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Boro Room -- For Boro-related tips, techniques, and questions.

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  #1  
Old 2013-09-21, 11:18am
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Default The best price for boro and other general boro questions

Where do the financially cautious people buy their boro from?
Is boro easier to work than soft glass if you have the right set up?
It seems most boro is similar in it's aesthetics as double helix yea or no?
General boro prices seem a bit better than double helix prices, is the difference with working with boro vs DH worth working boro rather than DH?
Is making beads (of any size) with boro a good venture or is boro really more of a glass pipe making situation?
I hope my questions make sense
Thanks
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Old 2013-09-21, 12:32pm
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It depends on your setup. If you have a hothead boro is out of the question. It will take so long it is practically unworkable.
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  #3  
Old 2013-09-21, 12:58pm
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Yep I said based on of you have the right set up for boro-
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  #4  
Old 2013-09-21, 1:15pm
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Where do the financially cautious people buy their boro from? Nearest distributor

Is boro easier to work than soft glass if you have the right set Depends on what you are doing

It seems most boro is similar in it's aesthetics as double helix yea or no? No there are solid colors

General boro prices seem a bit better than double helix prices, is the difference with working with boro vs DH worth working boro rather than DH? \
What? Boro Clear is cheaper than soft glass clear

Is making beads (of any size) with boro a good venture or is boro really more of a glass pipe making situation? some make beads, marbles, sculpture
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  #5  
Old 2013-09-21, 2:04pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PatsyEmporium View Post
Where do the financially cautious people buy their boro from?
Is boro easier to work than soft glass if you have the right set up?
It seems most boro is similar in it's aesthetics as double helix yea or no?
General boro prices seem a bit better than double helix prices, is the difference with working with boro vs DH worth working boro rather than DH?
Is making beads (of any size) with boro a good venture or is boro really more of a glass pipe making situation?
I hope my questions make sense
Thanks
1) I have been buying shorts for color. for clear I buy from where ever has the best price after shipping for the entirety of what I want.

2) I find Boro much easier to work, more forgiving and less maddening. I am very frustrated by soft glass for sculptures.

3) no. boro has what you see is what you get opaque colors, what you see is what you get transparent colors, silver opaque colors, silver transparent colors, glow in the dark colors etc.

4) it is for me. I don't really want to do anything with soft glass except sell off what I have.

5) I would not make beads personally, but I know many whom do. mind you I don't make beads with soft glass either. I don't make pipes either. I do sculptural forms, perfume bottles, goblets, and other items.
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  #6  
Old 2013-09-21, 2:51pm
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my humble experience suggests the following:

Soft has a wider range of colors, especially opaques.

Soft seems to lend itself to detailed color work more easily than boro

Boro takes a lot more heat to melt and stiffens up a lot quicker (shorter "working time"), so problems with beads include melting the mandrel (especially the tiny 1/16") and/or having the bead release crack in the middle of a bead. That being said, many folks make gorgeous boro beads

boro is ideal for sculptural work, it is much less shocky

boro can be worked larger easier, a few folks make amazing large soft glass sculpture, but I think they are in a very small minority.

boro is the glass of choice for most functional artists

boro color is all about striking and annealing cycles, sometimes the discussions on bringing out the best color get very technical and require a good understanding of how to work your torch/flame chemistry and your kiln.
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  #7  
Old 2013-09-21, 3:09pm
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Lots of major misconceptions here. Try both. Use both if it fits what you are doing.
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  #8  
Old 2013-09-21, 5:31pm
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Good source for cheap clear boro, like 10 to 12 mm? It can be scratched, scummy and full of bubbles, for my purposes it doesn't matter. I need to buy maybe 50 sticks at a time. Thanks!

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  #9  
Old 2013-09-21, 6:02pm
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I like getting my glass from The Glass House in Arcada California. I went thru Arcada, stayed a few days there, said Hello to all my pals at Humbolt Glassblowers, and bought some beautiful glass there at the Glass House. They even labeled the rods for me, & got me a case if 14mm cheaper than anywhere I checked, they didn't ream me on the shipping either, sometimes you think you are getting a deal and then they pad the shipping to get it back. Tell Jason that Mary sent you, they have first quality glass &I plan to get my glass there from now on.
As far as what kind of glass is better to work that is entirely up to you as an artist. I started out with soft glass, did pretty well at it then tried boro and can't go back, I now suck at soft glass, couldn't even remake some stuff I did years ago, I think if you don't do it, you can't do it after a while, if that makes sense. So do what you are good at, and enjoy. If you are trying to save money this is not the hobby for you, to do it safely and well means investing time and money, and then more time and always more money. When people admire my work at shows I always tell them that it's not a get rich quick scheme by any means.
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  #10  
Old 2013-09-21, 6:49pm
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[quote=PatsyEmporium;4416019]Where do the financially cautious people buy their boro from? I am on the mailing list of all the major companies and then buy in bulk during sales. I like odds personally. If I just need a 1/4 lb I usually go to Frantz

Is boro easier to work than soft glass if you have the right set up? I decided from the beginning that I was more attracted to boro so I did not start with soft. Only now, 7 years down the road, am I trying soft glass. That stuff is crazy and dangerous LOL. It is too temperamental for me. It breaks when I am almost done with something cool, drips off the rod or explodes if I get too close to the flame too fast. Most people do the opposite and since I read this site for a long time before starting and saw people struggling with the transition, I never ordered soft and committed to boro.

It seems most boro is similar in it's aesthetics as double helix yea or no? Double helix is new to me but I like it. However, with boro I encase most everything I make with clear to magnify the colors. DH seems nicest without an encasement.


General boro prices seem a bit better than double helix prices, is the difference with working with boro vs DH worth working boro rather than DH?
To me, absolutely yes. The way I work my beads, they are 2/3 clear, and clear is not expensive. If I don't use enough clear, my beads aren't vibrant so it is a win win.

Is making beads (of any size) with boro a good venture or is boro really more of a glass pipe making situation? For me, I do very well. I have been selling online for 7 years though. These days I have a hard time keeping more than a few sets in my shop. It takes lots of practice and many hours of pushing each color to the limit. When I get a new color, I really explore it. I thin it out, layer it, pair it with several colors, mess with kiln settings, etc. I can read the glass pretty well now, but that has come from tons of dedication to succeed with it.

Good luck!
Erin, Firelily
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  #11  
Old 2013-09-22, 5:03am
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best place to buy just a few sticks of boro? saltcityglass.com
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Old 2013-09-22, 5:03am
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try it and then tell us your opinion.
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Old 2013-09-22, 9:32am
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Best place to purchase boro......Salt City Glass.com They will bend-over-backwards to find You the best price, including shipping costs.
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  #14  
Old 2013-09-22, 1:43pm
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Thx! I love this color http://saltcityglass.com/products/silver-bullet/
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Old 2013-09-22, 2:32pm
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i also highly recommend Loki's Lipstick.
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Old 2013-09-22, 2:59pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryC View Post
Lots of major misconceptions here. Try both. Use both if it fits what you are doing.
please, do tell. It seems disingenuous to say there are major misconceptions then say nothing to dispel them.
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Old 2013-09-22, 6:13pm
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There's cheap glass to be had, try Devardi boro if you're looking for cheap. Just keep in mind that you get what you pay for. I don't know if you're US based or not, but if you buy from companies like Northstar, Glass Alchemy, Momka's, and Trautman, you're supporting US businesses. Yes, you're paying a bit more for your color, but you're also getting a really good product. There's Chinese boro color too, that some folks seem to like, but that's up to you. ABR is one of the big distributors of it.

Regarding the DH comparison, it's tough to say. Boro's had silver colors for ages now so the rage over DH's silver colors makes a lot of us chuckle. If you can strike DH to make it do what you want, you can certainly do it with boro.

The bead market kind of sucks in general due to international competition, but if you're making something unique, by all means, have at it and make some money. If not, you're basically swimming in a very large pond.

Some folks choose glass based on what they need to do. If you're doing detailed sculpting, soft glass tends to be more amenable due to the longer working time and that it's less likely to ball up on you if doing something like tapered fingers. If you're doing something large with a lot of architecture to it, boro may be a better choice as you're able to move back and forth across the piece a tiny bit easier. Basic working principles apply: leave small nubs to return to so you're not sending a lot of heat back into the piece.
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Old 2013-09-22, 9:18pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AmorphousDesigns View Post
please, do tell. It seems disingenuous to say there are major misconceptions then say nothing to dispel them.
Way too much dogma in my opinion. Been working softglass from a furnace and in a torch for seven years and Boro in a torch for three. In my experience most of the differences in working both that have been outlined come from trying to work Boro at temperatures more appropriate to softglass and in oxygen deprived flames. Melt the glasses at temps where they want to be worked and aside from shock issues, they work quite similarly. The differences in the depths of the color pallettes is old info. Boro pallettes have expanded greatly in the last few years and are quite extensive. Again, like I said use them both and learn how to get the best from each.
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Old 2013-09-22, 9:21pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary K View Post
As far as what kind of glass is better to work that is entirely up to you as an artist. I started out with soft glass, did pretty well at it then tried boro and can't go back, I now suck at soft glass, couldn't even remake some stuff I did years ago, I think if you don't do it, you can't do it after a while, if that makes sense. So do what you are good at, and enjoy. If you are trying to save money this is not the hobby for you, to do it safely and well means investing time and money, and then more time and always more money. When people admire my work at shows I always tell them that it's not a get rich quick scheme by any means.
well said Mary. If you ever come through the bay area please look me up and come melt a bit.
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Old 2013-09-22, 9:27pm
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Regarding the DH comparison, it's tough to say. Boro's had silver colors for ages now so the rage over DH's silver colors makes a lot of us chuckle. If you can strike DH to make it do what you want, you can certainly do it with boro.
yup. similar strategies for sure. Soft still has the widest range of crayon but I think Boro has the widest silver pallette by far.
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Old 2013-09-23, 6:53am
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As far as pricing goes, I've always found Frantz to have excellent prices. For instance, at Franz 1/4 of amber purple is $11.63. When you compare that to other boro sources of the same color, there can be quite a difference.
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Old 2013-09-23, 7:30am
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Larry I go to the Bay area often. My 89 year old Mom lives in Antioch, & I go visit her from time to time. Where in the Bay do you live? Bay area is a big place, I used to live there when I was young.
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Old 2013-09-23, 7:50am
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Quote:
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Larry I go to the Bay area often. My 89 year old Mom lives in Antioch, & I go visit her from time to time. Where in the Bay do you live? Bay area is a big place, I used to live there when I was young.
My shop space is in Santa Cruz.
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Old 2013-09-23, 3:44pm
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Ah...love Santa Cruz, my dh and I go a couple times a year & stay in Moss Landing with our 2 dogs and travel trailer. We live in the mountains so we go to the ocean for a change of scenery. We love to eat at Phil's Fish Market and be tourists. lol
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Old 2013-09-23, 10:07pm
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We sell a lot of Boro Glass at Trev's Glass even by the stick..
Momka is about 1 mile from us so we get a lot of her seconds
He's been hanging around Santa Cruz for over a month now but don't think
he has blown much glass there. He needs to meet you Larry.
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