Now that the snarks have hopefully been hunted out, it might be nice to get back to some of the issues concerning the joys and challenges of working with this delightful glass
I can't find the specific post now, but someone had an excellent question about which torches are being used by people working Devardi glass and whether or not this is a factor in the success/problems they are having.
Daniel mentions in his post that in India they use propane and forced air, this is also the method most commonly used by the Japanese with their beautiful Satake and other soft glasses. In other threads, people have mentioned the differences between Minors and Lynxes and others that are all similar surface mix torches and certainly the single fuel torches differ even more. And then people have apparently been getting different results from using tanked oxygen versus using an oxycon. Once we've separated glass from torch from technique, hopefully we can come up with some more specific suggestions to help with some of the problems some new comers have been having. Sort of "If you use glass A with torch A with technique A, you can expect result A. If you use glass A with torch A with technique C, you can expect result F."
As I mentioned before, I'm currently using the Minor burner on my Major. Since my local supplier has stopped carrying bulk MAPP and I have no desire to go back to those irritating and expensive 1lb canisters, I can't say how the Hot Head works for me with Devardi, though I might just set it up again with a small can just so I can do a side-by-side comparison. I've been playing around with the different flames--a "softer" higher propane mix like Daniel suggests versus a smaller flame from turning down both the propane and oxygen--and with varying how far out in the various flames to work the glass. I've also been melting a lot of Effetre for comparison, as that's probaby still the most commonly used soft glass and the one most people can relate to (besides, I need to use it up to make room for my latest Devardi order). Between the playroom being redone, then getting sidetracked into using the kiln for fusing and then using the BE when I got back to beads, I hadn't realized how long it's been since I've worked with Effetre. I had forgotten how much variation there is between colors and how easily it burns/discolors, especially compared to the more consistent Devardi.
Which brings up the softer, increased propane flame, which is, of course, a reducing flame. While both Satake and Devardi are perfectly happy with this, there are a number of Effetre colors that get seriously annoyed with it and if you plan to mix the two glasses in the same bead, the results are not the best.
Because of this, I have been concentrating on using a smaller flame and trying to stay farther out at the end of it. I have a bad habit, especially when working on details, of bringing the bead closer and closer the longer I work on it and then starting to burn the glass. Maybe it's time for a new prescription for my glasses--that or figure out a way to grow longer arms! But, farther out in a smaller, more neutral flame seems to work the best for me.
It would be interesting to hear from others what torch, flame type and working distance they are using for the best resuts, especially those who are mixing Devardi with other 104 COE glasses. Maybe we can come up with a more detailed "User's Manual" for Devardi.
Happy beading folks!
Phoebe
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