On Fri, 4 May 2018 12:52:25 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:



I suspect that stainless steel will work just fine. May not last forever, but would be much less expensive to make.

Dan

No. It wouldn't. Glass and SS have a sufficiently large difference
in expansion coefficient that as it cools, the glass cracks and falls
off. That's why blow pipes and puntys are made of SS.

I've never seen TC, nickel bonded used by a bead maker. I'd expect
the nickel to dissolve in the glass and color it at the temperatures
we work with. The standard bead-making stick is a graphite rod. Glass
doesn't stick to it so the bead can be allowed to cool enough to
solidify before being slid off the rod and placed in the annealing
oven.

John, amateur glass worker.
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address