WarmGlass.com

If you're just going to let your kiln cool naturally, then it would be a good idea to watch it while it is passing through the critical range (1000-800) to see how fast this happens. Lots of brick kilns that take overnight to cool down to room temperature pass through this range way too fast to avoi...

If you're using commercial globs, then you have no idea if they are compatible with the base glass you are fusing them to. And your temperatures seem very low to be tack fusing. You would be better off making your own globs with a known glass. Cut small squares and take them up to fusing temps and t...

Scrap fusing glass??? There's no such thing!! Truly, I have a bunch of trays (actually just cut off bottoms of cardboard boxes, about 2" deep) on shelves under my table and the pieces get put in there by color - not a tray for each color, but for similar colors or ones that I am apt to use toge...

As far as possible pyrometer malfunction - did the temperature at the fusing point look normal? Say 1480 if the design is fused flat or somewhat lower if there is still some relief (it is a little hard to tell from the picture). Really, you should try another piece. Perhaps you could start your anne...

Sounds like the kind of committees that used to rule the Soviet Union.

I've had Uro 96 irid clear haze before and I was never sure why. I think I decided that that particular sheet wasn't any good. Other sheets have been fine. I've had irid sheets of the "other" glass do weird things too, like pock marks but it seems always to be a particular sheet. Maybe the...

I had nothing but trouble with pocket vases. Lost at least half. And I wasn't using any wire imbedded in them. There could have been some compatibility issues as I was using regular Spectrum stained glass, but the cracking happened with different glasses and I've never had that much trouble with reg...

Well as for spending a ton of money on disasters, count me in. I started fusing 5 years ago, before Brad and this wonderful board, and without any instructors (other than a couple of books). I think I've made every mistake in the book. I keep them handy. When students ask what happens when you "...

I think before I spend a lot of money on new torches, I'm going to try pulling the glass out of the kiln and torching it to see what happens. I don't need to bring the whole piece of glass up high, just melt the surface. I was going to put the glass on fibreboard to make it easier to pull and to for...

I've flattened slumped shapes a few times, more or less successfully. After flattening, I added glass and refused and then reslumped. (Can you tell that something awful had happened on the slump? Like I peeked too long and cracked it?) These were fairly shallow bowl shapes, and the biggest problem w...

Thanks Tony, I kind of thought an extension would be the thing, if I don't want to take the glass out of the kiln. I'm not sure about using a regular torch though, as all the others I've used create a pretty serious reduction and sometimes discolor the glass. I'm just wanting to take the surface of ...

I want to do some flamework on the surface of a piece while it is at fusing temperature. I could remove it from the kiln while I do this, but since I'm a bit of a klutz, I'm afraid of dropping it on the floor. I'm thinking I would like to do it while it is in the kiln. I will be using the Skutt Clam...

According to my fibre supplier, the binders burning off are not toxic although they certainly don't smell nice and there is something there that instinct says "don't inhale this". There may be some particulates left behind because it is an organic substance burning off and there would be s...

I'm a little confused by the replies, and I've made fibre molds, so those who are doing their first are almost certainly going to be confused. Regardless of whether you coat the surface or soak the fibre, you need to dry it. You don't want to dry it too hot because the rigidizer is flammable until t...

Well, I try to balance both. I talk at them for an hour and a half. They only absorb a small portion of what I'm saying, but at least they know that there's more to learn. Then I get them started with what I call "samples". The class immediately gets lively. Really, no one takes this kind ...

I should visit the board more often. This thread took a long time to read. About teacher qualifications: I don't think you have to have x number of years of experience. You do need to know enough to benefit your students. That will depend on the students' level. And being a good teacher is more than...

If the stained glass is Spectrum, then it should slump at 1225 if the mold is a decent size. If it is Kokomo, Wissmach, Armstrong, then you might have to go higher. Some of them devitrify (get scummy on the surface) even at those low temperatures and then they don't slump well. I have found that som...

One hour from full fuse to annealing point sounds like it's holding a lot of heat. I've got brick kilns that cool way faster than that.

In my ceramic kiln I use a full shelf (16") on the bottom, and a smaller shelf (13") on top. This gives me a consistent result on both shelves. If I use both full shelves, the lower shelf is cooler than the top shelf. OK if that is what you want, and I guess every kiln will have its own pe...

Thanks for the tips. I thought I should heat rapidly to help avoid the scum on the surface which seems to get in the way of the flow. You see, I don't have a solid sheet surface on top, but a pile of frit of various sizes. This seems to cause a lot more trouble than a solid piece. I think I'll have ...