Annealing with Vermiculite

[Fruddy]

Hello all,

I am setting up a studio from scratch and have a budget for all the items that I will need to get going..... apart from a kiln - unfortunately this will have to wait until the new year.

I understand that beads can be "annealed" using vermiculite and a slow cooker.  Could someone tell me how this works?  Do you place the beads in the vermiculite as soon as they come out of the flame?  How long must one leave them in there and do you leave the lid off the slow-cooker?

Sorry for the dense questions, but unless I win the lottery in the next month a kiln is going to be out of my reach for a while - but I very much want to get cracking on making beads..... without THEM cracking hopefully!!!

Thank  you.

[SilverGems89]

The beads dont get annealed in vermiculite, it simply cools them at a slower rate so they hopefully dont break! they still need to be annealed in a kiln if you want to sell/wear them.
To use vermiculite/annealing bubbles and a slow cooker, turn the slow cooker on before you start and let it warm up a bit (i turn mine on full heat and leave about 10/15mins) make your bead, let all the glow go out of it (hold it under the desk to make sure) then pop it in, i leave the slow cooker on until im done, then turn it off and leave it usually til the next day but if im being impatient i check how warm it still is in there by wriggling my fingers right to the bottom, if it feels cold i pull them about (about 4 hours normally)
I leave my lid on the slow cooker though i doubt it would make much difference

[Fruddy]

The beads dont get annealed in vermiculite, it simply cools them at a slower rate so they hopefully dont break! they still need to be annealed in a kiln if you want to sell/wear them.
To use vermiculite/annealing bubbles and a slow cooker, turn the slow cooker on before you start and let it warm up a bit (i turn mine on full heat and leave about 10/15mins) make your bead, let all the glow go out of it (hold it under the desk to make sure) then pop it in, i leave the slow cooker on until im done, then turn it off and leave it usually til the next day but if im being impatient i check how warm it still is in there by wriggling my fingers right to the bottom, if it feels cold i pull them about (about 4 hours normally)
I leave my lid on the slow cooker though i doubt it would make much difference

Thanks very much for the info Gems, that's really helpful!  Sabine has very kindly offered to anneal beads for me, but that's great advice.  Can I just ask though - how do you keep the lid on your cooker if you have mandrels sticking out of the top of it, or do you need the biggest/deepest cooker you can find?

Sorry for the numpty questions, I am trying to fill my brain with as much info as I possibly can!

[SilverGems89]

i only have a 1.5 litre slow cooker, so very small, i just have the mandrels sticking out around the sides with the lid sort of balanced on them! but like i say i dont think it would make much difference if you left it on or took it off!

[Katiequiggle]

Fruddy you don't need the lid on your slow cooker just make sure that the beads are below the surface of the vermiculite. I usually poke mine right down when using it.  

If you havn't got a slow cooker already you can get a really cheap on for about £7 in Asda, I took the china casserole dishy thing out of mine and just put the vermiculite into the metal inner.  

If you havn't already got a slow cooker of course, I personally prefer a fire blanket which I know Tuffnels sell and probably others too.  I've always found that bigger and flatter beads survive more in this that the vermiculite.

This is of course all very well unless you've moved over from a slow cooker to fire blanket and you've got a dinner stewing in the slow cooker and your 8 week old kitten doesn't completely shred your fire blanket to pieces when you're backs turned.

[Fruddy]

Thanks guys!

Another snippet of information to add to my growing collection!!

I am so excited about starting lampworking I can think of nothing else!!

[Lush!]

Have you thought about annealing bubbles?  (they also don't actually anneal, but they are said to be up to 3 times more efficient at slow-cooling your beads than vermiculite)

Manda sells them here http://www.mangobeads.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=27&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

I used to use vermiculite before I got a kiln and for teaching, but now I prefer the annealing bubbles.  I don't have a slow cooker.

[Fruddy]

Thanks, thats great - I will give them a go definitely.

[SilverGems89]

I took the china casserole dishy thing out of mine and just put the vermiculite into the metal inner.  

hmmmm not sure how safe that is! and the ceramic dish should actually help, it would hold heat for longer than the metal outer!

[MangoBeads]

Have you thought about annealing bubbles?  (they also don't actually anneal, but they are said to be up to 3 times more efficient at slow-cooling your beads than vermiculite)

Manda sells them here http://www.mangobeads.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=27&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

I used to use vermiculite before I got a kiln and for teaching, but now I prefer the annealing bubbles.  I don't have a slow cooker.

Thanks Julie 

[SilverGems89]

I have manda's bubbles! swear by them, they are not dusty and i've not had one bead crack in them!

[MangoBeads]

I have manda's bubbles! swear by them, they are not dusty and i've not had one bead crack in them!

xx

[Katiequiggle]

I took the china casserole dishy thing out of mine and just put the vermiculite into the metal inner.  

hmmmm not sure how safe that is! and the ceramic dish should actually help, it would hold heat for longer than the metal outer!

I've found it just makes the vermiculite that bit hotter, it doesn't come into any contact with an element or anything and is quite safe, (or at least its not done anything untoward in the last few years to me)

[Fruddy]

Have you thought about annealing bubbles?  (they also don't actually anneal, but they are said to be up to 3 times more efficient at slow-cooling your beads than vermiculite)

Manda sells them here http://www.mangobeads.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=27&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

I used to use vermiculite before I got a kiln and for teaching, but now I prefer the annealing bubbles.  I don't have a slow cooker.

Thanks for this - really helpful!  I have just been on Manda's website and have bought a bag of annealing bubbles!!!  How do you use them?  Is it the same principle as vermiculite - can you use them in conjunction with a slow cooker, or does it not matter?   

I am hoping to be able to get a kiln by christmas, but obviously need to manage until then. 

Thanks very much for all the help.

[MangoBeads]

Use just as with vermiculite no need for a slow cooker as they will cool so much more slowly as they are kept better insulated !
Thanks Fruddie will post on tuesday!