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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #1  
Old 2021-03-02, 6:54am
Brontobrat Brontobrat is offline
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Question Opinion/info: Devardi glass

Hello all-

I am entering the lampworking world after about a decade break. At the at time Devardi was basically just coming on the scene. What is your opinion about their glass? Their service? The quality of their supplies and tools?

Thanks y’all -

Melissa
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  #2  
Old 2021-03-02, 7:01am
EmeryLawson EmeryLawson is offline
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Their tools are fine, if not the highest quality. The glass is very shocky preheating helps.
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  #3  
Old 2021-03-02, 7:48am
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Croft Eeusk Croft Eeusk is offline
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OMG - I know you didn't mean to open a can of worms, but ... if you search there are a number of threads on the subject.

There are some rather strong opinions on Devardi glass. I don't have one as I've never used it.

I have bought and used their metal frits and was quite satisfied w/product and service.

dj
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Old 2021-03-02, 8:01am
Brontobrat Brontobrat is offline
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Oh dear 😬 didn’t mean to start something.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Croft Eeusk View Post
OMG - I know you didn't mean to open a can of worms, but ... if you search there are a number of threads on the subject.

There are some rather strong opinions on Devardi glass. I don't have one as I've never used it.

I have bought and used their metal frits and was quite satisfied w/product and service.

dj
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  #5  
Old 2021-03-02, 11:06am
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Three Muses Glass Three Muses Glass is offline
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No worries, Bronto. You didn't start anything, it's been going on for years. Some of the tools are fine, I did not like the glass much.
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  #6  
Old 2021-03-02, 11:15am
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Some people love it for the price and available colors. Others hate it for being terribly shocky and rods that are poorly pulled and irregularly shaped. I guess it all depends on your tolerance for glass that has challenging working properties. It seems cheap enough to sample if you are interested.
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  #7  
Old 2021-03-02, 3:37pm
losthelm losthelm is offline
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Its one of those you get what your paying for.
Some tools are useful others are over priced or have concerns.
Their bead annealer doesn't work well and the frit making tools are poorly made or questionable when it comes to sorting out metal, plastic bits and such.
Some tools are quickly made from harbor freight pliers that work a bit better once you take some sand paper or a file to clean up the edges.

Its a cheap intro tools for lampworking the shockey glass can scare off some.
The ventilation issue is often overlooked.
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  #8  
Old 2021-03-02, 9:12pm
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I bought a bunch of it when I started so I would have something to play with while answering the questions about whether my body would adjust to my sitting so very long and if I would tire of it within a short time.

Also I would not be so careful with the better quality stuff and worry about "wasting so much expensive glass".

I wanted cheap stuff that I wouldn't care about trashing while I flailed about, learning what goes on with this very addictive hobby.
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  #9  
Old 2021-03-10, 11:23am
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They have some pretty glass colors. It seems stiffer than other 104s so I don't mix it. I preheat it in my kiln and it's fine. Rods are uneven and have stones in them at times. Someone said you get what you pay for. Applies hardily here, but again, I don't mind it. I have been using broken bottles, old broken uranium glass, etc. and it's stiff and needs preheated and pulled into rods, so no bother to me.

The tools are a good starting point to see if you might want to invest in higher end tools. Graphite tools seem fine. They have great prices on foils/leaf. The presses are really wonky, but fun to try. I used a flower press for a while and put up with it. The "bead annealer" isn't, and it irks some that they advertise it that way.

They sell torches and flashback arresters and other torch accessories. I don't have any personal experience with this kind of equipment from them. However, given the focus on 'inexpensive' with Devardi, and the nature of the other products that are inconsistent and quirky at best, I just would spring for a Nortel Minor or a GTT Cricket and get your other accessories from somewhere like Mountain Glass Arts. I'm cheap, but I'm not that cheap with stuff that could burn my entire existence to the ground.
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  #10  
Old 2021-03-10, 9:43pm
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I like their tools and have quite a few. One day I want to get a few more of those strange rollers and do a chess set or something.

I've been tempted by some of the colors, but going by past experience, I would get the thinner rods they call stringers, that are the same size as regular rods (4-5mm). Not sure if I can use them with the other 104, so I haven't bothered yet.

I got my hoses there for both the single fuel & duel torch setups. I didn't like their version of the hothead torch, I've had several of theirs before getting a "real" one.
I had LOTS AND LOTS of trouble with the propane regulators which tended to leak, and there was good customer service so I was able to keep returning them, Bad batch? who knows. I ended up getting one from Frantz, at twice the price, but that has been 3 or 4 years and still going strong.
They have lots of cool stuff like metal frits and foils, and it's the only place I can find raku 00 powder without having to buy bulk.
I have a couple of their little presses but never used them. I wished that I had gotten some of the little flower ones, all the ones I like tend to be out of stock whenever I look.

So, mixed experience. The customer service makes up for a lot of it, except for anything to do with the glass. For the glass.....eh, get what you paid for but the "stringers" are almost the same price as "regular glass"....some of the colors still interest me, but not enough to get me to fiddle with it. Starting out would be different, just bear in mind that all glass will work a bit differently, and it's up to you.
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  #11  
Old 2021-03-21, 8:34am
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I've been pleased with the glass once I learned how slowly I need to warm it. I bought a bunch of their assortments, and they do make some beautiful colors. The rods are quite thick and wonky, some full of tiny bubbles, and I've got one that I haven't been able to warm up at all, it explodes immediately. I have had a little devitrification, strangely even on a couple of transparent colors.
On the plus side, it's cheap, has a slightly stiffer texture so you really can't overheat it accidentally and lose the shape or details. I haven't had ANY of it burn or get scummy, even the turquoises and opaque purples stay true. And usually once I've used a rod, it's a little easier to warm up the next time. They ship fast and package well too. I haven't had any problem mixing it with other 104 glasses.
Get a little assortment bundle and give it a chance, you might like it!
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  #12  
Old 2021-03-21, 6:14pm
Brontobrat Brontobrat is offline
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The first color I tried had devitrification I dunno...

Quote:
Originally Posted by BeaDangerous View Post
I've been pleased with the glass once I learned how slowly I need to warm it. I bought a bunch of their assortments, and they do make some beautiful colors. The rods are quite thick and wonky, some full of tiny bubbles, and I've got one that I haven't been able to warm up at all, it explodes immediately. I have had a little devitrification, strangely even on a couple of transparent colors.
On the plus side, it's cheap, has a slightly stiffer texture so you really can't overheat it accidentally and lose the shape or details. I haven't had ANY of it burn or get scummy, even the turquoises and opaque purples stay true. And usually once I've used a rod, it's a little easier to warm up the next time. They ship fast and package well too. I haven't had any problem mixing it with other 104 glasses.
Get a little assortment bundle and give it a chance, you might like it!
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  #13  
Old 2021-10-23, 7:30am
sjm sjm is offline
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When I first started I purchased one of their assortments to see if lampworking was something I would enjoy enough to make a big investment. If you pre-warm the rods and keep them warm they work fine. However, I soon realized buying better glass was worth not having to deal with that extra step. I have kept some on hand just because some of the colors cannot be duplicated in other glass. I am experimenting with putting the rods in my kiln and annealing them along with my beads to see if this helps with their popping. I'll try to follow up and let you know it this works.
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  #14  
Old 2021-10-25, 12:28am
s0201228 s0201228 is offline
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The glass rod shocked crazy even pre-heat (i waive forward and backward) and it suddenly broke into pieces from middle even it is melting, and my belly hurts that time
Still feel pain sometime
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  #15  
Old 2021-10-27, 3:26pm
ctuai ctuai is offline
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Howdy -- New to the forum. I've been bead making on and off for 2 years and always used Devardi glass and their hothead torch. As such, I thought that all glass was that shocky or that same COE would have similar shock characteristics. It never dawned on me that it was mfg dependent. This is a real game changer as getting the glass molten was just hard on my hands and real limitation on the amount of time I could spend on the torch. On the flip side, Devardi service is fantastic. Just sent my torch back for free servicing.

Last edited by ctuai; 2021-10-27 at 3:29pm.
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  #16  
Old 2021-10-27, 4:54pm
kansassky kansassky is offline
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Um, some advice…don’t wave your glass rod in and out of the flame to warm it.

What you are doing is actually shocking it by doing that.
Waving causes hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold.

It’s far better to hold the rod tip far out in the flame, where you can hardly see color.
Rotate it while slowly sliding it closer to the warmer part of the flame.
This way, you are gradually heating the rod slowly.

I recommend gradually preheating Devardi rods in a kiln.
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  #17  
Old 2021-10-27, 6:30pm
ctuai ctuai is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kansassky View Post
Um, some advice…don’t wave your glass rod in and out of the flame to warm it.

What you are doing is actually shocking it by doing that.
Waving causes hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold.

It’s far better to hold the rod tip far out in the flame, where you can hardly see color.
Rotate it while slowly sliding it closer to the warmer part of the flame.
This way, you are gradually heating the rod slowly.

I recommend gradually preheating Devardi rods in a kiln.
I'm not quite sure if you're replying to my post, but it was the twisting that was hard on my hands. With the thicker clear rods it was like 5-7 minutes of twisting to get it ready to work. I have a vintage dentistry kiln that I am preheating, but I still get cracking. Thanks for the thought.
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  #18  
Old 2021-10-27, 8:59pm
s0201228 s0201228 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kansassky View Post
Um, some advice…don’t wave your glass rod in and out of the flame to warm it.

What you are doing is actually shocking it by doing that.
Waving causes hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold.

It’s far better to hold the rod tip far out in the flame, where you can hardly see color.
Rotate it while slowly sliding it closer to the warmer part of the flame.
This way, you are gradually heating the rod slowly.

I recommend gradually preheating Devardi rods in a kiln.
I have tried that too
I held it still and let the tip into flame, if the tip broke, the piece would fall onto the table because of gravity
However, it broke suddenly into many pieces from the middle of the rod at that time, and one of them spread onto my right leg

I dont want to waste Devardi rod although it is extremely shocky but I dont have a kiln
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  #19  
Old 2021-10-28, 9:25am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s0201228 View Post
I have tried that too
I held it still and let the tip into flame, if the tip broke, the piece would fall onto the table because of gravity
However, it broke suddenly into many pieces from the middle of the rod at that time, and one of them spread onto my right leg

I dont want to waste Devardi rod although it is extremely shocky but I dont have a kiln
Can you find a cheap hotplate at the thrift store? I used a glass topped one for several years to keep parts hot til applied to the bead. It also kept shocky rods (can you say anise white?!) warm enough that I didn't wind up with frit on a stick.
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  #20  
Old 2021-10-28, 5:29pm
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I began with a very old waffle maker to preheat my Devardi when I first started.
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  #21  
Old 2021-10-28, 9:36pm
s0201228 s0201228 is offline
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Thanks all

I have an old ceramic cooktop, i will try
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  #22  
Old 2021-11-04, 5:15pm
ctuai ctuai is offline
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Just got back my serviced "hothead" torch from Devardi and it's definitely burning hotter and for some reason I'm getting less snap crackle and pop from their glass. Don't know why but I dig it.
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