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Old 2015-04-16, 3:15pm
nevadaglass nevadaglass is offline
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Join Date: Oct 26, 2006
Location: west
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I use this http://www.frantzartglass.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=52_66&produ cts_id=4579 for both boro and my soft glass.
If all you are looking for is a rod holder rather than something to pre-heat - this is only 6 bucks. I used to think the Italian holders were all the rave and wanted one but didn't want to spend that kind of money for it.

Like Shawnette said - the Italian rod holders were designed for preheating but when working with boro aren't a necessity. The Carlo Dona has always been advertised as a preheat item and typically are shown at the back of the flame with Rods preheating but most never use it that way.

There's a great You Tube Corning glass Gianni Toso vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYEQncNl4W0 which actually shows the holder in action(not a Carlo Dona but very similar). But in the video, it's mainly a holder and nothing else. If you notice in the vid - most of the rods are being pre-heated in a fire box. The flame size isn't very large so I doubt there's enough heat back there to actually preheat the rods since the rods are quite a ways away from the flame. More than likely getting radiant heat off the fire box more than the flame.

Personally, I never pre-heat my 104 rods. I just flash them in the flame before working them extensively and usually never have any shock issues. We are all different - what is one persons junk is another one's treasure so I certainly wont fault anyone for using it. Having said that - I can think of cooler stuff to spend 250 bucks on /wink

I have chosen to live without it as I don't want another item on my bench to get in the way of moving a 12 - 18 inch rod or tube around in the flame. I already "fight" with my shield stand post all the time being in the way of rods and tubes

Last edited by nevadaglass; 2015-04-16 at 3:51pm.
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