Small nicks on beads

[Lotti]

I have been making big lentils (32mm) and my lovely bead cube is just too small!    I have to move the beads about to get them all in (I reckon I can get about 5 at max in there but even then need to move them about a bit) and today 3 of my lovely beads (made for my commission) have nicks and small scratches in them and I know this is from moving them about (they were the ones I moved - carefully).  Just wondering, if I put them back and did a batch anneal might this get rid of these tiny scratches, they are like little pin scratches?  Anyone else had this problem?  And yes I need a bigger kiln but just can't afford it at the mo, when I sell my first batch then I might treat myself.

[julieHB]

I'm afraid batch annealing them won't get rid of any nicks or scratches, Lotti!

If you haven't yet taken them off the mandrels you can leave them in the kiln while you heat up (slowly), take them out and flame polish until the nicks are gone, and put them back in the kiln.

[turnedlight]

Do you mean they are getting marks from laying on the kiln floor - just wondering where the scratches are coming from? Perhaps you are putting the bead down inside the kiln too soon and picking up impressions from the floor..
You can certainly reheat - I had to yesterday as I had put a bead down on the kiln floor a bit early. Just leave it in until it is at temp for a while, and bring the bead very slowly into the flame high up, gradually working down until you can see you have flame polished and got a gentle glow through the bead. It might be harder on large beads but I have done it a couple of times.

[MadelineBunyan]

how annoying!

how are you loading them in the kiln? do you have a block or rack?

you could try that, or you could try annealing a smidge lower temp. depending where you're at already

I was thinking yesterday...hmmm...my sc2s a bit small...(mum was making beads too) but I can't justify a maxi right now!

[jammie]

Have you a bead rack from kilncare? Works a treat. I can get quite a lot in if I'm careful, still have to jiggle them but it's so much better than trying to pile them up.

[Redhotsal]

You can fix them as Julie has said - flame polishing will remove the dents as long as you haven't yet taken them off the mandrels. The nicks/dents could be coming from beads which have stuck together. The nicks arise from pulling the beads apart. I know that big lentils are an awkward shape for the Beadcube but try to keep an area of the cube free for fresh beads and make sure that nothing touches it for about twenty minutes. After that it should be safe to stack the beads together.

Dont' forget that the beads are going into the kiln at around 800 C so they will be "sticky" but they will harden up once their temperature has dropped to the kiln temp so avoid stacking to begin with but after twenty mins they should be hard enough to stack on top of each other. If they are still sticking then you might want to garage at a lower temperature - 470 C, for example and then raise the temperature to anneal.

[Lotti]

Thanks very much folks for the help.

I do try to leave them before moving them, but maybe not for 20 minutes so will try this, also might try having the garaging temp and bit lower (if I can work out how to change the programe!).  I do have the rack that Kiln Care do for the bead cube and am actually thinking about taking it out as these beads are quite big, but am worried about making sure that they don't pick up anything from the kiln floor.  The ones from yesterday are definately from sticking together, I could feel it as I took them out of the kiln.

So, just to check.  They are still on the mandrels as I had to go out early today and have been out until just now (and of course they are cold  ; if I flame polish them now this might help - the heat won't make them go bang (my brain says not, just like heating up a new rod of glass - but sometimes my brain goes a bit funny!).    Ah, just reread Julie's post, so leave them in the kiln, turn it on and ramp it up - on a batch annealing programe (which is slower I believe) or on a garaging programe?  Sorry to be dim.

Thank you again you wonderful people.

[MadelineBunyan]

yes, heat them up on the slower batch annealing programme, you may find that the mandrels are too hot to hold.

I have a pin vice I can put them in, but what do others do? wet flannel and use to chill the bit of the mandrel you want to hold?


re the rack, have you got a block that came with the kiln? (think it comes with it) if you put this in the middle of the kiln on its side, you should be able to 'hang' big beads beyond it, does that make sense?

[Lotti]

Brilliant, thanks Madeline, will have a go.

[Redhotsal]

Yes, I cool the mandrels with a wet flannel. I like the sound of the water hissing! 

[MadelineBunyan]

yes, tis far more pleasing than the sound of skin sizzling.

[stuwaudby]

Beware using a bead cube: the heating element is wrapped around the cavity wall meaning that the wall temperature will get much hotter than the internal temperature. I usually work from one side to the other until the rack is full then move the oldest beads together to create some space for new ones.

[jammie]

Yep that's what I do too. 

[Lotti]

And me, it's just they are so big that there isn't room for much movement!   On inspection I find it is only one and you probably wouldn't notice it, but I am going to try to 'deal' with it tomorrow, if I can't sort it, it will go into my 'seconds for friends and family' stash.  Just have to fewer each session I guess

[MadelineBunyan]

the first one I made in my unflippable press tried to fall out of the kiln yesterday, got a bit of kiln mark on it, but it was a good one (since when does the first one out of a new press work that well?!lets not talk about the second one...) it was the curved mandrel that got me, wouldn't stay in the rack! anyway, its just been flame polished and put back in the kiln (carefully!), the flannel worked a treat.