Pandora and Maxine?

Sarah · January 18, 2009, 04:25:00 PM

I'm having a bit of a nightmare with pandora in my new shiny pink kiln. Its proving very hit & miss to get the beautiful purples and greens - the colours come out in the kiln but, on some beads only, they fade to creamy green during the annealing cycle.

I'm convinced its my kiln cycle - which worked perfectly for the SC2 - is anyone getting good results from Pandora in their Maxi and Maxine and willing to share their cycle please?

It will help preserve what little of my sanity I have left

Thanks

Sarah

Redhotsal · January 18, 2009, 04:35:33 PM

ME TOO!!!
I've blinking well got an order too for Pandora beads!
The first lot I got I left at the left hand side of the kiln and I got the weirdest salmon pink colour. So I re-did another set as I thought it was a fluke and I got Pandora Green Beige. I reanealled these and they didn't change and the THIRD lot I did I used a very thin layer of Pandora (which seems to work usually) and put them at the right hand side of the kiln and removed the lower shelf.
These came out a bit better - i.e. ONE of them is the deepest most gorgeous purple but the others were very pale and greeny cream too.
I'm convinced it's all down to kiln temp and yet I got lovely results every time with my Bluebird. I think all kilns must vary in terms of what the temperature actually IS compared to what the controller says the temp is so I'm going to take the third set and soak them at around 490 degrees for a few hours in my big kiln and see if anything happens. Then, if that doesn't work I'm going to soak them at 540. Then, if that doesn't work I'm going to soak myself in red wine..........
Keep in touch - we need to crack this dilemna

Sarah · January 18, 2009, 04:53:52 PM

Thanks Sal - I'm convinced its kiln temp too. I'm soaking at 510 and then giving an hour on 520 which worked well in my SC2.

I find the beads with the deepest purples come from the far right hand side of the kiln in the bottom corner. I notice that the controller shows a bigger temp drop on this side than on the left hand side when you open the bead door. So I'd assumed that this is where the thermostat sensor is. Not sure how relevant that is 'though as I think that the element is in the roof.

The further left the beads are the creamier they come out - and like you I get the salmon pink from long annealing. Some of the posts in the Pandora thread on LE recommend soaking at 1000F so I was going to try going up to 540 next - let me know how you get on.

I had to be forcibly prevented from putting the rest of my pandora stash in the recycling box this afternoon.....

Sarah
xxx

Margram · January 18, 2009, 04:57:25 PM

That's annoying, isn't it? Have you tried using potters' cones to test
the temp in different parts of the kilns?

Marg x

Redhotsal · January 18, 2009, 05:31:40 PM

thought about it but seems too much of a faff. We just need to hit on the right temp. will fiddle some more until we solve it. It's a bother as I have a "live" order, but oh well......

Sarah · January 18, 2009, 06:11:02 PM

I agree Sal - 'though my gadget loving other half has recommended an infra red thermometer

That sounds like fun!

I have just taken out a small batch with exactly the same issues - the bottom right is definitely the place to be. I'm about to re-fire some of them at 530 and will let you know how I get on. Unless I get to the red wine soaking stage first.....

Sarah
xxx

Sulis (Hazel) · January 18, 2009, 06:13:26 PM

I'd be interested to find out too ladies, as I was thinking about getting hold of some Pandora, but not going to bother if it turns out rubbish like a lot of my other attempts at silver glasses.

Has anyone PMd Lee for tips yet?

TiaraHelen · January 18, 2009, 06:54:20 PM

Sarah,
Oh dear, and now I've got your kiln that worked so well. If you can bear to batch anneal you're more than welcome to bring your beads over and do them in your old kiln.

Redhotsal · January 18, 2009, 07:54:41 PM

Not sure Collette would agree - she has just bought my Bluebird which would probably produce the most glorious Pandora beads if it wasn't busy blowing all the fuses in her house!

It's another factor in the old what-works-for-one-person-doesn't-work-for-another regime. There was a post on here recently concerning Pandora and how difficult it was to get the purple colours. I just didn't get it at all - every time I did Pandora it always came out gloriously purple and wonderful. as soon as I change the kiln I just get green-beige. Hmmmm....frustrating but I reckon we can solve it. Or, there'll be a batch of oddly coloured beads lying in an unmarked grave in Hinckley in a few days time!

Lush! · January 18, 2009, 09:32:50 PM

I think that post was mine Sal!

I've now run out of Pandora and don't plan to buy any more. I had success - and disaster - right in the middle of my Maxi.

silverlemon · January 19, 2009, 01:14:03 AM

Ahhhh, I may be able to shed light on your Pandora problems.

When I got my Maxine I spent a very geeky 3 or 4 hours getting Rick to check how it ran, you know, does it have hot spots, is one side hotter than the other.

I was supposed to send my results to Lee and haven't got around to it yet, but I know exactly how mine runs. We checked the temperature using a thermocouple attached to a meter. I have a little diagram somewhere with the results and an annealing schedule to cope with our findings.
Now....where did I put the beer mat with the diagram on?

silverlemon · January 19, 2009, 01:16:31 AM

Quote from: Sarah on January 18, 2009, 06:11:02 PM
I have just taken out a small batch with exactly the same issues - the bottom right is definitely the place to be.

Sarah
xxx

Bottom right is the coolest spot, centre is the hottest, and bottom left is about 20 degC (I think or maybe it was 15degC) hotter than the bottom right, if I remember correctly.
At least I should say this is how my kiln runs.

bluefairy · January 19, 2009, 08:06:44 AM

Quote from: silverlemon on January 19, 2009, 01:14:03 AM
Now....where did I put the beer mat with the diagram on?

Ah, glad to see someone else as articulate about their paperwork/record keeping as I am

Ian Pearson · January 19, 2009, 09:08:56 AM

Hmmm, although I just anneal for strain relief and not colour the temp of ovens is interesting. Mine is 20 years old and top back is hottest. Logically if one belives hot air rises. I have annealed soft glass at very fornt of oven and Boro at back top, all at same temperature and with stress free results. Only way to get uniform temp is with an internal fan and some ovens have this but they tend to be larg ones and one need sto be careful with vibrations set up with elements and fan. I still remember how much fun it was to put a delicate coiled glass item in oven and to hear it shatter as temp rose and fan sped up!

Ian

Redhotsal · January 19, 2009, 09:45:46 AM

Heh!

Well the result are in from Leicestershire:
Held the beads (ones that had been made earlier) at a few hours at 480 going on the basis that the bottom right is indeed cooler than anywhere else and yet that's where the best results were to be found.
No change.
Then ramped the beads up to 540 to try and gee 'em up a bit and held there for a few hours.
No change either.

I've got a feeling that it's really hard to strike Pandora again once it's been struck and encased.

It would imply that you need to make the beads and strike at a lower temperature rather than a higher temperature? Nearer 500 perhaps - so that the bottom right hand corner gets even cooler? This is the theory but whether it works in practice I dunno!

B()($&(*£" Pandora.....