tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post2837756919481099444..comments2023-12-12T02:49:02.100-08:00Comments on Coloraddiction: Some Words on Lampwork Glass Quality and PricesColoraddictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-45821816110360194562017-03-05T19:07:26.239-08:002017-03-05T19:07:26.239-08:00I don't pickle - that's too much of a chem...I don't pickle - that's too much of a chemical for me - I tend to be pretty sensitive to that kind of thing. I do clean my glass with rubbing alcohol, though, and that really helps.Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-3364130406326871512017-03-03T12:32:46.864-08:002017-03-03T12:32:46.864-08:00This is an interesting post, having just started u...This is an interesting post, having just started up lampworking fairly recently I don't have anything to compare my experience to except what I read. <br /><br />One thing though, have you tried pickling the colors that tend to be scummy/bubble? I wonder if they could have some sort of nasty film on them that's interfering with your work. I wonder if they possibly had been cleaned off in the past and no longer are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-25442239758746681972017-03-02T10:05:01.023-08:002017-03-02T10:05:01.023-08:00Thank you so much for your thoughts! I completely ...Thank you so much for your thoughts! I completely understand!<br />Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-74138093860830025372017-03-02T10:04:34.039-08:002017-03-02T10:04:34.039-08:00That's so sad. I can't imagine losing joy ...That's so sad. I can't imagine losing joy for glass working. The joy is what gives glass work its soul. I feel really bad for those in Murano who don't love what they do. Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-48804295381478845782017-03-02T02:11:09.676-08:002017-03-02T02:11:09.676-08:00Adding this in response to your thoughts on Italia...Adding this in response to your thoughts on Italian glassmakers. I got to visit Murano a couple of years ago and talked to one of the many glass artists there as he was working. He worked methodically and without much joy so I asked him if he enjoyed what he was doing. He hesitated and then answered that honestly the passion was long gone for many of them. They [in that generation and in that part of the country] are raised with the expectation that they will be in the glass industry and it has lost its flavor for him and many he knows. That shows in the work of the artists there in Murano in my opinion..its all the same. That's not to say its not the absolute best work you will see anywhere..its flawless. But the soul is missing. This is my opinion. :-) Deborah Lambsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09727337169993608781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-37162777998612318542017-03-02T01:36:27.133-08:002017-03-02T01:36:27.133-08:00I appreciate your efforts and dedication to this ....I appreciate your efforts and dedication to this ..I tend to work haphazardly..meaning I pick the glass Im working with that day by whim. I rarely pay attention to which glass it is unless Ive just made a new purchase. Ive noticed the increase in exploding rods as well but couldn't tell you which it was right now..one color in particular was just not usable unless I annealed the rod first.. which is a bit of a PIA when you work like I do. I can tell you it was Effetre though. Its a shame really that we have to pay more for what should be an expected requirement. Quality.Deborah Lambsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09727337169993608781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-72288077859639319702017-03-01T10:52:58.390-08:002017-03-01T10:52:58.390-08:00Yep, I have had that same problem with white. :)Yep, I have had that same problem with white. :)Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-79551650924371350782017-03-01T10:51:37.100-08:002017-03-01T10:51:37.100-08:00http://www.creationismessy.com/about-us.aspx
For ...http://www.creationismessy.com/about-us.aspx<br /><br />For those interested in reading about CiM and their factory, go here.Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-48936487974895277892017-03-01T10:50:05.086-08:002017-03-01T10:50:05.086-08:00Actually, CiM is a company based in Seattle that h...Actually, CiM is a company based in Seattle that has the glass made in a small family factory in China. The owner of CiM, Kathy, is good friends with the people who run the factory. They have a whole page about it on their website, and I have met and chatted several times with Kathy. Their quality is improving. Effetre's is not.Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-66240938876567602272017-02-28T23:30:24.925-08:002017-02-28T23:30:24.925-08:00CIM is a Chinese company, not from the US. I think...CIM is a Chinese company, not from the US. I think glass is going the same way as a lot of other products these days. As production costs go up, quality goes down and they compromise to try and keep the product as affordable as possible. In doing so they take away our choice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02744215338364691377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-89612005481869866752017-02-28T23:17:07.279-08:002017-02-28T23:17:07.279-08:00So glad to read this. I was also experiencing this...So glad to read this. I was also experiencing this, especially with normal white. So much that I kept checking that it was not Anise instead. <br />Given that all glass is expensive here, and only a couple of kinds are available I will have to stick to effetre for now, but when i can i will consider at leat trying more cim.<br />I do have a stash in storage that is being shipped here, I will definitely have to mark those rods as better ones so that I can keep them for the more difficult and time consuming stuff.Arunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06303037083705666973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-39945577384217184712017-02-28T18:49:22.308-08:002017-02-28T18:49:22.308-08:00I love that Howaco lets you buy single rods - it&#...I love that Howaco lets you buy single rods - it's very helpful! :)Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-67571031098682375022017-02-28T18:00:21.625-08:002017-02-28T18:00:21.625-08:00I am a novice at lampwork, I notice that some of m...I am a novice at lampwork, I notice that some of my glass rods would shatter so bad I didn't have much left, I now only use CIM'S rods. I get single rods from Howaco Glass to try out colors. If I really like the color then I will purchase by the pound. Magsllamasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-10319433548592407032017-02-28T17:10:59.937-08:002017-02-28T17:10:59.937-08:00Your comment is really insulting to me, given that...Your comment is really insulting to me, given that I consider myself a pretty open-minded, globally-thinking person. And posting as Anonymous makes it even more so. Of course the post is my personal viewpoint based on my personal experiences - why wouldn't I justify the prices of glass based on where I get them? I shouldn't have to write that other people will have different experiences - you should already know that.<br /><br />That being said, you need to understand that CiM (and other US companies) are not actively trying to price gouge people outside the US. They are very small US companies who have to pay more to export the glass. Effetre is very large Italian company whose costs are lower because they deal in very large volumes. The prices are effected by this.<br /><br />You also need to consider that CiM is a little more expensive because the quality is so much better than Effetre, for the most part. Quality for me is even more important than price. So is customer service. CiM's interactions with their users is so much more involved than Effetre's. That's important as well.Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-21432643237559658092017-02-28T16:50:20.423-08:002017-02-28T16:50:20.423-08:00Yes, I do that too, sometimes, but I need to buy a...Yes, I do that too, sometimes, but I need to buy a hot plate or rod warmer at some point. Eventually. :)Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-16860801034834123192017-02-28T16:49:35.303-08:002017-02-28T16:49:35.303-08:00Yep, I know how you feel! :)Yep, I know how you feel! :)Coloraddictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07854513806374466098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-56456942511097280532017-02-28T15:52:30.307-08:002017-02-28T15:52:30.307-08:00Justifying the price of CIM by saying Frantz often...Justifying the price of CIM by saying Frantz often has it on sale...is typical USA-centric thinking.<br />It's too dear....it's even more dear in the rest of the world.<br />When it used to be a better cheaper option I bought it...not anymore.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-67661151803067723192017-02-28T14:58:38.460-08:002017-02-28T14:58:38.460-08:00I appreciate your observations..I have issues with...I appreciate your observations..I have issues with shocky glass too. I like Anice white (effete) and it has gotten so shocky I can hardly even use it anymore...I do warm my rods in the kiln and that helps most of the time..but when the rods are peppered with air bubbles nothing helps. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666333381234700735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338498744503749132.post-90329116526660823902017-02-28T13:54:20.331-08:002017-02-28T13:54:20.331-08:00this post is a revelation. i've been dabbling ...this post is a revelation. i've been dabbling in flameworking for about 10 years on and off (with a long stretch off) and recently i've wondered if i had lost my touch, getting exactly the bubbling and shocking you describe! thanks for making me realize it isn't me. magpiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16413562301341155670noreply@blogger.com