Mountain Glass generic knife jacks....

[TCortese]

Anyone out there own the $50 generic knife jacks that MG Arts sells? I'm wondering if they are worth the $50 or if I should save up the extra $250 for a pair of Cutting Edge jacks. Anyone own both? A comparison would be great. I'd love to see some additional pictures of the economy jacks, particularly what the blades look like as MG only has the one picture that doesn't show much detail. Also, as long as we are on the topic of knife jacks, and I'm sure this has been asked before, but perhaps someone can explain to me why these are so damn expensive?



Tony.

[StickyRicky]

I don't understand the pricing myself, I bought my pair from Spiral Arts and I haven't regretted it though, use them in almost everything I do!

[The Goat]

for one its the steel they use. d2 tool steel isn't cheap to begin with, then add the time to make and heat treat it.

They could be hand making knives which are a lot easier and sell for about the same. big market for hand made knives lately with survivalist junkies.

[JDNACEglass]

the steel deff makes a big difference, not sure why, but i got a pair of the jim moore wire jacks, i absolutely love them, they are $100 or so, smaller than a pair of regular jacks, which is nice, takes up much less space on the bench, and i have not used any of the big $250-$350 ones, so i cant say if they are comparable, but as far as a pair of stainless tweezer jacks or the like, there is no comparison, they are far superior.

[Nomad]

I only use my Carlo Dona Studio Jacks that I bought at the studio in the corning museum of glass. But I hardly ever use them anymore. I went down south to the US Mexican border and learned to blow glass all over again without jacks. So I don't need them anymore hardly.

[Nomad]

I also don't go to mountain glass. I am doing ABR all the way.

[TCortese]

Well thanks for all the replies guys. I definitely have a much better appreciation for jacks, that's for damn sure. I figured the high quality steel/cold forming process played into the price, although I admit I know very little about metallurgy/metal working. As for the Jim Moore jacks, I've seen the site and I didn't see anything for less than $200 as far as their jacks go (still better than Cutting Edge prices, good to know they are quality). By wire jacks do you mean they are the rounded variety and not the knife type?

Nomad, if you are ever looking to get rid of your jacks (and are willing to do so for less than retail), drop me a PM. Do you mind if I ask how changing your location influenced the tools you use? It seems that jacks are about as useful as a tool can get, I can't imagine phasing them out of ones tool belt if they are readily available. Genuinely curious. I suppose methods change depending on where you learn/practice the art? And I hear nothing but good things about ABR, but I haven't had the pleasure of doing business with them. I may order their (extremely overpriced) catalog from the website and take a glance through it. I know it's not very green of me, but I sure do love the convenience of flipping through a catalog at your leisure rather than sitting at a computer and browsing a stores stock.

As always, I appreciate your help guys!



Tony.

[somewhere]

http://vimeo.com/86915577

[TCortese]

Now I see the wire jacks on the Moore website. Certainly a good looking deal, I'll have to keep em in mind, thanks for the tip!

[OceanMelt]

That video was awesome somewhere, thanks for sharing!

[Nomad]

Jacks are expensive and you should only have to buy one pair your whole life.
The ABR catalog is huge. It is like a phonebook. I like the website myself.
I sold my Jim Moore jacks already. I am going to keep my Carlo Donna jacks just incase.
I can open a goblet top with just heat. I am flare a foot with just the heat from the torch. So I hardly ever use them.
Right now I make a lot of pipes and I don't use them at all in production of pipes. But sometimes I used to like to use them to do insideout flares and stuff like that.
But yea the Mexican torchworkers did not use jacks at all. I am not saying I blow glass with a pair of pliers either. Like they do. But I have learned that I can use less tools from them. They use a pair of pliers and a few graphite rods and that is it.

[Nomad]

Putsch is real nice also. They are cheaper.

[Nomad]

http://glassmarket.cmog.org/browse.cfm/jacks/2,105.html

[The Goat]

I am not saying I blow glass with a pair of pliers either. Like they do. But I have learned that I can use less tools from them. They use a pair of pliers and a few graphite rods and that is it.

I blow glass like a mexican then. LMAO, that's all I use, needle nose pliers and some graphite. I like my tungstens too.

[Nomad]

A lot of cheap production companies will not buy expensive tools for there glassblowers. So it is really common to see out west. Especially with the Mexicans. There really cheap on color too. I had to use northstar shorts and off colors from northstar seconds. They would get them in bulk. Once we got like 10 lbs of Origin glass to try out also. But it was free.... most productions are really cheap.

[Nomad]

I used to only blow Italian style or Venetian Style glassblowing...... but I relized things like in the movie American Flyers that Americans can rebuild themselves with our own style based on experiences we have had. I mean that movie inspired my own glassblowing style.

[Grizzle Mcthickets]

the jacks from mountain are pretty awesome! you can make a 50mm flare with ease... I questioned spending 50$ on them but I am glad i did. They work awesome for the prices... you can also adjust the tension on it as well for smaller and larger flares... I strongly recommend

[TCortese]

Nomad, it's fascinating to me to hear the difference in technique from country to country. I'm Italian born (Sicily) and spent the first 7 years of my life in various parts of the country, one of the last places we stayed before moving back to the U.S. (both of my parents are Sicilian, but lived most of their lives in the states before having me) was Murano, this is where I first witnessed glass blowing as well as the origin of my interest in the art (it's only taken me 21 years to finally get started). From what I can remember of the time spent in my uncle's shop in Murano (ocean-side, bright colored buildings all around, truly a beautiful place!) and comparing it to what I've seen on YouTube videos as well as witnessed in local headshops, there REALLY is a unique standard in the craft depending on where it is practiced. Very cool stuff! Off topic, I know...

I never saw the movie American Flyers (never even heard of it which is strange because I am a HUGE movie buff, I'll have to check it out), but I can say with certainty that that statement is spot on. I always sort of looked at America as a giant sociological experiment and it is a VERY American tradition to cherry pick certain aspects of things from other cultures and combine it to create something entirely new, for better or for worse. I'm rambling again, my apologies. So it's a big catalog ABR has? That explains the big price tag. Mountain's is more a traditional catalog with only the first few pages (the colored glass) in color, definitely going to the order the ABR one.

Thanks for the review Grizzle, I may just order a pair after all. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this post!



Tony.

[Nomad]

Yes ABR has a huge catalog. I think they have everything in it. I use the website though. It is just easier.
There are a lot of people that are of Italian decent in New York. I have learned a lot from them. Everyone in glassblowing seemed to be either Italian or Jewish around here when I first started. I went to a traditionally Italian school called the studio in the corning museum of glass. THe Corning family were Italian imigrants who settled in New York city. They moved to western NEw York and started a town based on glassblowing called Corning. They tried to model it after Murano. There is a big Cesare' exibit in the museum too.
I never got to take his class though. It was always full.

[khan]

That video was phenomenal...... i learned alot watching that guy make the jacks. I had no idea it was that easy..
I have to get myself started a pair soon..!!!!!

Khan

[chillrelaxglass]

Khan I feel like you had the mga jacks.