What is Devardi glass???

[Carolyn M]

I have many many questions about this glass
Has it been combined with different 104 glass colors?
If so how long have the beads been left before you checked them again. You say you have only been lampworking for 6 months. Many of us know that incompatability cracks can happen after several months
What annealing schedule are you using?
Have you encased with different clears ie Lauscha?
What sort of quality control standards are you using?
How is the colour consistency between batches?

[sarah_hornik]

Originally Posted by Kym

Sarah, can't go on a fact finding tour if I have facts in hand.....well I could if I was a politician.....but as grantbegging beadmaker I need to tour in total ignorance!

Cheers
Kym

Oops, sorry! Can I join you on that tour? Sounds like fun!

[twiggyinaz]

Kym,
You could go on a "Fact Confirmation" tour and take me as your researcher and gopher.

[Kym]

Be glad to Twiggy, a secretary/note-taking/organiser would fill in my weak spots. I, on the otherhand, would be responsible for eating fabulous meals, and talking which are very hard work indeed.

My first stop should be AZ then?

Cheers
Kym

[DesertDreamer]

I'm feeling "testy" so I'm going to take the plunge and order some. Film at 11.

[JetAge Studio]

Originally Posted by DesertDreamer

I'm feeling "testy" so I'm going to take the plunge and order some. Film at 11.

Sweet!!!

[twiggyinaz]

Originally Posted by Kym

Be glad to Twiggy, a secretary/note-taking/organiser would fill in my weak spots. I, on the otherhand, would be responsible for eating fabulous meals, and talking which are very hard work indeed.

My first stop should be AZ then?

Cheers
Kym

I should also be your food taster, make sure it is good. Yep, first stop, AZ, make sure I have the pool running so we can work on our tans for a couple days.

Originally Posted by prettyangel

From Natasha again.
Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes. You have touched me. Thanks.
To answer some more of your questions:
As far as not having to bid on eBay, just email me and I can sell directly. No problem. If you are an eBay member, you can email me from any of my auctions.
Also, I have a color chart at http://www.mailbuggygeneralstore.com/chart.html . This is not all the colors I now have, but colors I can get. There are some more too, which I don't have a chart on. Notice the very earthy tones, swirls and color variations to each of the opaques. The semi-opaques are very soft and appealing too. To find out what we carry now, please visit our eBay sites. Thanks again. Good night, Natasha

This is good to know about contacting and buying direct. Thank you!

[DesertDreamer]

Welcome, Natasha!

Would you please consider offering the sampler packs as a buy it now? I'm being selfish, and impatient. I'm willing to pay more, especially if I don't have to wait. This beadmaking, it's all about instant gratification for me.

[Deb Hopeful Journeys]

We want MORE pinks!!!!

[Wendyki]

I am staying completely out of this thread other then to say I sold quite a bit this month and decided with my ultra small finally after a year being able to splurge budget to buy 20 or 30 bucks worth of this glass

I will start a new thread when i recieve it in a few days and post my findings there if someone else hasnt started another thread before then

[Listenup]

Well, I went and bid on a 3 lb sampler. Assuming I don't get outbid, I'll test it out the same as I do all the other glass I test and let you all know. I may also play with it a bit. This is, of course, assuming that you all will trust my testing results since a small portion of the glass I use for the tests is donated (about $300 worth of glass out of the well over $5000 worth so far).

Natasha, I noticed the other day that you had something you called luster glass. It sounds to me like it's aventurine. Is it, or is it something else? I've loads of aventurine and don't need more, but if it's indeed something else, I'll bid on some of that to test as well.

[pam]

Originally Posted by prettyangel

From Natasha again, about our Devardi Glass. To Sarah to answer her questions. I will try to answer as many questions as I can as they come up.
2. What do you mean when you say in your auction pages that this glass "is not like the stripped down commercial varieties that flood the market"? Do you feel that there is something wrong with the glass most of us use?

This is just a comparison, not a criticism. Devardi Glass is a very old company with very old glass recipes, even ancient. The color in the glass is very dense (heavily saturated). Although this can cause different effects, some good, some that have to be dealt with, more modern versions have stripped a lot of this density to their colors out so the glass works easier. This make the glass a little more "runny," something some people like, but something we find the Devardi glass more of a benefit. Hope that helps.

Hi Natasha, Welcome to LE and best of luck with your business.

I have a few questions and thank you for coming on the forum to answer. Regarding your answer included above, I didn't quite understand what you were saying. Is the Devardi glass more runny than, say, the Effetre 104 glass, or did you mean it was not as runny?

The glassblowing glass producers, like Kugler, make glass that is very dense in color and are generally soft and runnier because of the higher lead content. Are you aware if the Devardi glass is similar in working consistency to the Kugler glass?

Can you tell us if Devardi is the name of the factory in India or is that a name that you have given the glass? And does this company normally make glass rods for lampworking or glass for glassblowers?

At this point (and I know it's early on) are you aware of the coe consistency throughout the product line? To explain what I mean, sometimes when a company orders a specific glass color one time, if the company is not extremely careful in their mixing of the colors, the next time you order the coe may not match the previous batch. Have you had any problems with that? And the reason I am asking is that a certain company in the US that imported glass from a company found that at times certain colors were completely different in coe from the last time they ordered.

Thanks again for your time.

[sarah_hornik]

I have one more question.

Natasha, you say -

Originally Posted by prettyangel

The color in the glass is very dense (heavily saturated). Although this can cause different effects, some good, some that have to be dealt with, more modern versions have stripped a lot of this density to their colors out so the glass works easier. This make the glass a little more "runny," something some people like, but something we find the Devardi glass more of a benefit.

But on the auction pages, you say that the Devardi glass melts at a lower temperature than Effetre. I have worked with Satake, for instance, that melts at a lower temperature than Effetre, and it is very "runny" in comparison. How can this glass be stiffer if it melts at a lower temperature? That sounds a bit contradictory. It also has to make me wonder about compatibility.

I am not so sure that Italian glasses (etc.) have actually been "stripped of their density", many colors actually are quite dense. What leads you to this conclusion?

Okay, that was two questions.

[pam]

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Natasha.

[Beadanna]

Natasha and Daniel hello. It would be a good idea to put a link to your eBay auctions in your signature line when you get a moment.

[AKDesigns]

Natasha,
Welcome to LE! Thanks for coming into this thread, answering all the questions and turning the tone of it to a positive one for your glass!

[MerryFool]

Welcome to LWE Natasha/prettyangel...

I hope that your business endeavor works out. I'm interested in trying this glass and will be doing that in February with a friend who told me yesterday that she had bought some.
I looked at your bead pics.

The "Safari" bead caught my eye right away.
The metallic black is stunning! Have you got any of that colour left? What's the ordering code?
I'm also interested in the shimmery gold and blue that you say you have. Are there any pics of it to show us here?

Thanks!

[lunamoonshadow]

Are you SURE there's no more dark pink?
Darn I want some of that pink....
it would make the PRETTIEST pink hearts!

[Listenup]

Thanks Natasha.

Luna, you're funny.

[lunamoonshadow]

I did it....I ordered dark purple transparent....and transp. burgundy ('cause really, that's nearly impossible to find for a color!) & some light rose (hey, it might be close to amber rose, who knows?? )...I figure, if it *doesn't* play with anything else, the burgundy & rose will be gorgeous hearts all by themselves, & the purple, well, I SPECIALIZE in "can't play well with others" purple glass--we just finished off a bunch of that weird batch of non-compatable lauscha that was gifted to me by someone special here--the "glass jam bunch" turned it all into beads-of-courage hearts!!

I figure, @ $5.99 a pound, that's pretty much what I pay for Jess's ~96coe "dirty shorts" & most of THEM are "unknown" compatability & I use THOSE for PPP spacers, PPP "press beads" & PPP "beads with a bit of frit", & I TOTALLY ADORE THEM & rave about them all the time & WHAT A FANTASTIC BARGAIN THEY ARE FOR PEOPLE ON A BUDGET!!! so, what have I got to lose by ordering a couple pounds of this new glass in colors I REALLY LIKED??? I mean, it's not like I'm gonna whack out $150 bead sets & throw them on the market the first time I play with it ...heck, I'm lucky if I get one good, maybe-saleable bead per-torch-session anyway

[Wendyki]

I got mettalic black transperant Olive and Purple as well as an assortment pack so we will see you cant beat 3 1/2 pounds of glass with shipping for 30.00

[Drafly]

My initial attempts to report my conclusions regarding the properties of Devardi glass, I believe, were overlooked because of the politics on the board. I do not want to revisit there but I thought this might be helpful.
I, too, did not understand the descriptions of the working properties of Devardi glass posted on the eBay auctions. I melted rods and found the viscoscity to be slightly different than Moretti/Effetre. It was a little stiffer than Moretti. Viscoscity can vary somewhat and still be within the same COE range.
I am not speaking for the owners of Devardi glass, I want to make that clear, but I think they tried to cover all their bases when describing the working properties of this glass and I think, quiet poorly. They are new to lampworking, as I am, and some of what was included in the eBay auctions, could have been repeating what was told them, I don't know.
I did not have to use different temperatures or adjust my gas to work with Devardi Glass. I use a Minor and Mini CC. I do not know what torches they tested the glass on. I have not seen the "Tips and Tricks" mentioned in the auction. It could address this. I think they mentioned foam and bubbles. I only found bubbles in one green transparent rod. It did foam a little at the end of the rod.
Some of the Devardi glass does hold color better than others. I could go into the elements used to obtain this property, but it is not needed now.
Questions have been asked about lead. I do not want to get into a chemistry lesson, as I am not qualified, but I hope this is helpful: Lead melts at 621 degrees F. and vaporizes (melts) at 1100 degrees F. It is not a stable flux for soda/lime glass we use, at the temperatures we obtain. Satake does have a lead rod, but one has to use a low temp. or Japanese torch to work with it. I have not used Satake, but hope to try it. When lead is present in glass, it forms a series of oxides. The principal ones being yellow,, reddish brown, orange, and black. These used to be very useful in very low temp pottery glazes. My wife claims I inhaled too much lead years ago mixing these glazes. Since lead is not a stable flux, I doubt you will find it in much glass used in lampworking today. More obtainable, and possibly cheaper alternative materials are: soda, potash, lime, magnesia and barium oxide.
I know arsenic was used in the manufacturing of stained glass. I have not seen the unmistakable brilliant reds, that blending arsnic and selenium produces, in many years. If it could be made into a lampworking rod, it would be "to die for" and we probably would.
There are questions concerning compatibility with other glass. There is another test. It can vary a little from color to color. We have used it when formulating stained glass. It is not the end-all test, but it is quick:
Two glasses can be pulled at the same time, app. 22"-24". If they are compatable, (shrink at the same rate), the threads will remain straight. If one thread bends more than 1/4", they are on the borderline of not being compatable. The straighter glass will have a higher COE. One can also use the polarized sheets or lens on their beads.
I don't think annealing has been discussed. I used the Moretti schedule with no cracks in beads whatsoever. I garaged annealed and batch annealed.
I will be testing all the beads with the polarized sheets.
I, for one, would like to thank Daniel and Natasha for putting up with me, picking their brain, and for offering this glass at the price they have. I hope they are very successful in this business. Yes, I will work with this glass and get a few answers for myself, if you do not have all the answers yet. I know, as you grow, you will. I could ask you to test each and every rod, have lab tests run for chemical properties, and to stand on your head, but no, I have tested the glass, and I am eagerly awaiting the next shippment. More of the questions, I think will be answered when they place their next order and talk more with the supplier. I love their approach to selling - volume and keep the price low. Other resellers of lampworking rods would have priced this hand pulled glass through the roof. Thank you for putting up with us and others, as i know from our emails you are shipping twenty-five and thirty lbs. of glass at a time. I will buy a lot of this glass, because I know you will have to raise your prices, if you stay in this competive market. I know you are answering all the questions from LE you can, but if you plan to stay on this board, beware, and have a tough skin. You will never be able to answer enough or all the questions of some on here. It would be a shame if this thread is highjacked by some on here that are loyal to and test for their suppliers. I would be extremely careful and read between the lines of some posts and questions.
I will not be back on the board because of the politics here. I said this in my last post, but I thought the above would be helpful to some. Some are beyond helping or do not want to be helped.

Best Regards, Jim

PS: I would like to thank the party that took the time to call our place of business to verify our idenity and know that we are located in the beautiful mountains of Southwest, Virginia.

[sarah_hornik]

Here I was thinking, wow, what an interesting post, but then it had to come with a stab at the end. Oh well.

Anyway, no more questions from me, have no fear. Based on what has been said and done so far, I have drawn my own conclusions, and will be passing on this glass for now. I will keep those conclusions to myself, "because of the politics here", but if anyone's interested they can PM me.

I do still look forward to seeing the beads people make with this glass, and I sincerely hope it is as good as it's claimed to be.

[twiggyinaz]

Jim,

I find it hard to believe that you actually think that on a board of 10,000 members that you are going to like and get along with all of them.

"Bad Apples" has nothing to do with whether I like it here or not. Politics has nothing to do with whether I like it here or not. We are a diverse group. There are people on this board from all over the world, not just the U.S. and especially not just Virginia. I don't agree with everyone, I don't particularly like everyone, but I appreciate and embrace all our differences and ways of viewing the world of glass.

I am sorry for you that you are going to miss this wonderful opportunity, I hope you sleep on it and think about it for a few days and reconsider.

ETA: I just reread your post, and if you are busy reading between the lines, then how can you expect to understand what anybody is really saying? It is printed in black and white, just read it and take it for what it is.

[Bubbyanne]

Well here they are. My test beads.
Not great, but I'm rusty, it's been several months since I lit my torch and I was in a hurry. I had a lot to do in a short time.
Another thing is I got a new camera, new computer, new editing program and am surprised I didn't completely lose my mind trying to get pictures.

For reference I am working with a piranha on one oxy con. I also garage annealed.
Working with the glass was good for the most part. I didn't find it to be overly stiff to melt compared to Effetre, meaning I didn't notice a huge difference.
No shocking or splintering except for a couple fat rods where all I lost was the tip. A couple of the transparents were bubbly as was the clear.
I purposely mixed the Devardi with effetre in most beads.
None of the rods were labeled in the assortment I bought so the names of the colors are a guess from looking at their auctions against the rods.

First test is clear. The black bases are effetre and the clear is Devardi.
I kind of expected the results I got. There are bubbles in the rods and some scratches so quite bit of bubbles and some scumming in the test beads. Even with the tip cleaned the results were the same.
The ugly frankenstein looking tab was to test and see if the silver would turn color. It did in the spots I got the bead really hot.
With the black spacer, it's hard to see in the photo but in person you can see micro bubbles throughout. Not horrible but being an encased floral maker I think I'd have issues.


The next test is the semi-opaque white for Karen (DesertDreamer)
One plain spacer, two cores of semi-opaque white with either amethyst or topaz encasing.
I forgot to mention the rods are a pale blue until you melt them. If you keep the glass cool it will stay blue but with more heat the glass will become white with a slight bluish cast. (looks more blue in my pic than in my hand)
Absolutely no issues with shocking, reducing or sooting when making these beads. I really liked this color and will be working with it more to figure out how it works with different levels of heat.


This test was encasing with Devardi on a effetre core and vice versa. Unannealed as Pam suggested.
Top bead is Devardi semi-opaque blue encased with effetre med lapis
Middle bead is Devardi opaque blue encased with effetre med lapis
Bottom bead is effetre white encased with Devardi trans Marine blue
The top bead cracked but it's thermal because I was looking at it too long.
The reason I was staring at it is there was an opal like glow to it. You can see in the picture the pink spots on the bead. It's not a reflection but part of the bead. Kinda cool I thought. I will try this combo again and anneal it to see if it stays.
The other two test beads seem to be okay so far.
As you can see the Devardi trans marine blue was bubbly. I will try again to use this and work with it a little cooler and clean the tip to see if it was me or not.


Devardi Opaque Black
This bead has a Devardi Transparent smoke base and Devardi opaque black dots.
The opaque black will get a metallic sheen in an oxygen rich flame. I had to hurry with this one so my dots aren't melted in well and I didn't get to really try to bring out the metal in the glass.
As you can see the base color is bubbly.


These beads are just color tests.
1st bead - Devardi Butterscotch with effetre rubino stringer.
I wanted to see if it was more like opal yellow or dk ivory. The colors didn't react like ivory does with rubino.

2nd bead - Effetre white core with Devardi Transparent Dark Purple.
Not a single issue with this bead. Beautiful color.

3rd bead - Opaque orange with Effetre Lt Turquoise dots.
I wanted to see if there would be a dark/black outline like you would see with effetre orange and the turquoises. No reaction at all. I didn't get the chance to try this with the Devardi yellow.

4th bead - Opaque salmon. Really pretty color and would make some lovely florals. I did have some bubbles forming while winding on the bead but I think I was working it too hot. They didn't show up in the bead.


Last beads are just for fun.
A Devardi Semi-Opaque Dk marine (I think) Wonky Hollow
The encased floral has a Devardi semi opaque green base with effetre flowers and encased with Vetrofond clear.


Well, that's what I have so far. There where a bunch of things I wanted to do and didn't get it all done. Lots more colors and combos I wanted to work on.
I will see about getting some more time to work with this glass again soon and will post the results when I do.
I hope this has been helpful.

[Mitosis Glass]

Wow! Thanks for posting these Bubby! I've been wondering about this glass myself. I'm glad to read about your results.

[twiggyinaz]

Holy Cow Bubby!

That was a ton of work!!!

Great pictures and explanations.

BTW, it doesn't look like you have been off the torch for months, your dots, stringers, and florals are lovely

[lunamoonshadow]

Darn. Now I want more colors.
(that semi-opaque dk. marine is awfully pretty....& salmon sure looks better in a bead than in the rod picture )

[BeadMaven]

Thanks Bubby! Very helpful and interesting results!

[neagle]

I don't like the look of the blue transparents.....really look bubbly.
Thanks for posting, Bubby-great job! Really informative.