Who has Kimax?

[Bent]

Hey folks,
I have been trying to find some 32x4 kimax and haven't had any luck. I have even tried contacting Kimble-Chase. I have left a few voicemails but no return call.
I tried ABR but they are out and I was told they are discontinuing Kimax.
If anyone knows of a supplier that carries Kimax please lemme know.
Thanks in advance

[Bent]

Come to find out that Pyrex manufactured in Japan doesn't work properly.
If u know what I mean.

[maui greenstone]

I haven't ordered from them in a while, but you might have luck with these guys. They do bulk case discounts too.
http://www.newportglass.com/hkrcat.htm

[istandalone24/7]

Come to find out that Pyrex manufactured in Japan doesn't work properly.
If u know what I mean.

Bent...can you expand on that a bit?
i've got a case of Pyrex 1" rod i've been using for marbles and have been having tons of cracking issues (not compatibility problems)...when i was on simax nothing cracked.
i'm starting to wonder if it's the glass.

[ROGUE]

Bent...can you expand on that a bit?
i've got a case of Pyrex 1" rod i've been using for marbles and have been having tons of cracking issues (not compatibility problems)...when i was on simax nothing cracked.
i'm starting to wonder if it's the glass.

Man I'm with you on that dude! The last batch of pyrex I got is killing me.

[istandalone24/7]

so it's not just me?? so glad to hear that. well, not glad, but glad i'm not the problem as i had previously suspected.
i got the case at wale apparatus....where did you get yours?

ps, i just emailed wale....maybe we're not the only ones. every damn mib i've made for the exchange (only making one a week now...too cold and i've started a new job) has cracked in half since i started using this case.

[ROGUE]

I'm not sure, I bought mine off a friend. He usually buys his stuff from Mountain Glass. Are yours cracking at annealing and garaging?

[istandalone24/7]

they're cracked when i take them out of the kiln the next day. i'm not sure exactly at what point they're cracking but it's pissing me off big time. i just emailed wale....maybe they've heard of this issue...maybe there's a bad batch out there.

[Bent]

Well, Mtn Glass gets there Pyrex from Wale App.
I haven't had any cracking issues from the tube but it doesn't honeycomb like it used to. Pyrex was my go to brand when I can't find Kimax. I have spoken with Wale and told him my issue. I talked to Mtn Glass and found out that the Pyrex was from Japan. They said Pyrex is also made in a few other countries, and maybe I could find some from a different manufacturer that might work. (Crazy me) I figured Pyrex was made in the U.S.

[istandalone24/7]

well you're not alone....i thought the same thing.

[Greymatter Glass]

I'm curious why you wouldn't just switch to Simax or Schott?

Pyrex has been bad for a while now, I suspect they reformulated it or something - if the case says it's 7740 then it should be good unless it's just a bad batch... if it's not 7740, just because it says "Pyrex", doesn't mean it's 33coe compatible. Pyrex hasn't been made in the US for over 10 years now, but AFAIK the tubing and rod is all made in Japan (some of the finished blown glassware is made in other countries)

Also calling Kimble-Chase is like saying "I called Exxon to ask where to buy gas" ... you have to know who to call.

http://www.gerresheimer.com/en/company/locations/kimble-chase-vineland-plant.html That is where they make the glass, I would suggest calling them directly, ask to talk to a sales manager, and pick their brain on where to buy their glass retail.

As to where to buy Kimble... *shrug* I bought a few tons of it from Mike Frantz about 10-11 years ago, I doubt he has any left, but it's worth a shot. I also know someone in LA who has (had?) a warehouse full of kimble in various sizes, mostly thin wall but if I talk to him soon I'll see if he has anything left.

-Doug

[Emmett's Glass]

I have no clue who's selling Kimble, but I did see this movie on the tube the other day. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787475/ Andy Samberg plays Rod Kimble.
E

[RamblezMarblez]

I have no problems with pyrex. I order from wale.

[ROGUE]

Just curous as to why you would be worried about a product being manufactured in Japan? I lived there for 4 years and have to say I saw some of the best manufacturing processes that I've ever seen or even heard of. Other than the fact that it is import, I would feel happy knowing Japan made my glass and not China or India.

Mike,

I don't know when mine are cracking, I assumed it was during annealing or garaging because when I come out in the morning they are cracked. So maybe it was the cool off. I lost two for the exchange, so I know what you mean.

[istandalone24/7]

oh well. i'll order a case of simax and be done with it.

[istandalone24/7]

also i meant to ask....is Kimble the same as Kimax?

[Bent]

I don't care where the glass was made as long as it fumes properly for making honeycombs. Simax and schott don't have proper crystal growth. I had better luck with china clear.

[glassaxis]

I was told by Henry Grimmett that tubing that works well with fume has calcium in the mix.

[Greymatter Glass]

also i meant to ask....is Kimble the same as Kimax?

Kimax is a brand made by Kimble. You'll also hear it called KG33 and Kimble Artistic - same formula.

Pyrex is a brand made by Corning. 7740 is their designation for 33 coe glass

Simax is a brand made by Kavalier. Simax is, AFAIK, just Simax. Boro33 is Kavalier made glass using the same forumla.

Duran is a brand made by Schott. Why can't Schott put a cool "x" in their name? Who knows, it's probably some German thing. They also make BoroArtistic, same glass as Duran, just looser tolerances.

[ALIEN!]

Why can't Schott put a cool "x" in their name?


Cuz no one would buy glass called Schoxx. Fahrvergnügenox gets my vote.

[TlkQ]

I was told by Henry Grimmett that tubing that works well with fume has calcium in the mix.

This is also what I have been told.

[truedef]

Just for this thread I ordered simex

[Bent]

I think we got off course, but I will keep checking in.
Thanks again

[istandalone24/7]

gotcha. i figured Kimble and Kimax were made by the same company, hence the name. but wasn't sure. thanks for the info.

[daveabr]

The Pyrex issue has less to do with where it's made, than how it's made. Something changed, period. The stuff I saw at a customer's shop out west last year, was really bad. I know at one point last year or so, there was a massive recall basically. I think Wale had to eat a lot of it. Whether new/better stock has made it's way through, I don't know. We don't sell it, so I am no expert on the current events of Pyrex brand glass from Corning. Joe from Mtn and I chatted in Vegas about this. He agreed that the Pyrex has gone down in quality.

Also, based only on what I hear from people who call here to order Simax, Schott has had inconsistencies too. I think that Simax is the only brand who really consistently puts out the same high quality product. Kimble was rocking for a few years for us, but seems to be on the decline in production. Thus, we have pulled the sizes we've run out of from our site. If a miracle occurs, and we get our hands on more, they will go back up. We still have stock of all the sizes currently on our site. So, we do have quite a bit left. Just out of the crucial sizes (25, 32, 38) 44 and 50 are stocked pretty well though. Most of the rod sizes we have in, are plentiful for now.

If you are ever concerned about quality, you can rarely go wrong with Simax. It has never done me wrong. Never.

[istandalone24/7]

i guess what i need to do with my case of Pyrex (cracking issues...not user error either lol) is to pull out a different rod from the bottom of the case, hopefully there's a few sticks in there that won't crack like the first one i pulled out and made marbles with.
never had cracking issues before, every mib i've made since switching to Pyrex brand has cracked.

[aREa541]

Have you tried these guys?
http://macbicnj.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=macbicnj&Category_Code=a_glass_tubing_heavy_wall_kimax

[Bent]

I will give them a call
Thanks

[D. dino i ninjah]

I was told today that kimble gets their glass from china and has for the last 3 years by an employee of kimble. I was also told that tubing was discontinued as a product line.

[Greymatter Glass]

Well...Kimble and the Gershimmer Group are a HUGE multinational company, what was the job description of this employee? Does he work at the Vineland plant? Sometimes the left hand doesn't know what it's fingers are doing, let alone what the right hand is up to....

They produce HUGE amounts of tubing in china for use in their lines of finished labware, sure, been that way for at least 3 years now...

And they make tubing, just from what I've heard recently they're not making anything heavy wall or large bore, it's all pipettes and thin tube for medical vials.

Rumors are just that.... when Dave from ABR or David Neal or somsone at Kimble confirms this then I'll buy it....

but who knows, maybe someone else is going to start making tubing in the US, and have it available for a good price soon... who knows.

[daveabr]

I can personally guarantee that Kimble pulled tubing here in the US in the last two or three years. I was there, saw it with my own eyes. Also walked the miles of the campus with buildings full of it. We sold ALL of it, and NOW they don't want to do more. Like I've said before, this is based on the fact that their furnaces are freaking huge, and they must pull an equally huge amount of it. If anyone is interested in 2 million pounds of 25 x 4 clear, I can probably get that done. But, seriously, this is the sort of amounts we are up against for priority. The lab glass and medical industry, are consuming their facilities, at much larger quantities. Quantities, that even while thriving, our industry simply can't touch.

We will see. Stranger things have happened with them before. Stuff may pop up in one of their 1000's of warehouses, and may suddenly be available. Like Doug said, who knows????

[D. dino i ninjah]

The Lady I talked was in customer service.

The old pyrex then Schott owned tubing factory sits vacant in Parkersburg WV as far as I know. Considering that It was built for this type of application it would be a great facility if some one is looking for a spot to make all this "who Knows" american made tubing that "may happen" If you were seriously considering this the low gas prices and close proximity to raw materials would make this A great spot.

[Jeffs Pieces]

48474

[Greymatter Glass]

wow... when was that made, recently?

[Jeffs Pieces]

I purchased that about 2 years ago, dont know when it was made.

[daveabr]

Unfortunately, it really is a who knows situation. It's up to guys who have never even considered blowing glass before. Suits and ties. Also, running high quality/quantity clear tubing production is an insanely huge undertaking. I'd love to see someone do it. But, I doubt any private person could just get that up and running.

[Greymatter Glass]

yeah... probably not....I mean, not just one person, no....

[DaveK]

I have been fuming with Simax but want to try Kimble. I very well may suck at fuming, period, but I get good result one day and not so good results the next. Unless the baometric pressure effects fuming.(Joking, although I was once told seaside glassblowing is better than farther from the coast because of the salt in the air.)

I know there is a lot of subjective and/or bad info on the interwebs but I see a thread over on Wet Canvas on different types of glass and it says Kimble is good for fuming but Kimax is bad. So now I am confused. On the Kimble-Chase website (http://www.kimble-chase.com/advancedwebpage.aspx?CategoryText1=Tubing%20and%20 Rod&CategoryText2=33%20Expansion%20Borosilicate%20Glas s&SBCatPage=) you can get Kimble tube or Kimax rod.

So, what is the deal? If I just want to try Kimble, order a few tubes from ABR? Who, as far as I can tell, are the only ones that sell less than a case of Kimble? I am within driving distance from Glasscraft (no shipping) so i don't want to order in quantity if i see no real improvement with Kimble over Simax.

TIA
Dave

P.S Also, this is 4.5" in diameter? Damn! amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009EIF41Y/ref=biss_dp_t_asn)

P.P.S. iIf any one in Eugene wants to split a case of this (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009EII1BE/ref=biss_dp_t_asn) I have Amazon Prime so, no shipping.

[D. dino i ninjah]

450.00 a case and better 25 lbs in a case ... uhh .. damn ..

[itssteve]

I'd just buy some more silver and keep practicing on your simax...

[DaveK]

Yeah, I was informed that was a high price even without shipping.