Glass Shells for Hermits????

There's a craft show here everyy few months there's aa lady whoo makes them annd sells them cheap.they are intended to be just for decoration but I don't see why it wouldn't work in this aplicaaation.next time ill try to get there ill get a bunch and post them up.

 

Hi, I'm from the Melting Pot (Greymatter Glass) I can make those!



how did I miss this thread?

 

Yes, the finished product is less than $1 worth of glass in it's raw form.... But it's MUCH more than that. There's other overhead. melting that glass takes oxygen and fuel, neither of which come cheap these days. It takes tools that are made of graphite and they wear out w/ use. it takes MUCH more than just the finished glass... there's a LOT of waste in making things out of glass. I would guess that for every pound of finished glass I sell there's at least another pound in the trash. There's the electricity used to power the kiln to cool the glass safely so it doesn't crack....

You figure I have > $10,000 invested in tools to make said shell. The torch alone is almost $3000.
I have 11+ years of experience blowing glass.
I have $2800/mo rent for my studio

Since when does ANYTHING get sold for the value of the raw materials?

A $1000 180g tank is like $200 worth of glass.
A $500 skimmer is less than $5 worth of plastic
A $1500 hand built custom stand is maybe $300 worth of wood.
A $1000 worth of power heads is maybe $25 worth of plastic and copper

Knowing what it takes to make a shell, $13.50 isn't a bad price.

If you wanted 5 of them, I'd do it for $50. When I have the time...


Sorry, not to jump down your throat, but that "I'll get it cheaper somewhere else" attitude is crippling to Artists.

What I can tell you is you'll get what you pay for.

 

They would... in a matter of days. Coraline _LOVES_ borosilicate glass... I made some frag plugs once and within a week they were almost entirely covered.

 

LOL, man, that would be sad. At least I get to enjoy my 15 bucks for a week. Although, I think it should be fine, right? Since they move around a lot and all. If you look at the hermit crabs shells, they seem to be algae & coralline free. I guess we'll find out! haha.

 

Yeah, you're right, but I mean, I usually end up supporting artists anyway. I didn't know that much went into glass making, that's pretty interesting! I'm ordering one from the guy and checking it out. If it's nicely designed and works with the hermits, I'll be buying more!

 

will it make a difference if the glass is moving around? Ah, I guess we'll have to find out... I'll let you guys know. lol

 

That would be awesome!

 

That's a good point and one I hadn't considered... but it seems coraline grows where the flow from the returns and my power heads hits... so water movement alone doesn't stop it... it DOES seem to slow it a bit.

Anyways, enjoy the shell, if nothing else it'll be quite unique in your tank. Also, as the crabs leave it for another shell you can pull it and soak it in vinegar to clean it up.

 

I laughed my butt off on this one!