Which 104 Clear Stringer?

[Jolene]

I have been practicing encasing and at the moment can only mange to work with stringer, not full rods. So far I have been using Effetre clear 004 but now that I am starting to get to grips with it a little bit, I am getting frustrated by all of the scum and bubbles.........

Which 104 clear glasses are available in stringer form and which give the best results / value for money?

Thanks Jo

[Mary]

I've only seen Effetre as stringer. I'm afraid it's pick your clear and pull your own! Lauscha is my favourite, lovely and crystal clear.

[glassworks]

mmm, tough one this.. we have vetrofond clear (the BEST!!!) but only in rod form at 4-5mm thick...

the only clear we have in stringer form is the effetre.. there is also some thin rods of precision 104 kicking around here but they are also 4-5mm and not really stringer?.. have you emailed martin, he may have something?..

obviously pulling your own is the best, and that way the lauscha and thicker precision104 has to be the very best clear availble - albeit a little pricey..

[Jolene]

I have got 1/2 kilo of Laucha but my HH can't handle the diameter....about 15mm...to use that to make my own stringer! precision? Do you have much of the thinner stuff in? I have not tried to get in touch with Martin just yet as I think he is still on his hols. On his website the only clear stringers listed are 104 effetre.

Thanks Q
Jo x

[Shirley]

When I first tried encasing I bought some Lauscha. It is really beautiful glass, but was hard work on a hothead with a full rod. The rods I got (from Q) were about 8-9mm. Then I tried pulling some 2mm stringers from it, which work quite well. You have get a big ball of glass on the rod, wait a while and then pull pretty slowly. Having said that, I decided there must be a better way.

I spoke to Martin about it at a beadfair, and he gave me a couple of rods of Vetrofond to try. I love it. It melts fairly quickly, and if you get the consistency right it spreads really smoothly over the bead. I don't think I'd use anything else now. My encasing isn't perfect, by any means, but it's improved loads, partly due to the glass, I think, but more due to the practice. What I've found with beadmaking is I tend to hit landmark moments, when something I've been working on for ages suddenly clicks. I think encasing will be one of those.

I'm still using the hothead, by the way

[*rowanberry*]

I love Lauscha, it is *beautifully* clear and I find really good to encase. You can get much thinner diameter rods of it from USA sellers like moretti and more if you are on a hothead.

Vetrofond just doesnt cut the mustard for me, I have had so many scratched rods of it for my liking which have left scummy encasing and ruined beads - no matter how much I clean it, or take the tip off of the ends :-( But I am REALLY fussy about my encasing.

I've been playing with CIM clear recently, Martin sent me some to try, its not bad actually - I found it better than the vetrofond.

[Jolene]

Thank you Mary, Shirley and Claire for the info and advice. Encasing is something I am eager to crack, but I guess these things just come in their own time with PPP. I will keep on practicing with the Effetre I have here, buy some Vetro to stroke for a while and persevere with pulling Laucha stringer too 

[Dragonfire Glass]

I really like the vetroond - also from talking to Martin  at a bead fair 
It is MUCH better than effestre, but I encase from a rod, not a stringer.

[*rowanberry*]

I noticed that Martin does the CIM clear in stringer.

[Jolene]

Thanks Claire, I will check it out