Should I or Shouldn't I!

[Katiequiggle]

Had a bit of a numb brain moment on Sunday.  Had some sheds time in the afternoon and made an assortment of nice beads and then made another 50mm lentil.  I'm really pleasede with it, and popped it in the kiln.  As it was the last thing I was doing and deciding it probably needed more than 2 hours annealing I went off to put the potatos in the oven intending to come back an hour later to put the kiln on its 2 hour anneal and ramp down programme.  But I forgot,  and instead it 3 hours annealing then turned itself off so cooled down alot quicker thank it should have done. 

About 12.30am I took everything out of the kiln and it was fine, or if it wasn't I hadn't noticed but number one son picked it up in the morning and noticed a crack from the mandrel to about a third of the way up but only on one side. 

The question is this.  I really love the bead, and I could just wear it myself which is what I'll do if all else fails but I really need to start selling a few of these 50mms as they use up lot of time and glass.  Should I put it back in the kiln and see if it heals itself, or can I put it back in the kiln from cold until it reaches 520 then introduce it very carefully high up in the flame and repair it, or will it just shatter if I try to do that.   Anyone got any ideas or should I just leave it and make another one to sell and keep this one for myself. 

Any help much appreciated.

[Lush!]

I think you should keep it, Kate!

Unless you change your kiln programme it won't get hot enough to heal the crack, and although I have reheated small beads to make an adjustment, I wouldn't dare do it with something as huge as this - you could be in trouble if it decided to ping when you put it back in the flame 

[Kalorlo]

It won't heal itself in the kiln - you need to get the glass molten again for that. You can try bringing it up to temperature gradually in the kiln then slowly reintroducing to the flame - it works but I haven't done it with anything that big, so be careful!

It's worth a try, I think.

(What kiln have you got, by the way? If your controller is like mine you should be able to have a program that has a long garage section that you skip when you're done with it, then the annealing and ramp down section so that it never skips that part. You can just leave it in the garage section longer and if you forget to come back it'll just stay there for the full six hours or whatever before ramping down properly).

ETA: Heh - I think it depends how brave you're feeling and how upset you'd be if it broke. If you definitely want it to survive, keep it for yourself.

[MadelineBunyan]

oh poo, hate it when that sort of thing happens!

think you should keep it, at least then you get to wear it and show it off (good selling tool!), if it broke going back in the flame then you'd have nothing to show for it. plus that's a big lump of glass to get hit by.

[sarah t]

as an aside ...do you make them in a press kate ?.....i have done a couple recently and have a problem with the press sticking shut.... i think because the heat expands the posts ...i have tried making the post hole bigger but its still doing it ...tis blinkin annoying ...you know its just right and one final press would do it but i end up with a squiffy bead and a panic cus its stuck in there cooling to quick

i guess its out with the file again  

re the reheating ...what they said but if you get it back and its not gone ping you also have to consider that you are more than likely going to alter the design

[Krysia@No98]

I made some vessels for the GBUK competition and put handles on them.  After getting them out the next morning I realised that the handles looked really poo so I did risk it back in the kiln and then the flame.  They were both fine and are now handleless.  So long as you wait until it is up to 510+ it should be fine.  Don't be tempted to pull it out earlier coz then it will explode. (experience talking there)

I guess my question is when you get it melty will it ruin the design on the bead?

Is it worth keeping it and trying to do it again?

[Katiequiggle]

Thanks everyone.  I think I'll keep it as it is.  It's not a particularly complicated tricky bead but has my fave Thai Orchid and Olive green transparent with lots of silvered ivory and lots of silver wire encased in clear and its just lovely, I'm at work and will photograph it later when I get home.


Sarah my press is one of Maria Louisa's and has never stuck.  I do have a job heating the whole thing up in one go using by bob cat as the flame is quite narrow and I only manage to press it once before heating again.  I do have another press that sticks but thats not one of Marias and I can't remember what make it is now.

My kiln is an SC3 and it has a garage time of 5 hours set and then turns off, I usually just stop it and put on my finishing off programme which anneals for 2 hours then ramps down.  One day when someone cleverer than me comes to visit I will get them to re-programme it to ramp down after garaging time.

Thanks Lovelies. x

[sarah t]

thanks kate ...mine is one of marie louises too ....guess i do too much squishing before a final press...i am on a minor so i know how tricky they can be to keep hot ...and as for glass well 

better luck with the next one ..

[Pat from Canvey]

Sarah, if your press is getting hot from many presses, that may be causing it to stick and Katie, I'd just go for it. Put it into a cold kiln, reheat, leave at 510 or 520 for half an hour to make sure the bead is heated through then return to the flame quickly. I've done this with larger sculptural pieces. In fact the ogre I just posted developed a crack at the back of his head because I didn't want to heat too near the punty holding it. I put it back in the kiln, reheated and reworked, made a second horn and put some enamels on then realised I needed a loop to hold it after I'd put it back in the kiln for garaging. Made the small bead instead of a loop took out the ogre, attached the bead and put him back to anneal properly. Hey presto, no cracks.

[Katiequiggle]

I did it and it survived    Decided that I could make another if it did shatter.  Whether I can get it off the mandrel is another thing as the bead release is all gone but assume it is still under the bead ok.  Will try and take it off and photograph it properly tomorrow.