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( My 27 hour fuse last time I would have thought was long enough!) to add to the confusion..I have made large pieces in the past..no problems and shorter anneal times. same kiln, same shelf. So, along with the new thermocouple, newly raised shelf, I will also bring it to a fuller fuse. ...And medita...

I will carefully read this and respond, just want too quickly say that I have several other pieces that cracked similarly, and were more fused, with much less tack fusing. I just did a even heat test, (with glass strips as per Bullseye) and the far right side and bottom get less heat, but not signif...

I took a thermocouple out of another kiln, inserted it and tested.

Also in talking the the manuf. of the kiln, I believe it was time for a new one.

[attachment=0]Cracked glass 003.jpg[/attachment] here is the pic. The crack just broke the piece, unaffected by design or shapes. The crack also has another crack about 4" from the bottom, making that triangle -( the visual "line" going off to the right is a just line of layered glass...

Hi Laurie, yep, it' s a bummer... after we spoke, I still lost another piece. I don't think it is my relays, though.. they seem to be okay. It has to be the anneal schedule and heating issues withing the kiln. Also, I was going 100 dph after the anneal. maybe I should go slower, as Dana suggested.

yes, I plan to an even heating test today on my newly raised-up-on-feet shelf, and new thermocouple. so, if it is uneven, what do fusers do, if they can't easily replace elements? (besides work on a anneal that works).

Yes, the glass was about 1" from the insulation. ( I need to make the glass 26".) the walls of the kiln are blanket insulation. So, the walls of the kiln are not giving off the heat of brick. Do you think I need to shorten the anneal? Spectrum did advise the 3 hour anneal, but I can shorte...

The glass is 26", and the kiln is 28 1/2" deep, so it is close to the insulation in the width direction. I dammed the 26" sides. I used all cathedral glass, areas of only clear layers across the bottom and top of the artpiece and the middle has a lot of blues and aquas. A 3-D fuse.. n...

Please help me do the detective work..as I am bewildered..I wish I could say I have solved my saga of poorly annealed larger pieces.. but my latest piece to replace the cracked ones, cracked also! It is 37” x 26” x 3/8” thick. Because my kiln runs about 15 deg. too hot.. I set the following schedule...

Performed my test with a second pyrometer. It showed my kiln is running 16 deg. less than other, so it does run hotter. I will now anneal lower, at 930, and hold again at 775 and 600. I have spoken at length with Spectrum, and have a VERY conservative schedule to try- it will take 1 day, 3 hours to ...

That makes alot of sense, although disconcerting. We depend on the accuracy of these tools so much for the success of our hard work. I don't know how difficult it is to replace a thermocouple. But I will be testing mine later today. I will be annealing at a lower temp from now on, as you recommended...

very possibly. I will be setting up a test today with another pyrometer.

I have so many notebooks of schedules through the years. This is what my most recent one is based on my own experience, and input and reading. I stop it at 1370 to watch how it is fusing, and then just bring it up to 1385 for full fuse... I believed ramping alittle faster after 1370 up another 15 de...

Thank you all for this input! this is an eye-opener, as when I have had issues in the past, I have heard 'anneal longer', but I can see that this would be problematic to anneal longer at the wrong temp! I will readjust my schedule. I have another 2' x 3' piece in the kiln, that I need to fuse, and I...

will do .

thank you Don.

I am curious to know if more artists out there fuse large scale artwork??

I would like to get your input and also connect about it.. thanks.

Spectrum said that they do not recommend over 3 firings. I only did 2 on pieces that were issues.

Had another tragic glass day yesterday- please see my post on techniques board.

Okay-we know glass is tricky. I am committed to conquering this issue…. I have had some recent breakages with large glass. After cooling , and all is fine, it breaks. The glass was 2’ x 3’ and 2’ x 4’; flat about ¼” to 3/8” thick. I use System 96, and wonder if anyone has consistent success (I used ...

hmmm.. I am only going up to 1385. But I should give Spectrum a call.

thanks, Bert.

[*]Glass reflects the stress level after it's latest anneal. ? please explain

hotel/motels/food will eat up the rest! .. and time off from work and parenting. sorry to say, it is not in the cards. If I use UPS, it will be $320 for boxing, shipping and insurance. It is going in an over-sized (double) box, which dictates that it go by truck. I believe it still passes through al...