I HATE soft glass!

kirrakat123 · #1 2009-10-17, 6:48pm

I am going to rant so I can get this off my chest. I hate soft glass (104coe)!
I have been a boro addict for the last 5 months & I love the dark side. The colors are amazing & the glass is wonderful to make beads & blown figurines with, & the dichro is soooo easy to use. BUT today I thought I would try some of my old soft glass. I even remembered to pre-heat the rods in the kiln's bead door. It was a disaster ---

I had hot glass pieces flying everywhere! The 104 coe dichroic strip broke into a million little bits! The dichroic I did get on the bead, was no where near as clear or as shiny as boro dichroic. The hot glass bead is so soft that I kept loseing my shape, because I was used to being abit heavy-handed with boro. It was enough to give me a headache.

So I bet you can guess what kind of glass I will be working with tomarrow?
After today, I will be happy if I never see SOFT GLASS again! It is so hard for me to believe that I spent my first three years working with only soft glass.
new chant -- DOWN WITH SOFT GLASS!
YAH! FOR BORO
Thanks for listening, anyone else feel the force of the dark side?
Cynthia in Australia

Lenda · #2 2009-10-17, 7:51pm

I'm sorry you feel that way after trying it again. I feel the need to go boro but am disappointed with the results due to not enough practice, knowledge of the colors etc. Not so much the technique of making something or whatever but getting the colors in boro I know are there. So I get frustrated and stop.

You're just used to using lot's more heat than needed for soft glass, you've forgotten that it's shocky. It'll come back to you again, but it's a learning curve going back. You know that, lol!

Kalera · #3 2009-10-17, 7:55pm

I love 'em both! I couldn't live without my 104, and my 96, and my Bullseye, and my boro.

getdul981 · #4 2009-10-18, 6:17am

I started with 104 and still try it from time to time, but after using 33, trying to do anything with 104 is like trying to do an ice scupture out of water.

Greg

patezd · #5 2009-10-18, 7:36pm

Ditto Kalera! Both have their niche in my studio, boro for my sculptural work and soft glass for the great palette and organics. I just have to be careful to remember if I work boro first on any given day that I have to TURN THE TORCH DOWN before switching to soft glass. My boro work is intense so it's nice to do it while I'm fresh then switch to soft glass for some nice, quick, easy rounds or bicones......play with colors, coax a little silver glass. Much easier to get the nice, balanced, beautifully rounded beads with 104 and 96 than boro.........and don't have to use up all my oxy waiting for it! Boro has turned out to be a real bonus for my horse head pendants as it is waaaaaaaay more forgiving than soft glass and I don't lose so many pieces in the construction because of thermal shock. I really should still make some of them in soft glass just for the wonderful colors and gold leaf that I can use with it and also for the discipline! Boro has made me just a bit lazy BECUASE it is so much more durable! I really admire folks who can work sculpture in soft glass and also do compression work! I came across another artist this weekend who had done some exquisite floral compression pendants in vetrofond. I was awed by their beauty!

Firebrand Beads · #6 2009-10-19, 2:10pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by getdul981

I started with 104 and still try it from time to time, but after using 33, trying to do anything with 104 is like trying to do an ice scupture out of water.

Greg

LOL, more reasons they are called "hard" and "soft" -- not "hard" and "easy"!

Lea Zinke · #7 2009-10-19, 2:16pm

Ditto Kalera! Depending what I want to create, each COE has its own special attributes!

Loving all the great glass we have to work with!
Lea

one hot beader · #8 2009-10-19, 2:39pm

Hey Cynthia, if you hate it that much send all your soft glass my way.

I know a beginner on hard times who would like some, and then there is poor old broke me and..and... sniff..sob...

But seriously if you want to offload, we can do a deal I'm sure. Where are you?

kirrakat123 · #9 2009-10-19, 4:25pm

I live in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. I would gladly get rid of all my soft glass, except that all the classes that have overseas teachers coming to Australia teach us on soft glass. I am enroled in May in NZ with Sarah from Isreal & in Aug. with Andrea Guarino. I wish we had more overseas teachers coming who are teaching with boro. I thought that I would work with my soft glass for the week before each class to get me re-use to handleing it again.
However, I do have some soft glass colours that I absolutely hate. I also have 104 coe dichroic, I just bought from the US, that I don't really want as the boro dichroic looks so much better. I have some CZs that can't go with boro glass & lots of different soft glass frits & millieflowers. You might want to PM me if you wanted to work something out to do a bulk lot purchase or whatever.
Thanks everyone for commenting. I can certainly see why people like soft glass, but it's so much more of a pain to work with, being so shocky.
Sincerely, Cynthia

Firebrand Beads · #10 2009-10-19, 5:13pm

Hey Cynthia - where do you buy boro down under? Kerry Carson in Tasmania just picked up our 104 line, and will bring Red Elvis in if enough people want boro.

kirrakat123 · #11 2009-10-19, 5:43pm

Hi, I am going to bring in about 5 lbs of different brans of boro from mountainglassarts.com in the US for my own use, because the Aussie dollar is so good at the moment. We only have 3 sellers of boro in Australia that I know of & each one specialises in only a single brand - Peter minson (Momka), Mark Elliot (Northstar) & Richard Clements (Glass Alchemy). So if you wanted a selection from each brand, you have to pay 3 different postages. It's a real pain. This will be the first time I have brought in glass from the US, but at least it's only one postage price. Thanks, Cynthia

Ekkie · #12 2009-10-19, 6:19pm

Hi Jenny
By the time the glass gets to Australia we can't afford to buy from local suppliers as the price is at least double what we pay for it from the US. e.g. I was looking at some Momkas glass last night US$70/lb+ shipping, but when buying in OZ it was AUD$150/lb plus shipping. Even with shipping costs it is cheaper to buy direct from the US.
Jenn

Puddy Tat Glass · #13 2009-10-19, 6:29pm

I've felt the same way about boro...after using Bullseye I try some boro and it's wait, wait, and wait some more. Seems like the boro's never gonna get soft enough to work with. But since my son had to sell his boro equipment and I got all his glass, I think I might give it another go this winter. Kalera's right, there are things you can do with one that you can't do with another and it'd be nice to be able to switch between them.

wickedglass · #14 2009-10-20, 2:46am

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirrakat123

I live in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. I would gladly get rid of all my soft glass, except that all the classes that have overseas teachers coming to Australia teach us on soft glass....I wish we had more overseas teachers coming who are teaching with boro...
Sincerely, Cynthia

I'm still a bit mystified (albeit not against) about this propensity of people here feeling the need to invite overseas teachers when we have a bunch of very talented people here in Australia who are willing and able to teach both boro and soda glass techniques to the highest levels ...

besides, we have the best opportunity to develop our own styles here ...

gubnavnania · #15 2009-10-20, 3:08am

Chris, wanna come to Sydney and teach us?

You and Bernie

wendbill · #16 2009-10-20, 3:46am

Quote:

Originally Posted by wickedglass

I'm still a bit mystified (albeit not against) about this propensity of people here feeling the need to invite overseas teachers when we have a bunch of very talented people here in Australia who are willing and able to teach both boro and soda glass techniques to the highest levels ...

besides, we have the best opportunity to develop our own styles here ...

I was really disappointed last month when I went into the office at Southgate and all the glass galleries have now moved out. My plans if I ever won lotto was to go and buy out most of the glass sculpture at Kirra....

Southgate is now looking really empty. Makes me wonder what they're trying to charge everyone in rent.

I think part of the problem in Australia is that it is cheaper to go buy larger orders of glass from overseas. In Melbourne there aren't that many places, or do not appear to be that many, which have shopfronts or studio space for teaching on a more permanent basis or regular basis anyway.

When we're all voting with our feet and buying our glass from overseas, we're also not providing the local stockists with enough justification to have a glass supply at a storefront either. My glass ordering is generally about 50/50 overseas and local. But it is also all pretty much internet based.

wendbill · #17 2009-10-20, 3:52am

A lot of the beadmaking in Australia is very derivative at the moment - and I most certainly include myself in that. Therre are only a few people where I can see a definite voice.

Furnace work and sculpture definitely has more people doing more interesting stuff with more unique voices.

wickedglass · #18 2009-10-20, 6:15am

Quote:

Originally Posted by gubnavnania

Chris, wanna come to Sydney and teach us?

You and Bernie

ABSOLUTELY! I'm working on it

and as soon as I have a moment to breathe, I'm there ... and Bernie's up that way next month ... I think I'm gonna try and convince him to do a joint workshop at some stage, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wendbill

I was really disappointed last month when I went into the office at Southgate and all the glass galleries have now moved out. My plans if I ever won lotto was to go and buy out most of the glass sculpture at Kirra....

Southgate is now looking really empty. Makes me wonder what they're trying to charge everyone in rent.

problem with southgate is that theyve started putting in crappy shops which sell crappy stuff, so kirra moved out of there. you do know they have their gallery in the atrium at fed square now, opposite the ian potter gallery?

also we're working on being able to supply colour glass at a reasonable cost here, and we will also sell online, hopefully that will all come together in the new year.

I'm in fact really excited about next year, I'm planning on conducting a bunch of classes and I'll have my studio set up for teaching then, too.

cheers
Chris

gubnavnania · #19 2009-10-20, 1:02pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by wickedglass

ABSOLUTELY! I'm working on it

and as soon as I have a moment to breathe, I'm there ... and Bernie's up that way next month ... I think I'm gonna try and convince him to do a joint workshop at some stage, too.

cheers
Chris

Cool

Try to organize it with Gail from GBM. She has 7 torches and free yummy breakie, lunch and tea

patezd · #20 2009-10-20, 1:46pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by wickedglass

I'm still a bit mystified (albeit not against) about this propensity of people here feeling the need to invite overseas teachers when we have a bunch of very talented people here in Australia who are willing and able to teach both boro and soda glass techniques to the highest levels ...

besides, we have the best opportunity to develop our own styles here ...

Here HERE! I am in total agreement with you! I can't imagine why you haven't been called upon by fellow Aussies to teach a plethora of classes! Your sculptural work is AWESOME! My brother lives in New Zealand and I am hoping that someday when I get a chance to visit him I can incorporate a trip to Australia to visit your studio as well!

I think it has to do with the premise that a prophet is never accepted in his home town. I teach Dressage (horseback riding) and find that I get more "out of town" interest in my expertise than locals. C'est la vie!

Firebrand Beads · #21 2009-10-24, 9:50am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ekkie

Hi Jenny
By the time the glass gets to Australia we can't afford to buy from local suppliers as the price is at least double what we pay for it from the US. e.g. I was looking at some Momkas glass last night US$70/lb+ shipping, but when buying in OZ it was AUD$150/lb plus shipping. Even with shipping costs it is cheaper to buy direct from the US.
Jenn

Yes, this is what Kerry told me, too. Glasslovers hope to be up and running very soon, with a business model based around making the glass affordable for everyone and not taking much profit. Like I said, she is bringing in the TAG 104 silvered glasses, and she can certainly be the source for your Red Elvis, Slyme and Wisteria down under if you ask. At this time, no one is specifically selling TAG boro in Australia. So we have been shipping retail orders via USPS.

theglasszone · #22 2009-10-24, 10:49am

HATER!!!

Just playin' with ya!

If the cursed ship cost from AUS to US wasn't so bloody high, I'd offer to buy your soft stuff from 'ya..."I'll have your SPAM - I love it!"

De

glasshouse · #23 2009-10-25, 1:49am

It sounds like someone down under needs to start batching boro color! Seriously, it would save money and energy not to have to ship it across the world.

I know it's not easy...but neither is it impossible.

Just a thought!

kirrakat123 · #24 2009-10-25, 6:10pm

Hi Everyone, Thanks for your wonderful comments. I hate soft glass, was meant as abit of a joke. I really do love the look of alot of the soft glass, especially with Raku. It's just that when you have spent so much torch time working with boro & then try to do soft glass, it was so shocky & hard to remember not to over-cook it. As someone said, each type of glass has it's place in the lampworker's life. Anyway, I have sorted thru my soft glass & found it a good home in Australia, where two new lampworks will appreciate soft glass's qualities. Meanwhile I am sticking with my beloved boro glass.
Thanks, Cynthia in Australia