Questions About Bottle Slumping

[rpastore]

I am new to this and just bought a new Paragon Fusion 16 glass firing kiln. I did one firing so far with yough glass and learned a few things. I was amazed at the total time the firing took am am wondering about my electric bill.

Next, I want to have a wine bottle slump firing. I don't have molds so will be slumping on a kiln shelf. There are many schedules on the web and I will have just to pick one and keep an eye on the kiln. With that being said, I have some questions which I have had a difficult time finding answers to or have found multiple answers so I would appreciate it if anyone can share her or his experiences with any of these questions.

1. Do different colored bottles slump at different rates or does it vary with manufacturer or both? I want to fire a blue and green wine bottle, a Godiva Chocolate brown bottle and a Corona bottle in one firing.

2. How do I retain the shape of the bottle neck during firing if possible?

3. How close can I put the bottles together without them melting into each other? I would like to maximize space.

4. I used 20 gauge copper wiring for my first firing to hold wind chimes and it doesn't seem strong enough. What type of wire and gauge do you recommend to hold wine bottles?

Also, any suggested firing schedules would be appreciated.

[Stephen Richard]

I am new to this and just bought a new Paragon Fusion 16 glass firing kiln. I did one firing so far with yough glass and learned a few things. I was amazed at the total time the firing took am am wondering about my electric bill.

Next, I want to have a wine bottle slump firing. I don't have molds so will be slumping on a kiln shelf. There are many schedules on the web and I will have just to pick one and keep an eye on the kiln. With that being said, I have some questions which I have had a difficult time finding answers to or have found multiple answers so I would appreciate it if anyone can share her or his experiences with any of these questions.

1. Do different colored bottles slump at different rates or does it vary with manufacturer or both? I want to fire a blue and green wine bottle, a Godiva Chocolate brown bottle and a Corona bottle in one firing.
Yes, darker colours of glass absorb heat more quickly than clear, but at the temperatures you are using it won't matter.

2. How do I retain the shape of the bottle neck during firing if possible?
If you mean an open shape, fill it with fibre paper.

3. How close can I put the bottles together without them melting into each other? I would like to maximize space.
Use a little maths (pi * r * 2) to determine the circumference. Divide that by 2 and you get the approximate width of the finished bottle. Then leave some more space between so they don't touch. Remember to add two bits of fibre paper at the base of the bottle to keep it from rolling while in the kiln, even after you have found the heavy-ist part by setting the bottle on a level surface and letting it roll to stability. Mark the top so you can place it in the kiln appropriately.

4. I used 20 gauge copper wiring for my first firing to hold wind chimes and it doesn't seem strong enough. What type of wire and gauge do you recommend to hold wine bottles?
Copper weakens in the firing, so I use kantal wire, sometimes called high temperature wire or nickel chromimum wire. 1mm wire will be strong enough.

Also, any suggested firing schedules would be appreciated.

There are a series of tips on bottle slumping starting here [http://glasstips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07 ... mping.html] in July and August which cover the more general aspects of your questions.

[Judd]

If you look in the Archives on this site you'll see every answer to all your questions. Good luck.

[Rick Wilton]

As to your power bill, it costs less to operate than your clothes dryer. Your clothes dryer has the elements on 100% of the time for an hour. Your kiln has the elements on for 5-10% of the time for 6-8 hours.

I just moved my studio out of my house, we ran three kilns all day every day for a month (one kiln 24" x 60" one kiln 24" x 24" and a ceramics kiln). The next month my power bill dropped by less than $100.00. We are firing float glass and running two sometimes three loads through them a day, so a hundred firings + for less than a dollar each. Your kiln will costs even less to fire, people here have come up with all kinds of formulas to figure out firing costs but It makes zero sense (to me) compared to what I pay at 10 cents kWh. My total power bill per month for my entire house with 4 people, three computers and a few big tvs and the kilns was around $250, it's now $150.

[Rick Wilton]

as was pointed out to me that dryers do have a thermostat in them and don't run 100%, They do however just keep blowing that hot air outside, while your kiln keeps all that energy inside.