Sputty Rods

[Krysia@No98]

Of the back of a conversation on this months colour of the month challenge I thought I'd ask...

What do you do when you get a rod that is hopelessly sputty?  Not how do you get it to stop being sputty, there are some rods that still give grief after being re annealed and kept warm on the top of the kiln before they're used.

So what do you do with them when there is no hope?

(I say this after loosing well over half a prewarmed rod of Lapis in less then a minute this afternoon)

[helbels]

Anneal the rods if your kiln is big enough to pop them in.  That should stop it.

[awrylemming]

Are we talking after you've annealed them?  I generally cut them into small lengths, pick them up with clear and pull them into stringer.  I've only ever had a couple of rods like this, but I did have a lot of devardi and became sadly expert in reusing the bits ..

[Redhotsal]

Some of them will be shocky even if you anneal them because they often have trapped air bubbles inside them. It's often the "softer" rods like ivory that this happens with. You can preheat them but it won't actually help an awful lot.

[Krysia@No98]

The only thing pre heating the rods did today was mean that I couldn't hold it further down the rod and it still sputtered.

You're right Sal, annealing these rods didn't make any difference.

I like the idea of pulling them into stringer.

[Donna@Rockin' Beads]

I plunge the bu**ers. That teaches them 

[MadelineBunyan]

I have been known to pick up all the bits, (carefully!) melt it all together, and pull it into a fat stringer. but then the last one I did this to was clio, dont think I'd bother with cheaper stuff.

the only one I actually gave up on entirely was a rod of fremen which popped off little murrini sized chips.

[awrylemming]

I had a rod of rose filigree like that - actually tried using it as murrini and it fritted then! 

[Steampunkglass]

I plunge the bu**ers. That teaches them 

The last time I had a rod like that the only thing I could do with it was hoover it up as most of it ended up in little bits spat out across  the floor...bench...behind the bookcase...

[Donna@Rockin' Beads]

the only one I actually gave up on entirely was a rod of fremen which popped off little murrini sized chips.

I remember that batch. I was given a replacement but I haven't touched it since as I don't know which is the shocky old and which is the ok new one!!!

Scary stuff!!

[kerensky]

Go in with.....a leather apron, scarf and a prayer, I am liking the idea of stringers though.

[MadelineBunyan]

I put the offending rod in a bag with a load of its bits so I knew which it was, however I now dont know what to do with that, its living in my shorts tin right now.

the other rod I got at the same time was fine though, I pulled myself together the other day and tried it, it was much thicker so I'd been very wary! I think it came in one of those nice selections of CIMS that martin used to do, so I only ever had the two sticks.

[Dragonfire Glass]

He he I have a few little jrs with frit chunks - the latest being a rod of sunset.

[ARBeads]

There's stacks of seeded Lime/Teal/Green out there at the mo, seen quiet a few grumbling on FB about it, including one or 2 on Effetres page telling them to get there act together! I've got at least a 1/2 Kg of the Lime light/mid transparent that all has a bubble pulled the whole length of it. Serious frit on a stick.

Maybe we should start complaining to our suppliers instead of trying to use it, if the manufacturers aren't aware it won't get better?

[Krysia@No98]

.... Effetre has a FB page....  Must get myself on that.

I think that is probably the most constructive thing that we could do