Glass Blowing Reviews

Devardi has proven that they can provide the highest quality tools and equipment. When it comes to glassworking, lampworking, or beadmaking, Devardi is something most craft enthusiasts are familiar with. It delivers just the right set of glassmaking basics that will help everyone who is interested in learning the craft the easiest possible way.

Most of the glassworking sets that you can buy from Devardi are complete. But the aim of Devardi is to provide you with better tools that can make things more convenient. The company offers tools that you can buy separately, including the affordable, yet very useful glass rod holder.

When working with hot glass, the rod used as a punty normally has to be handled with extreme care due to the heat involved, and owning a rod holder will be of great help in making the job easier to handle. Some basic beadmaking and lampworking kits come in a complete set, but since they’re for making small beads, rods also come short.

Features

• It makes holding glass rods with ease
• Simple mechanism: insert the glass rod and tighten the nut to secure
• It is made of high-quality stainless steel
• It is a two-piece construction that will prevent heat transfer to the hand
• It can hold up to a 12mm glass rod
• It is lightweight and well balanced
• It has a secure lock

Pros

Devardi makes this glass rod holder to provide a better glassworking experience for its customers. This simple tool helps glassmakers be comfortable with holding a glass rod even when it becomes hot. It protects your hand from burns which will make you confident in picking it up especially when you are working in a fast paced mode.

When having a hard time using short glass rods, most people would improvise and melt two short glass rods together so it becomes longer and more stable item. But with this glass rod holder, you can easily make a single glass rod.

Using it will not take time and it is as simple as inserting the rod and locking the nut. You do not have to worry that it will rust because it is made of the highest quality stainless steel to endure extreme conditions such as heat and cooling that comes as part of the glassworking process.

It can also accommodate not only a single type but up to 12mm thick glass rods. The nut used to lock the rod is adjustable so you can just turn it more so it tightens when using thinner glass rods.

The Devardi glass rod holder is lightweight and does not make the rod heavier or harder to use in any way. It is also well balanced and heavy duty so you can use it for a long time. Some users have even been able to use theirs since they were starters until they advanced in it.

Instead of risking burning fingers, this low-cost yet high-quality holder is what you need for your rod to better handle your bead or glass.

Cons

Although loved by many, there are glassmakers who have not used glass rod holders before. For those who are used to dealing with short glass rods, even when they’re quite hard to, they think of holders as only adding weight to the rods.

Because of the stainless steel material that makes up this Devardi rod glass holder, it sometimes gets slippery when picked up with bare hands especially for those whose hands sweat. Aside from those few, Devardi products have been used by many for tools like this.

Verdict

For its price, Devardi is giving you a great deal with the quality of its glass rod holder. It will surely be of use for anyone who is enthusiastic to practice their glassworking skills. Regardless if you are a beginner or are advanced in the craft, it is useful and worth its price.

It is provides great protection especially for starters who may not be sure of the handling processes needed. Compared to other brands, this glass rod holder stands out in giving you a well-made product at the lowest possible price.

Overall, with its quality, usefulness, ease of use and durability, Devardi glass rod holder is a must-buy for glassmaking craftsmen out there.

In this review, we will talk about the 7 in 1 Graphite Glass Marble Sphere Round Mold. It is yet another tool widely used around the world in the art of glassblowing, glassmaking, bead working, and lampwork. A lot of people are now making beautiful pieces such as marbles and beads.

The primary things you need to make glass are the molten glass and the heat. Shapes are another thing. With the help of a shaping tool and an amount of training you will be able to produce or perfect the shapes that you desire.  One of the best tools you can get is this graphite glass marble sphere round mold.

 Features

• 7 in 1 glass marble sphere graphite mold
• It is made of high-density graphite
• It has a smooth cavity finish
• It can be used in multiple ways
• A useful tool in glassblowing
• It is easy to use
• It is durable

Pros

The good thing about this 7 in 1 Glass Marble Sphere Graphite Mold is that it combines 7 different sizes of molders in one tool. Usually, round molds are sold separately as singles.

Here, you get 7 different sizes in a single glass sphere mold. Not only will you save on the price, you will save time by having all your needed molds for completing your small glass pieces.

There is versatility in this tool. Not only can you use it for shaping marbles, it can also help you shape different sizes of beads.

Now worries about the texture of your beads or marbles in the mold will disappear and your product will come out flawless because of the smooth cavity finish of this sphere mold. Your pieces will just be as perfect as you want them to be.

There are glassworkers and beadmakers who are not only into the production of regular glass pieces, some consider glass making as an art, and to these people, it is important to have tools that will help them be versatile in their designs. This tool will help you easily and conveniently explore various sizes.

Cons

This round mold actually functions the same as other sphere molds. For glass workers who produce uniform pieces such as beads and marbles for selling, a single sized sphere mold is preferably used. All other sizes are not going to be very useful.

Another thing with this tool is that it is priced a little higher than most available sphere molds of its type. It can also be very small. It is meant only to make smaller beads and marbles.

Many would prefer for it to be a bit bigger and have more variations in the amount of glass each sphere can mold. Some suggest for it to have a cone rim so it can accommodate a non-specific amount of glass.

Unlike other single sphere molds, the shape of this tool and how each sphere mold is placed beside the other may hinder some styling techniques of artists, such as when they carve on the other end of the glass piece.

With the wider platform that it has, some designs might not be achieved especially when making a round but uniquely shaped marbles or beads. If you are an artist who likes to explore and do a lot of carving and shaping, a single sphere mold will give you the space to create your desired outcome of the shape.

The 7 in 1 Glass Marble Sphere Graphite Mold could use a little more improvement on its size. Again, it could offer more variety in terms of the amount of glass it can handle. This way, more variety in round sizes can be done with one tool.

Second, it could possibly be better in a different form. Its square shape can be friendly to the carving process if the glass spheres are aligned rather than placed as it is in this multiple mold.

Verdict

In general, the 7 in 1 Glass Marble Sphere Graphite Mold is a good pick for you if you are experimenting and would like to make use of the various sizes of sphere molds all provided in one tool.

It is naturally priced higher because it combines many sphere molds into one. Among other multiple glass sphere molds, it is fair in cost, but you will find some more design options.

Glass art has survived through the years and has developed and contributed some of the most eye-flattering pieces all around the world. From the time the process of glassmaking or glassblowing began, it went through so much innovation and to make it what it is today.

For everyone who is into glassworking nowadays, you have a lot of choices when it comes to the tools you need in creating your glass art pieces. One of these is this glass blowing, glass working and lampworking supplies tool kit.

It includes almost every tool you need such as different sizes and kinds of carving tools, hook and picks, tweezers, and shears. In this review, we will check out a supply tool that includes 6 pieces each of the basic glass working tools.

Features

• 6 piece steel carving set
• 6 piece hook and picks set
• 6 piece tweezer set
• Includes 1 spear shears
• All pieces are made of high-quality stainless steel material

Pros

The first good things about this supply toolkit is that it provides you with all the basic tools for lampworking or glassmaking.

If you are making a variety of shapes and creatively styled glass artworks, you are going to need different kinds of tools. With this product, you do not have to buy separate tools anymore because you get all of it in one set.

These pieces are made of high-quality stainless steel materials. The tools will not rust nor react to extreme conditions such as high heat when designing your hot molten glass. They are durable and can survive even designing mass produced beadworks.

Aside from the tweezers, each piece of the tool is double ended. The six-piece carving set and the six piece hook and pick set are the double purposed. These tools can be shared by more than one artist or glass worker.

The spear shears, on the other hand, is as sharp as it can get.  It can be useful in cutting both soft and hard materials. As with the materials used to make the tweezers, hook and picks, and the carving set, it is rust-free and durable. It has wide handles with a rubber coating.

Cons

This 19-piece supply kit provides almost everything a glass or lampworker will need. However, it might only be good for beginners working with small pieces as the tools are designed for shaping small glass objects, such as small beads and marbles. Though each tool is competent and good, it is not going to work with bigger sculptures.

It is good to have a double function in each set and multiple kinds of tools. However, some tools such as the hook and picks have the same functions as the other. There are may be a lot of tools but there is not much difference in some of the functions. As for the spear shears, most shears are sold separately.

The spear shears included in this supplies set work fine but it might not durable enough for heavy-duty cutting. Most users suggest that you get separate spear shears which are really designed for both light and heavy-duty cutting so you would not need separate shears for all range of projects.

Verdict

You will find many choices in basic supply tool kits on the market, especially now that a lot of people are catching onto this craft. You are given a lot of choices in tools and materials you can buy. This glass blowing, glassworking, lampworking supplies toolkit is one of the wisest choices you can make.

You can make sure that all pieces are useful and nothing goes to waste. You will only buy these pieces once because they will last. With each of the pieces carefully crafted with high-quality stainless steel, you will get your money’s worth.

Not to mention, this glassworking set is affordable compared to other supply kits available on the market. From the carving set, hook and picks set, tweezers, and spear shears, you get all the tools to complement your creativity in producing the best pieces.

Ornamental glass products are always a sight to see. They might seem delicate, but skilled artisans bring forth pieces that are considered works of art. These products often come with vivid colors and intricate designs, all of which are testament to the capability of a glassblower.

In order to put colors on the glass, artists often use pigments and metals coupled with certain methods to accomplish this goal. This review will focus on the Art ‘N Glow Neutral 5 Color Pack Glow in the Dark Pigment Powder, a line of colors that will bring brightness and perk to any glass product.

Features

• Package comes with aqua, dark blue, neutral green, sky blue and white glow powders
• Features coated strontium aluminate long-lasting glow powders
• Crystals are sized between 30-50 microns depending on the color
• Perfect for glassblowing, jewelry making, paintings, murals, resin and epoxy and other crafts
• Contains waterproof properties
• Can be used with water-based mediums like acrylic paints
• Made from naturally occurring sources
• Non-toxic and non-radioactive, safe for users and the environment

Advantages

Way back during the inception of glass making, people had no control over the color of the glass they were creating. In due time, artists managed to add color to it though by means of adding specific substances to the molten glass.

Chemists discovered that metal oxides can provide color to glass, which in turn gave us the stained glass method. These days, colored glass involves the use of powdered metal oxides, sulfides and other kinds of compounds to the mix of melted glass.

Due to exciting innovations, you can now add glow pigments to the melted glass to get glow-in- the-dark glass products. Glow pigments will supplement any kind of glass product with a bright, luminescent radiance to it.

For a brighter glass, you have to add more pigment to the molten mixture. Remember that the more transparent the glass, the brighter it will be.

However, this can be a difficult procedure and will require the capability of trained artisans to accomplish. It is possible to make glowing glass, and the secret to the whole procedure lies in knowing precisely when to add the glow pigment powders to the melted glass mix without scorching the powder.

This particular step will require accuracy and skill, which is why this step is best handled by experts.

Other than glow pigments, glassblowers can also make use of plastic pellets to make colored glass. Plastic pellets have a greater temperature threshold compared to the powder kind and they also have a higher amount of density to them. Lastly, you can also color glass by means of painting on it.

The pigments on this review can actually be used as some sort of paint on the glass. Just refer to the instructions provided so you can perfectly accomplish this method. It can also be used along with water-based mediums like acrylics due to its waterproof nature.

Glow-in-the-dark glass is beautiful to look at and they make excellent centerpieces at home, in clubs and bars. They are also great conversation starters.

Art ‘N Glow’s Glow in the Dark Pigment Powders are also environment friendly due to their use of naturally occurring materials for their products. They are non-radioactive and non-toxic, which means you can use them and still be safe.

They are safe for all people and pets, thus they are great to work on especially if you are a professional who deals with colored glassmaking every day.

Disadvantages

Due to the skill required in order to mix pigments with molten glass, coloring glass by way of powdered pigments requires an expert, precise hand. It is a step that is best left for experienced glassblowers/makers and artisans.

Verdict

If you have perfected your glassblowing skills and want to add more color to your output, you can have a go with Art ‘N Glow’s Glow in the Dark Pigment Powders.

Now you can make fun, novel glow-in-the-dark glass products that you can sell or give away as gifts. These are pigments that are rich and bright, and will provide an instant perk to any glass product.