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In general glass laminate is used to laminate two pieces of glass together (like a front windshield in a car). It's a kind of plastic film between the two and can't be fused in the kiln.

PloG errors mean the controller has detected a problem. It can be a lot of things. Sometimes it's just a glitch caused by a power surge or something that's a one off thing. PLoG 011, 012, or 013 errors mean there's a problem with a thermocouple. I believe 010 is a generic catch all error message (bu...

What was the complete firing schedule?

Do you recall the exact error message?

I would be very worried that the whole thing will fall through the drop ring hole. You said the glass is 5.5" in diameter and the drop ring hole is 4". That only leaves 3/4" of glass on the edges and it also looks to be chipped out. I don't see how it can hold on. However, I hardly e...

I would go 100F/55C per hour to your top temperature and then hold until it has slumped. You'll also need a longer anneal because the piece is thicker. I would hold for at least 3 hours. One more thought: I never fire drops higher than 1325F/720C. If I've waited half an hour to 45 minutes at that te...

Decals should be compatible with any glass. Different manufacturers have different firing schedules so you'll need to get some help from the place that sold them to you.

If the cooling profile from 1465 to 950 takes 2.5 or 3 hours with this kiln, is that going to work out or will I see devitrification? That's an entirely normal cooling rate. No need to crash cool. If you get devitrification it's more likely due to other factors than how rapidly you cool through thi...

BE's reactive potential chart is just the possibility of a reaction, not definitely a reaction. I have tested almost all of the "lead" reactions. 0313 and 0243 react with 0137, but nothing else i have tried works. Almost none of the other lead colors react with anything in any significant ...

The Armstrong is just enamels on float. You an do the same thing yourself if you wish, using whatever base glass you prefer. Etching/blasting off the enamel will not give you the same look as true flash glass. You can make your own, using whatever combination of colors your want. The method describe...

Two firings. One to smooth out the Bullseye glass and a second one with the frit.

Some enamels can give you compatibility problems (i.e, Thompson), some are fine regardless of glass used (i.e., Ferro Sunshine).

No, you can't use Bullseye frit on float glass. But you can buy float compatible frit. There are several suppliers, try Armstrong Glass.

Float fires a bit hotter than Bullseye. But it can devitrify easily.

What was wrong with the Bullseye?

The difference in price between a 40 amp and 50 amp SSR is under $10

Annealing for float is 1100F. For thin glass you wouldn't need to hold any longer than 15 minutes or so. You can buy thin float at just about any hardware store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) or any place that sells glass for windows or shelving. Make sure she buys a decal that matures at a relatively lo...

That's above my pay grade. I'm familiar with situations where you simply plug the kiln into the standalone controller and just plug in a different kiln as needed (as well as move the thermocouple), but don't have any experience with what you're wanting to do instead, other than to think it's a lot m...

Thanks Brad. Do you have any idea of how long a thermocouple lead can be before you lose accuracy on the temperature? That's more of a question for someone like Tony Smith, but I did find this: The length of a thermocouple has no effect on its measurement accuracy or its ability to transfer the sig...

You should be able to set up a standalone controller into which you can plug whichever kiln you're using. Probably work best with a switchable two-in-one plug.

Yes, that's right. You don't really need to program the last step all the way down to room temperature.

As your final step, I would program 45 dph down to 375C, then turn the kiln off and let it cool with the lid closed to room temperature.

It's not unusual for long narrow pieces to bow slightly. To solve the problem, I recommend stopping just above the annealing temperature and holding for at least half an hour That gives the glass time to relax and even out the internal temperature before annealing. Your schedule is unusual in that y...

Get rid of the shelf. Just use posts.

Also, I'd hold a little bit longer at your top temperature than you have been.

Could you tell us what you mean by "bends"?

Is the piece being fused on a flat shelf and bows upward slightly or is it something else?

Also, it would help to have your firing schedule.