There can be a lot of small scraps that are left over when blowing glass. A novice may have a hard time working with small scraps at first, but any experienced torch worker will tell you there’s money to be made with most scraps.
Scraps are usually used to teach others, and are a great way to supplement when supplies are on the way. Montage style pieces are another great use for your scrap. My creations utilizing only scrap are the pieces that tend to open me up to new possibilities.
Creating a recycling system within a shop and at every station can save and even make you money. When I owned and operated a shop with nine people utilizing the materials recycling became a priority in order to keep capital on hand to run the business. As your ideas about glass are transformed, what looks like trash today may be gold with tomorrow’s new technique.
As borosilicate progresses we will have a greater understanding of the possibilities of this material. In theory you could only throw away the worst of the worst materials i.e., anything with boiling, pitting, or unwanted air bubbles. The rest could be placed in a crucible kiln, or used in the fusing process. Fusing borosilicate has already been accomplished, more testing and data collection is needed for it to become more common. Imagine taking that box of bits and making it into some cash?
