It was about time to try something new. Found a person by the name of John, here in town, that was using Boro to make his art glass. He also had a torch (GTT Cricket) and the best part, an oxygen concentrator. i.e. no more need to head off to the welding gas store!

Up to this point, had been using soft glass namely Effetre with a COE of 104. Boro has a COE of 33 and is used to make Pyrex which is found in glass kitchen baking pans.

Boro does melt at the higher temperature of 1510 degrees F. And if using a stainless steel 1/16 inch mandrel that will also melt unless one is very careful. There is a big difference in how the glass feels. Effetre is like molasses on a hot day, while Boro plays thick on a cold winter day.

No need to preheat the Boro rod. Of course if that is not done with Effetre, you end up with glass breaking off and ending up someplace in your studio. Cost is also a factor. Soft glass is less costly. But clear Boro rod is even less costly and in the range of $4.00 per pound. (a lot of science labs use clear to make their in house glassware) However, colors can range from $30 to $70 per pound. That is why Boro beads command a higher price than soft glass.

Here is what the first Boro beads look like. Not perfect, but in time they will get better. The blue bead is mostly clear with a hint of red and blue – marble like! It is made on a .096 mandrel - .451 length and .454 diameter. The dark bead used a .125 mandrel - .562 length - .495 diameter. Both have to be annealed, but it is not as critical as it is with soft glass. That is where the homemade kiln will come in handy.

Now to try a tungsten mandrel, with and without bead release, to see if it will work in the smaller sizes without melting. Just another experiment or a trip to the lampwork beaders forum.