The asian color from 2 years ago, particularly the black, is pretty much crap. Constant cracking and frosts over like December. But more recently its been a different story, it has improved in just about every way. Just a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of watching Milon turn a fat rod of it into a beautiful 12" figure with no problems at all. Cesare Toffolo seems to be using the black tubing extensively, as are many other big names I'm sure. It has its limits but so do many U.S. made colors.
Anyway if you really want to test out the old stuff preheating (and extensive re-heating) would definitely be a good idea. But then I think you should compare it to some of the current batch before making any final judgments.
I like american glass too, couldn't work without it. The domestic color palette just can't be beat. But at $40-$80 a pound if that was ALL I used, I'd expect to be out of business very quickly. I think Will has the right idea with trying to find a reasonable balance to stay competitive.
Last edited by HOSS; 10-19-2008 at 01:56 PM.
I have the strange feeling that I've forgotten all of this before.
Let me say that I work in a hurry. If I pre heated my tubes in the oven, my problems would drop dramatically. Still, I never go beyound a simple bub with the black. I have had to many get finnicky with me towards the end when there are cooling and reheat problems. Working the black has given me more insight on how Lucio works his pieces. I am hesitant to stop or go back to work another section because of my past disasters.
boxfan
PS Lucio is God, I suck. No comparison being made!!!
Last edited by boxfan willy; 10-20-2008 at 05:44 AM. Reason: defensive reasons
I was using the 1/2 inch clear to do some dragons, then I used the black luster fire on, which gives a silver/black glow when fired, distributors don't carry the luster anymore which was made by englehart of N.J. I contacted them and may be able to get it in a larger quantity direct. It kept the price of the piece down not using solid color, and looked fantastic for anyone who has used these, which isn't very many people here. I've used them extensively over the years like some do oil paints over blasting. I heard it was the EPA getting down on them, also going to South America to manufacture some or all of the luster line because of the nasty ingredients like cloroform..tolulene etc. Stuff sure was good, I had my own receipe of multiple overlays in combinations to get a color solid rod just can't compare to. Some of my bigger dragons I had at AGI were done with this process....I'll try to get some again. Well, off to test the chinese shit.
steve
steve s!
we still have the og gold from them if you ever need any!!
that new shit that someone is seeling sucks, that is what they are telling me!!!
as for the black rod that we have in stock today is very nice quality!!!
Ok..thanks, haven't had the chance to try the stuff I got, don't even remember where I got it, pretty sure it wasn't from you though, I'll keep that in mind.
steve
hey glassman,
what country does the glass that is the base of your color come from?
With large producers of clear glass, you have 3 choices
1. Foreign owned/domestically produced(Kimble)
2. Domestically owned/foreign production(Corning)
3. Foreign owned/Foreign produced(Schott, Kavalier, and Chinese)
I am pretty sure this is accurate.
boxfan
Kimble/Kontes is a subsidiary of Gerresheimer a german company. I do think Kimble is still American owned considering it is a share holders company. What that really boils down to is who owns the stock.
Kimble is made here by Americans and sold here by Americans so even thou the mother co is from Germany I would still consider it an American co at least as much as Budweiser.
who carries the best selection of kimble?
I know Glasscraft carries kimble and they are located in Colorado.
Thanks to everyone for getting the discussion going. My post was in specific response to Ross comparing my glass to Chinese glass. Ross was questioning someone’s decision to pay more for Glass Alchemy glass, as though it is the same as Chinese glass.
A number of you have asked good questions about the way Glass Alchemy does business. We care about our community and make every decision with conciousness. We always purchase products made in the USA if we have an option, which includes most of the materials used in the manufacturing process. Like everyone these days, we have the option of looking abroad to find cheaper material, but we don’t.
Boxfan has brought up the point (thanks Wil, this is a perfect segue for me) that you see a lot of American made glass in imported products. In some ways this export is good for the US balance of trade, however it has not helped GA much. The amount of exported Glass Alchemy glass represents less than 1% of our annual sales. We refuse to provide China, India and other countries with special discounts, therefore, we have not been able to land those accounts.
For more discussion and my perspective on some of the questions raised on this thread, visit The Formula, the new Glass Alchemy blog.
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