Okay, it's nearly here - thanks to PF tracking, I know it'll get here (thanks Q!). I don't know how much I'll get done, but it is my absolute mission to take one bead into hospital with me tomorrow, created, annealed, and turned into something wearable (read: on a leather thong) all by myself......so I might 'batch anneal' a single bead - I know it's a waste of money, but it's kind of a special occasion. The problem is, I don't have a rack or anything (should have ordered one, I know!) - is there any way to secure the mandrel(s), or am I looking at a dash to B&Q, and if I do, can I just buy any metal (I think somebody had a simple hole-punched thing going on, but what metal was it?)
Thus, order seems confirmed....bracelet, kiln, baby ;)
Morning Sabine. This might help. Mary posted this a while ago
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2549.0
Perforated steel, bent to shape, which you can get from B&Q.
Any idea how low the baby is laying now?
Can I jump in? Not sure whether I should reply here or resurrect the thread Billie just pointed to ... so I'll stick me furry slippers in here I think ;D
About this beads-touching-in-the-kiln lark, I've been tying myself up in knots trying to keep all my beads apart, and occasionally ending up with a fresh one sticking to one of the others.
I've got the kiln rack from Q, which works in the same way as the bent holey steel rack in the picture -
Sooooo am I right in now thinking that after a little while in the kiln you can actually move the beads around and put them touching each other, thus keeping one area clear for new sticky beads, which then can be moved to the bead pile a few minutes later, etc etc ??
Similarly, when batch annealing, can all the beads just go straight onto the kiln shelf or bottom of the rack, in a heap, or do they need to be threaded onto mandrels first?
::)
I only know what I do - I have a couple of mm between each bead and make them into kebabs so I can get more in the kiln :)
Hi,
I am a very new expert in batch annealing ( I have done it 4 times!!!!!) and I copied the first picture below I haven't got the cradle thing sorted yet!!
In fact if it hadn't been for this post from Helen P, I would have been standing around scratching my arse for a lot longer!
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=859.0
Have fun!!!
Quote from: Helen P on January 21, 2007, 01:46:39 PM
Hi guys,
This is the the schedule I use for batch annealing my beads in my SC2 kiln.? I cool my beads in vermiculite straight from the flame, then take them off the mandrels when cold (leaving the bead release on), and make bead kebabs on old mandrels cut down to fit in my kiln.? Make sure the beads aren't touching, just in case the glass gets tacky and sticks together whilst annealing.? I place a piece of fibre board on the floor of my kiln to protect it from any mishaps, then I either support the kebabs on kiln shelf posts or use a steel wire mesh cradle to hold the mandrels.? I got the steel mesh from B+Q, and cut and bent it to fit inside my kiln.? There are many other ways of doing this, these are just the ways I've tried.
Anyway, here's the schedule:
PRO1 (or another free slot)
Ramp1 149C
Temp1 520C
Hold1 60mins
Ramp2 78C
Temp2 371C
Hold2 0000mins
Ramp3 0000
It's basically the schedule Lorna (Pixiewillow - thanks again Lorna :)) posted on GH a while ago, with a longer hold at 520C that will anneal beads up to about an inch in size.? If you are wanting to batch anneal larger beads, you will want to add more time to this hold segment to allow the glass stresses to be fully evened out before cooling.
Here are the kebab images - 1. kiln shelf post set up:
(http://www.beadybugs.co.uk/images/KebabstandL.jpg)
2. Wire mesh cradle set up:
(http://www.beadybugs.co.uk/images/MeshmandrelstandL.jpg)
If anyone has any other suggestions or schedules, please feel free to add them.
Cheers! ;D? HP x
Oh, wow, thanks guys - I think I'd seen some of this, but my brain is a bit addled at the moment ::) ::) ::) ::) I've actually got some fire brick thingies for soldering silver on, so I think just for today, I'll try that balancing act - don't really fancy running to B&Q today if I can avoid it.
Billie, it's a mystery - baby's 2/5 down still, which apparently is a perfectly acceptable position to go into labour on, ultrasound on Monday revealed it's lying perfectly in every sense - head down, turned the right way round, facing the right way......it's just too cosy in there. Still getting kicked lots, just nothing to get the party started....I'm still perfectly healthy, but advice is getting confusing ('keep as active as you can to encourage baby to get a move on, go for lots of walks, crawl around on all fours.......but make sure you preserve your energy for labour, make sure you relax lots, and DON'T WORRY!!!!!!!!' - it's like that psych test they did - 'You can think about anything you want, BUT DON'T THINK ABOUT POLAR BEARS - every time you do, press that button' - bleep, bleep, bleeeeeeeep) Soooooo, I'm just getting more and more tired and fed, despite having all the time in the world, I've made two beads since the week-end (and they're c***).........just want it all over now, please (*harumph*).
......Grumble over....the kiln, however, will be distracting me today, then it's time to pack that bag :(
If you are batch annealling from cold you do NOT have to put the beads in in any special way. If you want to scatter them in a pile across the floor of the kiln that is absolutely fine - you don't have to separate them or have a rack. Absolutely not necessary. The annealling of the glass takes place on a molecular level not on a "global" level - these movements are incredibly tiny and independent of the "squashiness" of the bead.
You are going to anneal around the temperature range 500-520 C, right?
At this temperature the beads will be absolutely solid and not all all tacky so the surface of the bead is not going to be affected by touching other glass or the kiln floor.
When you make a glass bead and put it inot a hot kiln there certainly is a danger if beads touch. This is because you are going to be putting in your beads at a much higher temperature than the soak/anneal temperature. The beads will actually cool down at this stage but may be anywhere from 600 - 800 degrees when you put them in the kiln. It is at this stage that they will stick to each other or deform by being placed on the kiln shelf.
Free molecular movement occurs from above a temperature called the strain point (which is around 449 C for Effetre). Below this temperature movement is arrested so any stress that is in the beads is there for good if it hasn't been removed. It is critical that you cool as slowly as possible from the soak temperature to the strain point. After that you can speed up the cooling temp (although I do this at about 400 just to make sure).
Quote from: Redhotsal on November 22, 2007, 09:37:21 AM
If you are batch annealling from cold you do NOT have to put the beads in in any special way. If you want to scatter them in a pile across the floor of the kiln that is absolutely fine - you don't have to separate them or have a rack. Absolutely not necessary. The annealling of the glass takes place on a molecular level not on a "global" level - these movements are incredibly tiny and independent of the "squashiness" of the bead.
You are going to anneal around the temperature range 500-520 C, right?
At this temperature the beads will be absolutely solid and not all all tacky so the surface of the bead is not going to be affected by touching other glass or the kiln floor.
Excellent, thanks Sally.
I'm still translating the next bit .... ::)
:)
Ooooh, Sal, thanks, yes, they're all cold, up to 3 weeks old - so I guess I'll 'scatter them in a pile across the floor' - the cycle I'm planning to use is Q's pre-programmed batch annealing cycle, which I think (from memory) goes up to 520 or 530 degrees centigrade - that's all I'll worry about for today - will get more into the science after the week-end - thanks again!!!! :) :) :)
Quote from: sparrow on November 22, 2007, 09:24:26 AM
Billie, it's a mystery - baby's 2/5 down still, which apparently is a perfectly acceptable position to go into labour on, ultrasound on Monday revealed it's lying perfectly in every sense - head down, turned the right way round, facing the right way......it's just too cosy in there. Still getting kicked lots, just nothing to get the party started....I'm still perfectly healthy, but advice is getting confusing ('keep as active as you can to encourage baby to get a move on, go for lots of walks, crawl around on all fours.......but make sure you preserve your energy for labour, make sure you relax lots, and DON'T WORRY!!!!!!!!' - it's like that psych test they did - 'You can think about anything you want, BUT DON'T THINK ABOUT POLAR BEARS - every time you do, press that button' - bleep, bleep, bleeeeeeeep) Soooooo, I'm just getting more and more tired and fed, despite having all the time in the world, I've made two beads since the week-end (and they're c***).........just want it all over now, please (*harumph*).
Exercise gently and nap alot ;D