Advice: sorting mixed glass rods

**donaldo** · 05-25-2009, 08:07 PM

This weekend, I scored a bunch of good stuff including a full quart size baggie of boro rod shorts for cheap- the problem is that the bag has mixed in soft glass rods. Being a poor college student and because this bag has a lot of Northstar shorts in it, I don't wanna chuck it out. I have some ideas of testing each of the larger rods with soft glass and boro and throwing out the smaller bits. But I am open to suggestions.

**jr23** · 05-25-2009, 08:37 PM

Bummer.

**chayes** · 05-25-2009, 09:38 PM

you could melt the end of each rod to see. It sounds tedious but your guaranteed to know whats what then.

**jr23** · 05-25-2009, 09:59 PM

How much variety of soft glass did you have. It seems about half the N/S and G/A line up I can tell by color and touch. the others will tell there tale with heat as chayes advised.

**donaldo** · 05-25-2009, 10:14 PM

Ok, cool that's two good ideas.
1. A flame not quite hot enough to melt the boro but hot enough for soft.
2. Compare it to the soft glass for look and feel, melting qualities.

With the boro I got about 10 pounds of soft glass, many rods have Arrow Springs labels. But it was supposed to separated by type.

**jr23** · 05-26-2009, 05:54 AM

^^^^ you got it , Once you start seeing it and separating it will start to move right along.

What a bitch you have 10 pounds of soft mixed with boro.

Bye type did they mean all soft glass is labeled. Can you contact seller it might help you if he had some info to help 10 pounds of soft and boro mixed is a pain in the arse.

**Slow** · 05-26-2009, 07:09 AM

If you come across any rods that you cannot identify easily, there is a crude coe test you can perform. Start with a rod of clear boro, and draw a thin line of color along a bit of it. Melt it in, then pull it out into a stringer. As you watch it cool, check for any bending. The more it bends, the less compatible the glasses are. Soft glass pulled out on a rod of boro will likely keep bending as it cools until it shatters.

**Brian Newman** · 05-26-2009, 07:12 AM

Boro is about 25% lighter than soft glass, or conversely soft is 1/3 heavier.

**nklt0** · 05-27-2009, 06:39 PM

Do you have access to a kiln? if so, slumping the soft rods will be the quickest. Boro won't bend at soft slumping temperature.

If you are not going to use the soft rods, prop all the rods up on some thing, all the straight ones after the firing will be the ones to keep.

**donaldo** · 05-28-2009, 12:58 AM

I started adding a blob of boro to the end of each short and making mini stringers to test the compatibility of the glass. But that got so old so fast. Then, I started just pulling out the obvious pieces, puntying up the rest of the shorts together and making rods out of them, it goes a lot faster. If the rods break it's easy to to tell what isn't compatible.

I don't know...I am half tempted to just sell the shorts, but i am also thinking about finding a kid, calling him a "junior glass apprentice" or something, and having him do all my grunt work in exchange for some torch time.

**filthy god brother** · 05-28-2009, 01:23 AM

everybody tries that
but from experience
it becomes a hassle later on

**jr23** · 05-28-2009, 06:09 AM

You have to add your time in the deal. You should get a 2-5 lb bag of shorts from trev and go from there.

When you have a handle on the material better you can go threw the shorts as you go. In spare time not time that could be making somthing.

If you sell them you are just passing on your problem.