Clear Glass

Clear glass does not equal clear glass - they are all different, and not even from manufacturer to manufacturer, but within different ranges. Most lampworkers at some point will want to use clear glass to encase a bead, which may lead to the bead cracking, if there are incompatibility issues, or a mucky surface, if the clear is not used correctly.

This page is looking to gather all the info we can on which clear does (and doesn't!) do what.

Clear glass comes in many different types and prices. The following table aims to summarise the various characteristics.

Glass Type	Characteristics	Price per 1/4 Kg (Tuffnells)
Effetre 104	Cheap and cheerful, probably the glass that came with your starter pack. Prone to scumming then used with a Hot Head torch	£2.75
Effetre 106	Clearer, less scummy version than Effetre 104. Has both good and bad batches - the good batches are excellent.		£3.00
Vetrofond	Apparently prone to scumming at higher temperatures but probably OK on Hot Head torch.
CIM Clear		£2.75
Reichenbach	Reichenbach clear comes in two varieties - soft and normal. The normal works slightly stiff but has good clarity.		£7.00
Lauscha		Optically very clear, but prone to cracking over silver glass.
Double Helix Zephyr	This clear melts easily and smoothly, resists boiling and the resultant scumming, and should work well with silver.	£17.00