Handtools at the glass bench

[Pete VanderLaan]

Blockhead Tools
P.O. Box 31096
Seattle, WA 98103-1096
206-632-7815
info@blockheadtools.com
www.blockheadtools.com
Greg Allen
Blockhead makes five styles of wooden blocks, as well as custom carved molds. They also make paddles, pacifiosis and steam sticks. I have used their paddles which seemed fine but hav never tried their blocks. I mostly marver anyway.



Cherrywood mold shop
Walter Evans
2725 Millbranch Rd
Kenova WV 25530
304-453-2279
Walter makes both round and oval blocks. They are excellent and they are really inexpensive.
If you are old school, calling Walter and reminiscing about the good old days is always a good way to kill half an hour.

CR Machine
30 Danforth Road
Rindge NH -3461
603-899-9871
crm@monad.net
Knurled blowpipes. You either love these things or you hate them.


Cutting Edge Tools
P.O. Box 3809 Chico CA 95927
530-342-1970
FAX 530-342-0771
Handtools of all types as well as blowpipes and punti rods.
I was fortunate enough to get a set of Jeffs large jacks last year during a major commission. They were a godsend. Now One year later I am still in love with them. They show no signs of wear and are a delight to use. I also love my Tagliol I got from Cutting Edge.

Gott Steamers
Allan Gott
143 Sunbank Way SE
Calgary Alberta T2X2E4 Canada
403-256-6079
agott@northernheat.ca
www.northernheat.ca

Carbon fiber handpad for shaping glass. I do use these occasionally for glass shaping and consider them to be another very handy tool to have in your pack, especially if you are traveling.

Palmer Tools
10506 Crestridge Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305-1610
952-546-6025
Handtools for the glassblower

Putsch Tools
Putsch and Company
P.O. Box 5128 Asheville NC 28813
828=684-0671
FAX 828=684 4894

I have always though of Putsch tools as good for the beginning student who was not yet sure that they were ready to make a committment to glass although I have always liked their diamond shears. My friend Donald Carlson still uses their blowpipes for light work and he loves them.

Jim Moore Tools for Glass
P.O. Box 30936
Seattle WA 98103
206-440-9420
Handtools of every size and description.
I have a pair of Jim Moores cup Jacks and his 400mm jacks and like both of them

Spiral Arts
430 South 96th St # 5
Seattle WA 98108
206-768-9765
fax 206 768-9766
Fred Metz
Blowpipes and Puntis. I have never used them. They look nice and everything Fred builds is exquisitely designed.

Steinert Industries
1507 Franklin Avenue
Kent Ohio 44240
1 800 727 7473
www.steinertindustries.com
glasstools@steinertindustries.com

Blowpipes, punti rods, molds, marvers and handtools.

I like Steinert pipes and molds just fine and I have a large pile of them in my shop. They are reasonably priced and John will rebuild them for a song. I would caution anyone away from their handtools though. I bought a pair of diamond shears from them used them once and have never picked them up again.

Wale Apparatus
P.O. Box D
Hellertown PA 800-334-9253
www.waleapparatus.com

Not really a glass handtool company for furnace people but is a good source for lampworkers. I buy my Kevlar Gloves here as well as flip up lenses.

Should our Guardian Angels & Sponsor not B here

http://www.keithorrblowpipes.com/

?????????

[Pete VanderLaan]

Well, I would have put that in if Ed ( Keith Orr) Skeels was actually selling blowpipes cuz if he were I would buy some, but he is yet another typical American offset eccentric.
Olympic does sell handtools but the people they represent are already listed.

Carlo Dona tools -- Murano

Another source of optic molds, hand tools, pipes. Those interested should email Roberto Dona for a current price list with descriptions. I have last year's list in Excel format and I'll email it to anyone interested, but direct contact with Dona for current prices would be best.

Roberto Dona's email address is:

Roberto Dona <carlodona@tin.it>

Tom Bellhouse (GA)

Spiral Arts is now distributing Carlo Dona' tools. We have a current price list and description of tools posted on our web site.

http://www.spiralarts.com/Dona%20pri...ter%202003.pdf

Please take note. The message telling people to contact Roberto Dona directly for tool pricing and purchasing is incorrect. Spiral Arts is the sole distributor for Carlo Dona tools in the United States. Roberto does not sell tools over the internet or by phone to anyone in the United States. He will direct anyone who calls back to Spiral Arts.
Thank you.

I just got a catalog sent here from Roberto....included were prices in US dollars, and no metion of Fred?(Spiral Arts)

[Pete VanderLaan]

I find the direction of this thread to be awkward and I have asked Fred Metz of Spiral Arts to please contact Roberto and to hopefully have him post the circumstancees under which he sells tools in the United States. Luca Ratazzi, of Manifesto was handling the tools and sold that portion of his business to Fred. So, please be patient. I do think it relevant to note that the prices Tom Bellhouse has posted are in fact two years old.

I could send you the new ones, or post here if you'd like.....just got them a week or so ago...-B

[Pete VanderLaan]

As I indicated, this is awkward. I would prefer to hear from Roberto as to his understanding of his relationship with Fred Metz.

[Pete VanderLaan]

I just received a letter from Roberto Dona who indicated that Fred Metz indeed is the sole US distributor for Carlo Dona Tools. He indicated that you can buy direct if you come to Murano and that he indeed will send out price lists on request but that Fred handles the sales. End of Story.

[Warren Trefz]

The Blockhead blocks work very well, though the students tend to burn the throats out while learning.

We have Putsch pipes in the 26mm and 20mm and I have been happy with their performance over the past 6 years. I feel they are better balanced than Steinerts and I do not have to straighten them as often.

Just last Spring we got some Cutting Edge chromo-moly pipes and punties and the students prefer the balance of them over the Steinerts. They are the .095 wall thickness but still have managed to get bent slightly. I used to use Putsch 20mm for my work but now use Spiral Arts smallest pipe and 10mm punties. I really like them. I have one of their "cup pipes" but never use it because the balance is not as nice as the smallest ones and the head is too large in diameter.

I stocked the shop with Moore hand tools and have been happy with durability with student use. My personal hand tools are a mix. I started out with Moore small jacks and tweezers (1989). Then went to Carlo cup jacks and medium tweezers (reworked the tips). Now I have and love the Moore goblet jacks, a bit pricey but worth it. Putsch Maniconi diamond shears and 60mm straight shears (reground tip profile) have been great. I finished out with a pair of Moore cup shears. Jeff of Cutting Edge graciously allowed me to try a pair of his goblet jacks but I found them to be too stiff and the blades too thick.

While I rarely use my Carlo cup jacks now a good friend has a pair of the mediums and large. The mediums are nice and I prefer them over Moores but the large are large and heavy and I like the Moores here. The school also has a pair of the Moore cup jacks but the goblets are worth the extra $100.

I have used friends' Dino jacks (most sizes) and tweezers over the years and wish I would have bought some when they were still available. Anyone have some for sale?!

Well that is enough 2 cents for now. We have some other tools in the shop but I would like to hear others opinions.

Thanks,

Warren

[katiemoe]

bump

I have the web page up now. It is http://www.hotblocktools.com all the tool that I am making for now are on there. Thank you for the look.

Gary,

What type of wood are your blocks made of? I did not see any info on that on your web page or flyer.

Rob White

I am using wild cherry the same as Walt did. We have more of it here in west PA then was down there. I will have to fix that on the web page. Thanks.

[Greg Vriethoff]

Originally posted by Gary Guydosh
the same as Walt did.

Just curious- what happened to Walt?

[Kenny Pieper]

He is still making great blocks. Just got a bunch. His seem to last longer than any others I've used. I think its the way he makes them across grain.

[Kenny Pieper]

Walter Evans
Cherry Wood Shop
304 453 2279

[Greg Vriethoff]

Good to hear he's still goin'. I like his blocks too. I prefer the round over the oval style that you get from Blockhead.

[Pete VanderLaan]

neither Walt or Gary are still making tools.

[Kenny Pieper]

I miss Walter!
He sure had some stories.

[Pete VanderLaan]

we've really entered a world where the baton is being actively passed. As Paul McCartney said "Some for ever, not for better."

We're doing some retooling right now for a joint Chinese/ New Hampshire venture with Mary Beth and Eveline launching in coordination with a Hong Kong Jeweler a new business in more elite places and it's requiring me to bring a substantial number of sleeping tools back into use. Finding the parts, and their suppliers is sometimes futile and the number of people who have passed away who ran these ventures is simply sad. I won't blow for the parts. I don't have the energy and we've brough a younger glassmaker in to do that. I'll still be the old man with all the formulas and processing knowledge.

What has surprised me is the number of websites that get reference in Craftweb archives and after 20 plus years, they're still running, sometimes now by the kids of the original owners but still supplying the same obscure goods and services.

I could start a long list of "I miss..." our travelers who have passed beyond conversations. It's left to memories except in these really old threads that had such earnest information in them. All good stuff today I might add.

[David Patchen]

I think there's a cycle to this kind of knowledge. So Walter and Gary are gone, but Greg, Art Reed and Arthur Wilson are making blocks.

Gaffer is gone and other color makers are older but others like Doug, Paul A-S, Jordan, Josh and many others are growing their body of knowledge. I'm sure there are staff at R and K that know what they're doing.

OCR quit carrying Spiral, but Spiral is still selling direct and now Scott Hegan is making pipes and selling through OCR. There's also CR Machine and Sam Stang.

Dino, Essemce, Putsch/Meniconi are out of the game, but Jasen Johnsen, BC Metalworks, Maruko, NRD and others are making improved versions of those older tools.

So while older makers with great depth of expertise leave, others come in to take their place hopefully leveraging the expertise of the past and push into the future. If they aren't leveraging earlier learnings, they will have to research and discover these things anew--often improving (like Gaffer raised the bar for all color manufacturers).

While our market is very small and I also fear the impact of some suppliers shutting down (I'd hate for Reichenbach to shut down), as long as there is a demand it does seem there are new entrants to seize these opportunities.

Change is tough but hopefully the future does mean even better tools and supplies for all of us .

[Pete VanderLaan]

I think Kugler to be at greater risk. Otherwise, what you suggest is accurate. Some surprise me as people enter different phases of their lives. They seek solutions based on what they know. I bought shears from Cutting edge today bound for Shanghai.