baffle, it keeps it nice and bright.

[Hotglass28]

Thankyou for those photos! Those are really helpful.

I want to make one from metal and have some sort of screen in front of me to deflect fumes if they were to escape.

Looking on utube and typing in "Murano bead making", some of the workers work behind a glass/perspex screen with the vent right on the end of the flame.

I am new to bead making and need a vent system which exceeds the norm as I have lung problems, dont want to be spitting up blood like the posts I have been reading.   e :ock!

Sorry for baffling people with the name but I think thats what the Americans call them.

Any more?

Denise

[beadmonkey]

OK so now I now what a Barley Box is (thank you Les & Mary) and what one looks like.

But why the hell is it called a Barley Box

Roy

[Mary]

After Michael Barley!

[Magpieandbadger]

My torch table is in front of a window, I didn't want to block the view or the light, so we designed a Barley Box made of glass. I've never seen one before.

It cost about £120 at a glass company, they delivered it too.

Diana

[Hotglass28]

How very interesting. I would love to see a photo of that if you can.

Was there a reason why you wanted a box instead of the normal hood set up?

Denise

[Magpieandbadger]

I'll take a photo of it with it's window vent and post it, can do it in a couple of days. I wanted it completely movable and not attached to anything. I think tempered glass is unusual as a material but it works beautifully.

Because my studio is in the house I wanted the safest situation possible. And because the sides of a hood are open you need a stronger fan to provide enough ventilation, so more noise. The one I have for the box is in line with what Mike Aurelius recommends. And that is probably more suckage than you think!

The calculation for a box is

Height x Width = Whatever / 144 = Whatever x 100 = XXX CFM. Size the fan with a minimum XXX CFM fan, up to about 10% over.

If you are figuring the fan strength for a hood, change that 100 to 125.

Seems straightforward enough, but it took me AGES to find this and work it out.

Also Mr Mike doesn't want you to be using venting with "rills" (like the stuff that comes with bathroom or dryer vents). Only smooth venting. Yup.

http://mikeaurelius.wordpress.com/ventilation-primer/

Diana

[Hotglass28]

Thankyou very much for that info!

I was thinking about perspex in some way but glass would be perfect and probably cheaper.

Went to you web page and saw a little edge of your box, but I would really like to see the whole thing. It does look good!

Dad used to make aquariums, I shall assume that is the way you make the box. If so, I got someone to make it for me.

Cheers!

Denise