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December / January, 1997/98 - Vol. 11 No. 4


Where's the Pyrex ®?

by Ricky Charles Dodson



This article was prompted by a feeling of complete fear. Fear that the lifeblood of my livelihood, Pyrex was no longer any good. This fear hit me when I received several boxes of solid rod. When I placed the order, my supplier told me there might be a problem with the rod. I asked what the problem was and she explained that some of the new Pyrex was reboiling for some lampworkers. Reboiling is when little bubbles appear in your work. When I received the order, I finally realized my worst fears.

I started with a rod of 8 mm. When I put it in the fire it almost immediately turned a dull red. It looked very different from our good old Pyrex. Suddenly it started reboiling. Seconds after, it blew thousands of minute bubbles into the piece. I continued to experiment with the rod making several small pieces. Each one was full of bubbles and they just "flat-out" look bad!

I decided to clean the rod in alcohol, then acid to eliminate any oil or other contaminants that would be on the surface. At first, I noticed a slight change for the better, however within a few seconds the bubbles again started to appear in the dull red glow. I was hoping they would just disappear, but there was no significant change.

In a somewhat frantic state, I called my supplier. Out of courtesy, I won't mention their name. I asked them about the glass again. I told them about the problems I was having. They explained that they were aware of the problems with the rod, but had nothing else to send me at that time. They did offer to send me a refund, however, I needed the rod or no product goes out the door!

In desperation, I decided to call Corning and was transferred to their Customer Relations Department. I explained the problem in detail to their representative. She was unaware of the problem and was sure that this was an isolated event. She explained that many sizes are now being made in Czechoslovakia instead of Japan, where they have been making it for years. She said she would research the problem and get back to me within the next few days.

I again called my supplier and asked to confirm if this was indeed an isolated incident. My supplier assured me that was not the case as she currently has a whole warehouse of this bad rod. I was not the first to complain as a number of people who work solid rod had complained as well.

One week passed without a return call from Corning, so I called them again. I spoke to the same rep and she transferred me to a Manager of rod production. This gentleman told me that there were some cases that developed this problem that were shipped on the first run but the problem had been addressed and fixed. He kindly told me he would send out replacement cases from his warehouse and it would be the same good Pyrex I've used for thirty years, and he did.

I received the new cases with great anticipation and with the assumption that everything was OK. I felt I could mark this entire event off as a bad dream, but this was not the case. In the beginning, the new rod seemed to be better. In fact, a lot better as it appeared to have no nasty red glow and it melted much smoother. I thought I was home free until I saw "it" through the rod... about a hundred bubbles flared up on the other side. It looked as if little fireworks were exploding. The more I worked, the more pockets I hit... bubble pockets. I even tried various samples from throughout the case but it was jut not going to work unless, of course, my customers decide bubbles in glass were now "cool."

At this point, I became very freaked and worried about my product looking like "crap." I tried to figure out a way to explain this to the galleries that carry my work.

About one week later, I received a call from Vincent, Corning Rep for the West Coast. Vin, as he likes to be called, was very aware of the problem. He explained what happened.

The rod we normally use is made in Japan. The Japanese company that manufactures Pyrex is not owned by Corning, but is a major supplier of rod to Corning. The tanks this Company uses to make the rod are enormous in size and, as a general rule, will need repairing every few years. According to Vin, this costs millions to rebuild.

The production plant normally plans to have enough product on hand to fill orders while the tank are being rebuilt. However this time that did not happen and Corning was left without 1 mm - 11 mm rod to fill their orders. I asked Vin if rod sales to artists were a large part of Corning's business. He replied "yes" and explained that 75 percent of all rod sales were to the artistic lampworker and 25 percent to scientific lampworkers.

Vin went on to say that when Corning found out that Japan couldn't fill their orders, they searched for a new company to manufacture it for them. They went all over the world and finally found a company in Czechoslovakia. Vin said that he was a part of the decision making process and admitted it was either going forward with the Czechoslovakian company or nothing. He told me that they would be buying from Japan again sometime next year, but he could not say exactly when.

I asked if he knew where a person could find some of the old Pyrex until then. Vin seemed very forthcoming with me and replied that he did not believe there was any left for sale on the planet.

The above information was the result of two conversations within a week. Vin knew I was going to write this article and asked me in the strongest way not to submit it until he called me back with more information. He said he would call within another two weeks. It has now been a month with no contact, so I am assuming he has nothing additional to tell me.

I went on a search for some "good" glass and finally found 15 cases of 8 mm and 11 mm, which I paid close to double the normal price. Usually, I never buy that much at once, but I did sleep much better after knowing it was on the way. I am, however, still looking for some 5 mm. If you happen to have any you want to part with, please contact me.

Before I found the stash of Japanese 8 mm and 11 mm rod, I called The Glass Warehouse. They carry Duran Rod, a product from Germany. I told them the story on what was going on with Pyrex, so they sent me some samples to try. It seems to be a nice glass and has very little reboil. There was one thing about it that I didn't like and that was that the larger size rod has a slight green tint. It is more expensive, but if you buy three cases the price will come close to Pyrex.

So at this point I guess all of us diehard Pyrex people will just have to wait to see what the future holds. I, for one, hope that Corning will get it together soon. It does make me realize though, how much I hate to rely on one company to put shoes on my kid's feet.

Until next time,
keep your fingers out of the fire and don't test the temperature of your glass with your tongue.