Quick Question about Clear

[Mr.P0rn]

Ok guys....I have been learning at someone else's shop about an hour away for a little while, and have finally started to get my own setup rolling. I made some simple dotted onies out of 12.7 Heavy wall, and gave them away and everyone LOVED them. I want to make a whole bunch of them, and work on pendants and marbles.

My question is fairly simple, Should i completely avoid Chinese clear? I spent the last couple hours searching around, and it seems pretty divided. A lot of people say that you get what you pay for, and others say they use it without problem. I am debating on getting Chinese clear and color to use since I am still pretty new, and it's so much cheaper. I know lots of people will say to avoid Chinese glass simply because it is not American made. I am looking for cost effectiveness. I was thinking of getting a whole bunch of 12.7 for onies, some rod for marble making and pendants, 7 and 9mil for punties, and lots of color. If I end up going Chinese, I was thinking 10m for punties. Am I safe going with a wholesale purchase of Chinese? Is this something I should avoid? Thanks for the input guys, It is very appreciated. I spent a lot of time searching, but I couldn't find a definitive answer, Especially after seeing the work David Sandidge did with Chinese.

[faded]

cheap glass is just that. ;)

[HPIAdam]

Youll be fine with all china clear, go american on color, the china black is acceptable. I make crazy stuff out of china clear all day long, if someone blames cracks on it being china, theyre being a bitch.

[nodice]

There is different chinese clear glass, and it can be a gamble. I'd take any of it over schott for fume work though.

[Swampy]

Stick with what you're happy with, if it works.

[Mr.P0rn]

Really? It seemed like there was a general consensus that Chinese fails for fuming.
Do you have a recommendation for where to get it at nodice or HPI?
I was likely going to go with Mountain Glass Works since There's a couple tools I needed from there as well. Thanks for the replies guys.

[kc-216]

ive gotten china clear from abr and mountain. both worked well for fuming in my opinion. the thing about fuming is there is many differnt variables. if you fume it right for the glass you are useing then it works well. I will say tho that the china clear I got off abr worked great for doing honeycombs but the stuff I got off mountain doesnt work at all... but then again I just might be doing it the wrong way for the clear from mountain.

heres my best advice. get some and if it works for you keep useing it. it really depends on your style, your acceptance of imperfections in the glass, and your over all methodology which will determine what kind of glass works best for you.

[Mr.P0rn]

@kc: Did you think the clear was decent from Mountain? I was probably going to use it for pendants, Marbles, and some onies.

[kc-216]

I did like it in most aspects. except for the inability to make fumed honeycombs,

and one other thing, with the 44 heavy wall I use to make spoons ill sometimes get a crack running parrallel up the end of the tube where I heat snap it( i dont know the correct term but basicly scoring the tubeing putting a little water then hitting it with a hot punty to crack it in half. the crack runs strait up the tube and ruins about 3 spoons worth of glass unless I manage to save it.

it should work fine for onies, and should be ok for pendants and marble depending on how you work it. Ive noticed it is more prone to scuming up a bit and not making a nice lense for pendants and such if its worked in too much oxygen.

i dont know your level of expierience but I would suggest just getting it and trying it. unless you have years under your belt and you want perfect pieces every time and are willing to spend sometimes twice as much on clear tube, get some to work your way up on. you will learn from it and it wont break your bank

[Mr.P0rn]

Thanks for all the tips KC, repped.

[bildo]

I hate chinese clear rods. I have found that schott, kimble, simax does not bubble near so easily. I can roast my schott rod, no bubbles. Roast chinex all bubbles. Even as a punty I use the better stuff. The info that I have received is that small china tube is fine but the larger sizes are more shocky.

[HoneyCombOver]

I'm pretty new but I haven't had any problems with china clear. I'd say get your feet wet with china and get American later if you feel the need.

[Aymie]

Chinese clear is soupier and you have less control in my opinion. I use schott exclusively, and do tons of fume work. Thinking of switching to Kimble in the interest of using American made glass.

I think the Chinese clear sucks sweaty hairy balls. Why pick the lowest quality glass available? While some folks may use it without issue, it's still the crappiest option out there.

[d3rk]

Check out the vendor glassifieds for ABR sale on Kimble.

[FizZle]

I think the Chinese clear sucks sweaty hairy balls. Why pick the lowest quality glass available? While some folks may use it without issue, it's still the crappiest option out there.

gooooood answer

[wakinda]

Why would you spend your time and talents to make cheap chinese crap?

[atomgirl]

it's false economy.

[aREa541]

The stuff you are going to be making is what Chinese glass is made for. From a purely financial perspective you need to be making that stuff out of Chinese to maximize your margins.

The thing about making cheap products is you eventually make thousands of them, and glass costs as a percentage are highest for this type of work.

Just remember Chinese is a bit more shocky, especially when first introduced to the flame. Just try not to submit it to any super sharp temperature differences and you will be fine. If you are only using 12mm then I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Anyway, there is a lot more to this question then just the financial aspect of it. But if that is truly all you care about then I think it is an easy answer.

[maui greenstone]

I hate chinese clear rods. I have found that schott, kimble, simax does not bubble near so easily. I can roast my schott rod, no bubbles. Roast chinex all bubbles. Even as a punty I use the better stuff. The info that I have received is that small china tube is fine but the larger sizes are more shocky.

What it BOILS down to is just that... Chinese boils easily and has stones and other imperfections. For a beginner it is very easy to ruin a nice piece by boiling it. If you are not concerned with selling your work or just wanna practice and make gifts then Chinese will work for you. I really like schott for
Clarity and workability and simax for how it fumes and reacts with striking color.
See if you can get a distributor to sell you a sample of Chinese and one of Kimble, simax, or schott. Then make the same pendant using both to decide whether the boiling and crap quality bothers you enough to pony up the extra $$ for the better clear

[maui greenstone]

Also on a financial note. You are not a huge production studio and the difference in clear glass cost on a pendant is literally pennies. If you wanna save some $$ on materials I would suggest buying seconds or odds for color.

[LRG]

Really love china cobalt thats all I ever used as china goes .

[atomgirl]

the cobalt is cool but its nkt really glass

its made outta plastic and ground dolphin snout. dioxin, artificially flavored mouthwash and your childrens hopes and dreams, mixed wjth sodium, boron, aluminum and silica... and crystal hops. Free Range Coastal Water.. thats why its squeaky clean and also pulls away from the edges of real glass in incalmo unless you fully encase it.

[nodice]

Chinese clear is soupier and you have less control in my opinion. I use schott exclusively, and do tons of fume work. Thinking of switching to Kimble in the interest of using American made glass.

I think the Chinese clear sucks sweaty hairy balls. Why pick the lowest quality glass available? While some folks may use it without issue, it's still the crappiest option out there.

Imo any clear is far superior to schott when it comes to fuming or striking colors. Course you'd never know this if you only used schott.

[Chad S]

I find simax clear to be the best for fuming and striking colors for me. Also, I have used Chinese black tubing from MGA & actually didn't mind it.

[Aymie]

Nope. Try simax every few months while waiting for my order. Tried Kimble this week a couple times. I like schott best for fuming...no contest.

[Role]

Nope. Try simax every few months while waiting for my order. Tried Kimble this week a couple times. I like schott best for fuming...no contest.

I'd love to know your secret.

With Schott 98% of my fume or silver color implosions are milky
with no color.

It is really great for crayon colors but I have yet to discover the
secret regarding Schott's reaction to metals.

[Aymie]

See, I get milky with simax. Maybe the secret is fume on Asian tubing. Most of my fume work is sleeved or rod encasement on blue and black tubing.

But I like it in implosions as well. It's what I learned to fume with. I imagine that has the most to do with it. I learned to work it to get the result I want.

Full color fume blend with schott recipe: heavy gold fume (not extreme just good and solid) and light silver fumed using a sharper than normal for silver flame and bouncing the fume rod in and out of the flame. Then I cook the fume in a bit with a decent sized flame with a tiny line of orange down the center.

[Role]

Aymie, thank you that info !