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Thanks, Toni & Ronny...

I will defintely add the extra step at 1500 to prevent craters.

Meanwhile..
Q: Can I refire to smooth the small craters?

If so, would I full fuse with top cratered surface UP or,
flip and fire with top DOWN at 1500? Or, what?

Beamax wrote:Thanks, Tony & Ronny...

I will defintely add the extra step at 1500 to prevent craters.

Meanwhile..
Q: Can I refire to smooth the small craters?

If so, would I full fuse with top cratered surface UP or,
flip and fire with top DOWN at 1500? Or, what?

I would full fuse with the top cratered surface UP...the more liquidus surface will always be the unrestrained open air side. Also, the cratered side down will most likely turn those craters into trapped air pockets.(Did I beat Toni to the punch this time? )

Ron, you did get in here first.

Thank you for the explanation about the reaction of the upper and lower surfaces of the glass.
That info goes into my "important things to know" file, foot noted with your name.

Bea

Footnoted with my name! Well now, ya hear that, Toni!? Are you ?
One other thing, Bea. You might want to look at the glass to determine if it's done "healing". Although it's hard to tell what's going on with that intense, strange light, especially with those green glasses (You are looking like this , not like this , right?), I've found that small surface defects, such as small bubbles and holes, manifest themselves as a darker shade of orange, so the brighter surface appears to have darker pock marks. When the surface is a tranquil, even shade, it's probably done.

Hey there Ronny............If you get a melt that you love and it has a few pin holes (not craters) get all your grinding, cutting, shaping, whatever and just add a sheet of clear over it and refire to full fuse. It will give the melt a nice deep feel and a clear smooth surface.
If you have craters just fill in with clear frit and refire to full fuse and hold 20 min or so. Should do the trick.

Laurie Spray

http://bonnydoonfusedglassart.blogspot.com/

Lynne Chappell wrote:I would be curious to know if holding at 1500 on the way down closed up the bubbles. Never would have thought of that but it might work. Not sure if 1500 is the right temperature, how much is float and how much Youghigheny? Where would you full fuse that mixture - you want to be on the high end of a full fuse.

Well Lynne, I went back and reread your original post and, sure enough, you stated you were using float; I just assumed you were using 90 or 96...I really have no experience with float, nor do I know how that tin-side thingy would affect a pot melt, but I would think yes, maybe a soak at 1550 for that; Bert or Rosanna will know better. But that brings up an interesting question I've been meaning to ask: why do people use float? Is it the lesser cost? It would seem like a much more challenging glass to work with/melt, etc. As I said, my only experience with it is as a very flat surface for hand grinding with grit...

RonnyR wrote:

Beamax wrote:Thanks, Tony & Ronny...

I will defintely add the extra step at 1500 to prevent craters.

Meanwhile..
Q: Can I refire to smooth the small craters?

If so, would I full fuse with top cratered surface UP or,
flip and fire with top DOWN at 1500? Or, what?

I would full fuse with the top cratered surface UP...the more liquidus surface will always be the unrestrained open air side. Also, the cratered side down will most likely turn those craters into trapped air pockets.(Did I beat Toni to the punch this time? )

Actually, as long as you fire at full fuse temps with that side up, you will continue to get bubbles rising to that surface, both the air you trapped and the air trapped inside every sheet of art glass. One of the reasons so many of us old-timers occassionally flip and fire is that then we send the air backwards in the piece towards the bottom surface.

Another thing to consider is that when you boil up to get rid of bubbles, you get a lot of distortion of your colors and will probably see where the bubble was, even if it has completely healed.

Barbara, I agree on the flip and fire technique to recede bubbles, but will the shelf side heal her craters, or create more problems with trapped air in them? My thinking was that the 1500 degrees (or whatever float would be) would allow a liquid surface, but would not reduce the viscosity to the extent that reboiling at 1700 would do, and yes, continue to bring up more bubbles. Is this 1500 degree temperature hold not pretty much "standard procedure" on pot melts on the way down to begin with, for just that purpose?

I'm wondering if the problem might be using float in a high temp. melt. Does anybody else have any experience doing this, cause I think pretty much the advice given so far works with the 90/96 stuff... Do you use float exclusively? Sorry about those "Horns..."