Diamond Clear

Shrimp · #1 2009-09-23, 10:00pm

I recently purchased some Precision Diamond Clear rods for the first time. Is it normal for this particular glass to have bubbles in it? I would have thought this to be the most impeccabley clear glass on the market for the price that I paid. It arrived bundled in only a rubber band. Along with all of the rods being bubble laden, most of them were scratched. I am posting a picture of one of the rods. It is not the best, but you can see the bubbles pretty good. The label on the end of the rod is my own ID label. Not the vendor's. So, is this what Diamond Clear is supposed to look like? ~ Aleta

Correction ~ the whole bundle of Diamond Clear rods were rubber banded together, and then had celo wrap around the entire bundle of Diamond Clear. Then placed with my other rods in the order, with more celo wrap around it.

Feldt's Glass · #2 2009-09-24, 1:43am

I have purchased it twice. Both times it looked like that. When worked it was scummy and not friendly. Most of the time I use large diameter Effetre rods. It has been much cleaner than the Diamond clear that I received.

To encase my silver glass I like clarity http://www.taglass.com/104.html
It is super nice to work with and looks very clean. They also have great customer service. I had a bunch of questions before I ordered some and they answered back right away. You can also purchase it from Frantz.

Just wanted to add if you don't like it I would check to see if you can return it. You should be happy with the glass purchase!

demcc2 · #3 2009-09-24, 4:59am

The times when I ordered my diamond clear it has ALWAYS arrived wrapped incredibly well in lots of bubble wrap. I have never noticed bubbles or scratching on mine (I'm not saying it doesn't happen).

Duane
PS Aleta, I pm'd you

Elizabeth Beads · #4 2009-09-24, 5:21am

There was a bad batch out not too long ago, maybe you got some, I would check with the vendor. Mine is crystal clear, including the odds I got from Ron and Rocio. Not as amazing as Aether, but then what is?! (OK, I haven't tried Clarity.)

Silver Moon Lampwork · #5 2009-09-24, 6:39am

I use DC all the time and have never noticed it looking like that. And I think I would've noticed.

Carolyn M · #6 2009-09-24, 7:22am

I've had a few rods with bubbles, but it is rare. I use DC for everything

deirdreschaneman · #7 2009-09-24, 8:25am

First batch of Diamond Clear I got was great. Second batch looked like that and was a nightmare. Went running back to Lauscha, which has yet to disappoint me.

Reenie · #8 2009-09-24, 11:11am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aleta

I recently purchased some Precision Diamond Clear rods for the first time. Is it normal for this particular glass to have bubbles in it? I would have thought this to be the most impeccabley clear glass on the market for the price that I paid. It arrived bundled in only a rubber band. Along with all of the rods being bubble laden, most of them were scratched. I am posting a picture of one of the rods. It is not the best, but you can see the bubbles pretty good. The label on the end of the rod is my own ID label. Not the vendor's. So, is this what Diamond Clear is supposed to look like? ~ Aleta

Curious if this is the glass you purchased from me? For one, it is bundled with a rubber band on each end as all the glass is but the diamond clear is also wrapped separately with a shrink wrap kind of thing that covers all of the rods and then placed with the rest of the glass order.
When the glass arrives to me, it is just bundled with plastic in the center and in one huge bundle. They don't wrap each rod individually as no one does that.
I think we spoke on the phone about this and I looked at the glass and told you that it did indeed have bubbles in it BUT that I have not had any complaints about the glass and I sell alot of Diamond Clear.
But as always, and what I told you on the phone, if you try it and don't like it, you may return the glass for a refund of the unused portion of the glass.
Hope that helps.

Reenie · #9 2009-09-24, 11:13am

Oh and BTW...Sorry I forgot this. Those scratches you are seeing I think are "inside" the rods.
If you look at Boro or even the transparent "Silver glass" that's out there from all makers of it, there are streaks in the inside of the glass itself. I have no idea what they are but I just received a new batch of diamond clear and they are there as well.
I'll put a note out to Northstar and see if they can explain what exactly it is.
Just a thought!

Shrimp · #10 2009-09-24, 5:26pm

Irene ~ I PMd you. I will be making some plain spacers to see what the outcome is. Thank you all for your input!

PaulaD · #11 2009-09-24, 5:30pm

Most clear glass has bubbles in it unfortunately. This is air that is trapped when rolling out the gather of glass. (Unless great care and an extra amount of time is taken when rolling it of course!) Most people just learn to work around them or pull them off. I've seen them in almost every kind of clear over the years.
Paula

Rudy · #12 2009-09-24, 5:35pm

I'm liking the look of that TAG Clarity! I think I'm gonna get me some soon!!!! : - ))))

Feldt's Glass · #13 2009-09-24, 6:12pm

The Clarity is just as nice to work as Double Helix Aether but both have different effects when using them with silver glass. With Clarity the silver colors stay true. With Aether the silver colors tend to shift, but the metallic is much easier to keep when encased thin. I have gotten some really great results with both depending on the look I want.

yellowbird · #14 2009-09-24, 6:29pm

I thought the bubbles were from the glass being pulled after too short of a melt. I have dc that looks just like that photo . yuck. It is very clear but leaves a yellow halo around silver wire in the bead at least with the colors I was using

PaulaD · #15 2009-09-24, 6:36pm

I think there is more than one way to get an airstream into a gather....Several ways from I am told. Paula

Judith Billig · #16 2009-09-24, 6:38pm

So is TAG Clarity something else then TAG super slear?
I bought the other day some TAG super clear, but I'm not overly impressed. It's not bad, but it's boiling easier than Aether and has a bit of scum in it.

Argh ... if just someone could make THE perfect clear, I would happily pay just as much as for silver glass. I know, Aether comes pretty close, but I hate that it turns yellow when you use a reduction flame (for example to reduce shards on top of Aether or reduction dots on top of encasing).

Rant over ... sorry ... back to Diamond Clear now

yellowbird · #17 2009-09-24, 6:39pm

I blew glass for years after making a new batch we had to wait before working or suffer with bubbles in the glass.
of course there are many ways to get and avoid bubbles.

Silver Moon Lampwork · #18 2009-09-24, 6:55pm

Irene, I just ordered a pound of DC from you I guess at the same time as Aleta. I didn't even look at it until just now. It looks the same as hers. I also got a pound from another supplier pretty recently. Same thing. I tried melting a paddle on the end of one of the rods to see if the bubbles would go away. They didn't. These bubbles and scratches are definitely inside the glass. The thing I like most about DC is that it has little to no yellowing with silver, so I stick with it. I'll have to try making a bead with it this weekend and see if these bubbles are still showing. I've been using DC for a long time and this has not happened before.

squid · #19 2009-09-24, 7:00pm

I've never gotten DC that didn't look like that.

Silver Moon Lampwork · #20 2009-09-24, 7:04pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid

I've never gotten DC that didn't look like that.

Really? Does it end up looking okay once you make a bead with it?

squid · #21 2009-09-24, 7:07pm

yes, but I have never tried to achieve completely bubble free either, so I don't recall if I had a bubble "problem".

Reenie · #22 2009-09-24, 7:20pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver Moon Lampwork

Irene, I just ordered a pound of DC from you I guess at the same time as Aleta. I didn't even look at it until just now. It looks the same as hers. I also got a pound from another supplier pretty recently. Same thing. I tried melting a paddle on the end of one of the rods to see if the bubbles would go away. They didn't. These bubbles and scratches are definitely inside the glass. The thing I like most about DC is that it has little to no yellowing with silver, so I stick with it. I'll have to try making a bead with it this weekend and see if these bubbles are still showing. I've been using DC for a long time and this has not happened before.

That's what I thought. I'm not sure they are scratches though but as they say, it happens during the pulling process. When the glass comes in I hand wash, hand dry, weigh, rubberband and wrap them up in the cellophane wrapping and then they go into a bin.
I use so many different clears and I always have bubbles with all of them but I like the bubbles and two....I don't pull the end of the rod like you're supposed to do. I have some Clarity so I should really try and make some time to torch something so I can encase my bead with that.
I think everyone has different opinions on what their favorite glass is. I hear horror stories on Lauscha but others rave and I use that as well. My beads aren't huge so maybe that's why i never experience any problems with any of it...I even have good luck with Moretti Super clear so what does that tell you

tajones1463 · #23 2009-09-24, 7:36pm

there was a bad batch of DC a while back. I contacted my vendor and they sent me another batch of the good stuff. I love DC and Abe from Northstar glass...awesome about making it right. Perhaps the vendor you bought from had some of that bad batch?

that happened around April of 2008.

Silver Moon Lampwork · #24 2009-09-24, 8:12pm

Scratches was not the word I meant to use. They look like air bubbles that have been stretched out. So must've happened in the making.

Shrimp · #25 2009-09-24, 8:25pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver Moon Lampwork

Scratches was not the word I meant to use. They look like air bubbles that have been stretched out. So must've happened in the making.

That's exactly what mine look like!

yellowbird · #26 2009-09-25, 4:19am

I got my glass from north star. I knew there had been a problem so I went straight to the source to avoid it. the bubbles for the most part do melt in . having said this I want to try it again this was not a good batch. one good thing I didn't have to label the rods you can tell this stuff on sight.

Olimpia · #27 2009-09-25, 5:39am

One thing I have noticed with most clear and particularly DC since I use it mostly, close to a rod per bead!
They do have the inner "stretched" bubbles but not much scum. I avoid scum by wiping them with a paper towel that's been sprayed with a mix of water, dawn, ammonia and a tiny bit of alcohol. Right before I pull the melted tip off, I wipe them down yet again with a microfiber, just to avoid hand grease, thumbprints etc.

Once in the heat, heat slow, as soon as it starts bubbling back off, let it cool, heat again, every time you reheat to a melting point and back off, you get less bubbles and scum.

In the end, if I still have superficial scum or a group of bubbles from overheating for gravity. I take a clear stringer, heat the spot where the bubbles are and touch the glass with the stringer. I pull the bubbles off and they are now on the stringer.

I do love Aether, but for some extreme heat and extreme gravity beads it's too fluid. But so far you can't beat Aether's clarity for me.

By treating it gently, and heating and cooling, I've gotten most clears to be nice. Except plain Moretti Clear, that one is hopeless, IMHO. The other Moretti, Super Clear that one works with this system for me.

yellowbird · #28 2009-09-25, 8:14am

thanks for the great tips.

Silver Moon Lampwork · #29 2009-09-25, 8:35am

Thanks Olimpia!

Firebrand Beads · #30 2009-09-25, 11:05am

Yes - what she said! Olimpia is a real authority on clears, lol, those clean-looking clear-based beads can't be 'faked'. You can really see differences in the way ALL your clears work by changing your flame chemistry and where you work it in the flame.

The TAG Clarity has been changing, as have many of the soft-glass clear recipes lately, since one form of one chemical that we all use has changed a little. TAG Clarity is also known as Super Clear; we changed it to Clarity when Frantz picked up our line to avoid confusion with the Moretti Super Clear... but if you have older batches of that, the ones we made before late June, you will want to use a softer, slightly gassier flame to avoid the scum. If you are using batches we made more recently, then a more neutral-to-oxidizing flame works better -- and for some reason this version, what we are calling Clarity 3, likes to just be applied to the bead as it is liquefied, rather than being gathered in a molten ball for a large wrap-around encasement.

And while I don't use much Diamond Clear, since I usually have some Clarity around anyway, I do think it's pretty good for the price. Aether and Clarity are LOTS more expensive, partly because TAG & DH are more anal about air in the 104 clear. If DC was *perfect* I would expect to pay a lot more for it.