advice on my first glass order

[VGGlass]

Hi all, I'm from Italy and need to do my first glass order, but I really have no idea on how much and what size of clear boro rods/tubes I should buy.

What do you suggest?
I will be working on a GTT Bobcat and want (learn to) do beads, marbles, pendants, bowls, small sculptures, small pipes, vessels/jars ...
I have absolutely no experience and will be learning by myself using a few DVD's and the lampworking bibles I have bought. I plan to make my 1st experiences on the bobcat and will change for a bigger torch later. Also plan to start with chinese colourstar rods, as they are cheaper... (good idea for a newbie or not?)

Was thinking to order 6mm Rods (50 of these?) and a few 8mm, 10mm, 12mm. But for the tubes I have no idea.


Sorry, I know this questions have probably been asked hundreds of times, but couldn't find a precise answer, as most of the people here seems to start/work on bigger torches. (and by bad english didn't help too!)

[Captain Glass]

I don't think you will need to buy 6, 8, 10, and 12mm rods that's kind of pointless. On a bobcat making jars and vases and bowls will be somewhat hard and take a while since that torch is kind of small for that kind of work. I've only ever used the white Chinese tubing and rod and the rod worked nicely and the tubing wasn't bad as long as you didn't do things like heavy attachments. I'd focus on the beads and maybe some marbles before jumping into other larger hollow work just so you can get the feel for glass and the way it moves.

I'd get some 3 or 4 mm clear rod because it comes in handy for a few different purposes.
I'd get 7 or 8 mm rod for puntys you don't need 6 8 and 10
And then maybe some 12 or 14 mm for some marbles
Tubing wise probably some 12 mm heavy wall for blow tubes and small constriction onies
Some 16 or 19 mm tubing
And then some 25 mm tubing for spoons and other smaller pipes.

Color wise buy some odds or shorts so you can get color for cheaper because you will waste a lot of it as a beginner. Honestly I wish I hadn't started messing with color in the beginning because I wasted some and wish I would've just learned fuming from the start.

Mountain glass has always been on point with my orders but so was trevs and I'm sure abr would be too.

Good luck man

[istandalone24/7]

or just get a clear package from Mountain Glass. that way you'll have a few pieces of a bunch of sizes and see what you like, then order more of what you used most.

[ROGUE]

Yeah man, check all the big suppiliers they all provide glass and tool starter kits. My favorite place is Salt City Glass (www.saltcityglass.com), I love Robert and Donna, they literally treat me like family.

[VGGlass]

some pics of the used bobcat I got today

4737647377

do you know whats that gold/yellowish thing there under both valves? Is it normal??


And thanks for your tipps on glass! I think I'll order 8mm (50 of these) & a few 12mm rods, and 12mm, 19mm, 24mm clear tubes. Just don't know how much of each tubes I should buy. What do you think?
For colors I'll buy Amber purple, cobalt blue, and chinese black, white, red and yellow rods.

[funksizzle]

Ahh, Can't tell what you are talking about. Are you talking about the gap between valve knobs and purple body. If so, ya, that's brass, and there is a small amount of special adhesive over it I believe. Don't worry, it's a gtt, your in good hands like allstate. They know what the f they're doing, and have probably never made a mistake. There's a reason gtt's don't depreciate even$100 over ten years. There can also be a goldish looking thing going on the barrel, but that's something else.

You'll probably want some 5mm rods too. Solid color choices, except the chinese black. Theres no use for chinese black I believe, black is a color you'll want onyx or jet black I guess, but havent tried china black. China white, cobalt are just fine, and I can't tell the difference between any cobalt really, so china is worth it here. Since your getting the china, get all three sizes to play with on cobalt. But you are on a bobcat, so maybe just stick to the 7mm.

Rods, I'd say what you need is a small eu glass order. For what you'll pay on 50 individual rods, you could've gotten a case. A case of 8mm, 12mm, 19mm, 24mm, here I'll check.
12mm tube-$54
19mm tube heavy-$111
24mm-don't have it, get 26 heavy, it's the best-$66.00 Maybe or most likely medium wall since your on bobcat.
8mm rod-$63.00

total----$293 Then your stocked up on 128 lbs of glass. Much more effecient, and much less wasted time running out, being a cheapass, etc... Clear rods you'll need the most of, get two cases. Using glass to scrap is faster, easier and you need to tear. Don't be cheapo when it comes to clear rod.

I put togethor a sample order of 3 pieces of every size of tubing from 6mm to 25mm when I started. I haven't used any of them! Still got them, for working out specs, and special fit stuff, etc..
When your starting, you won't be doing any of that though.

They also got china, but abr's got 40% off right now, so it'll be cheaper to make a small order for just rods at abr. Get em cut down to fit ups since they come in 4 ft lengths or by the pound cut down.

Right now, at abr, 1lb of each color in 7-8mm would be like 6-9/lb so with shipping $25 around 60 bucks So there's 360 bucks for 128 lbs of clear, and 5 lbs of color

Plus shipping, about another 150 bucks, which is why buying in bulk is more economical. When you get the 12 cases/pallet, 200 bucks shipping pays off over 12 cases instead of 5.

[funksizzle]

Now, I'll be nice and give the run down of companies for glass

Frantzartglass-Cheap northstar, and GA, and handtools. Plus they give free softglass like every time you order! Dirtcheap vetrofond softglass, good prices on everything except rod/tubing. Good quality handtools/customer service, and you don't need a color club card like abr to get good prices. I think their everyday discound is still better than abr's sale price on color club.

ABr-some tools, have good dichro assortment, price match on kilns/sales on kilns, china color sales, have simax, lots of tools you can't find anywhere, fittings, etcc

Mountainglass-good for some color is price is right, tools, fittings, and some things you cant find anywhere else. I like their tools, and they will actually pay to ship something to you if they have it on backorder. Up top 3 different free ships to you so that you get em right away. That is good customer service, and they'll also do volume discounts/price match. For color, if you order 5-20 lbs or more in color, you'll get the pricematched lowest price allowed.

Great tools, good customer service, pretty good prices, but I'd still get color and clear somewhere else.

Glasscraft-I dunno, I ain't saying nothing besides I don't buy anything from them.

eu-glass-clear by the pallet, 12+ case price, joints, china, color tubing, etc...


This is the best way to get everything. Frantzartglass, abr, mountain, and eu-glass Order each of those categories from each other sperate. For example, don't buy clear from frantz. Don't buy most color from abr. Do buy tools from abr, mountain, and frantz. That simple, some are better than others for certain things. They take advantage of people who don't pay attention to prices, and don't wanna shop around for a better price/wait till it's worth it to place a order with someone else. That thing is 1 overpriced product, get it from the other company, and that overpriced product pays for itself in shipping by being the on-sale price.

For kilns, everyone will price match clay-king.com. So you may as give it to one of them, abr or mountainglass. Just figure out the shipping details, to match the price of clay-king or go with clay-king.

That'll be one 1b of chinese cobalt or white. Worth a lb or three of northstar from frantzartglass, just on first kiln purchase alone. Pm me for saving you 1000's of dollars over your career, and 1 year of shopping.

O yah, some of these companies like to fudge the sales price up, so always check, call, and fix. I'll tell you which for 1 more lb of china white or cobalt. Yes, you can cut it down to fit a flat rate box, if it's 12mm cobalt or white since I cut chunks of these anyways.