I fired a plate on Thinfire paper. There is one large bubble on one side. It didn't pop but it's fairly large - it looks like it might be between the layers.
Question - if I full fuse fire again, is it possible I could get rid of the bubble?
Refire to eliminate bubble?
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
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Jerry
Bubble
Well, it's not easy, but what have you got to loose?
If the bubble is really in between the pieces you can fire up to about 1500 to 1550 and it WILL pop. What it leaves behind may not be too pretty. Another option would be to pop it yourself either cold or hot. Cold means crunching it down, putting more glass in the hole and firing. Hot means letting it get to around 1450 or more and going in with a rake, popping the bubble and dragging some of the surrounding glass into the hole. Neither is a real good answer.
Sometimes if you fire back to full fuse, these bubbles take care of themselves so that would be another option. You didn't say what kind of design you had so I don't know if it's something that any of these options would work with.
Bubbles drive you nuts and there's never an easy answer as to how to deal with them after the fact. When I do a combing or, sometimes a pot melt I'll get bubbles as part of the process. Usually if I soak around 1600 they go away. And if they leave little craters I can get rid of them in my second firing when I add a rim, but those designs are quite random and that thought process may not work if you have a symetrical pattern.
So, say a bit more and maybe someone wise will respond.
Good luck,
Jerry
If the bubble is really in between the pieces you can fire up to about 1500 to 1550 and it WILL pop. What it leaves behind may not be too pretty. Another option would be to pop it yourself either cold or hot. Cold means crunching it down, putting more glass in the hole and firing. Hot means letting it get to around 1450 or more and going in with a rake, popping the bubble and dragging some of the surrounding glass into the hole. Neither is a real good answer.
Sometimes if you fire back to full fuse, these bubbles take care of themselves so that would be another option. You didn't say what kind of design you had so I don't know if it's something that any of these options would work with.
Bubbles drive you nuts and there's never an easy answer as to how to deal with them after the fact. When I do a combing or, sometimes a pot melt I'll get bubbles as part of the process. Usually if I soak around 1600 they go away. And if they leave little craters I can get rid of them in my second firing when I add a rim, but those designs are quite random and that thought process may not work if you have a symetrical pattern.
So, say a bit more and maybe someone wise will respond.
Good luck,
Jerry
Jerry, your use the the term "crater' made me smile, and also think back to one of my first attempts at getting rid of bubbles. I was fusing a square sheet of BE white, and for some odd reason it got about 5 bubbles in it. I said "oh, I'll just take it up to about 1600 and they'll pop. Well, they did, and now one of the first "art" objects on my shelf is entitled "self made swiss cheese." 
Chip
Micah 6.8
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Jerry
Art Bubbles
Chip,
Congrats; sounds like a great name. Some time back I had a grapefruit size bubble show up using the older Spectrum 96. It was just off center. My wife grabbed it, put flowers around it and we hung it in the showroom. Two weeks later, it sold at $65! There's no accounting for taste, or lack of.
Jerry
Congrats; sounds like a great name. Some time back I had a grapefruit size bubble show up using the older Spectrum 96. It was just off center. My wife grabbed it, put flowers around it and we hung it in the showroom. Two weeks later, it sold at $65! There's no accounting for taste, or lack of.
Jerry