Help! is this a reasonable fusing programme ?

[kathsd]

Hi,
I have some time on my hands and am about to try some fusing, I was wondering if anyone can advise if this programme below is suitable as it is already programmed into the kiln, to my inexperienced eye it looks ok but I wanted to ask beforeI committed my 'masterpiece' to it!
I am looking for a fuse that leaves the pieces on top still raised if you understand what I mean, as in not a smooth finish.

RA1   250
1 degree c to 675
HOLD 1 45 mins

RA2    full
2 degrees c to 750
HOLD 2 15 mins

RA3    full
3 degrees c to 499
HOLD 3 59 mins

RA4    205
4 degrees c to 94
HOLD 4 0

thanks in advance
kathsd

[Zeldazog]

More information needed - getting the schedule right is about the size of the piece, and the type of glass you're using, as well as the program you use. 

RATE 4 looks too fast to me for any glass, I ramp down from the 500 range to the 370 range at around 80 degrees per hour, sometimes slower if it's a thicker/larger piece or it's had one or two firings previously, then faster after that (natural rate of kiln is normally okay - depending on kiln of course!)


All kilns vary too, with design and over time, so even if you do go with the schedule, you would be best to do a test firing first on a small piece of the same glass you'd like to use.

Better to waste one firings worth of electricity than the cost of the glass to make your piece.

[flame n fuse]

Hello
I looked at  http://www.bullseyeglass.com/images/stories/bullseye/PDF/TechNotes/TechNote_4_2012.pdf . I think you've hit more or less the right programme for tack fusing, though it depends quite a lot on how big your piece is. I do wonder whether your ramp 4 is a bit quick though, you might want to slow that down to 80 degrees to 371 and then just hold it and let it cool naturally to about 100 and then open the door a chink to do the last cooling (though that does depend on how cold your workshop is (!). I might also change ramp 3 to be full degrees to 482 (instead of 499). I've only fused Bullseye and don't know about other glasses eg Spectrum.
Hope this helps!
Julia

[kathsd]

thanks for replies so far,
it's a top loading paragon fusion kiln (not sure which model beyond that), the piece is in bullseye 90COE, and is 2 x 1.6mm thick, with additional mosaic squares on top and is approx 20x15cm. it also has some copper foil inclusions if that makes any difference to the firing.
so change section 4 to slower 80 and to 370 degrees , then be patient (what?!) and allow to cool naturally.
I think I will also just do a test piece as suggested I should have enough bits left over.
ta very much I'll let you know if it works, fingers crossed.

[Nicknack]

As far as the patience bit goes, I usually start my kiln up in the afternoon, then I can be there to oversee (if needs be) when it reaches the highest temp in the evening, just to make sure everything's doing what I want it to do, then I can leave it to do the cooling down segments overnight, and it's ready to take out and gloat over in the morning!  If you're asleep you're not tempted to open the kiln too early.

Nick

[Zeldazog]

so change section 4 to slower 80 and to 370 degrees , then be patient (what?!) and allow to cool naturally.

I'd expect a Fusion to have a fairly slow natural cool down rate anyway - On my kilns, after the anneal cool down (that's rate 4 on your program) I've always had a further segment to ramp down at 100 dph to 50, but in actual fact, both kilns cool down at around 60dph in this zone (the old one was a Hot Start Pro, I'd expect similar with the Fusion)

So, you can either switch off at 370 and let it cool down naturally, or you can add a further segment to your program.

If you're going to do a test firing, be worth checking how quickly it cools down at that point to see if you need to even bother programming the final cool down in.

[kathsd]

thanks again , I'd had just decided it might be a good plan to oversee first firing in case of any problems, so I'll have to set it off a bit later on (rather than now, as dogs as the dogs need a walk first!), and then monitor the cooling as you suggest, it's all very exciting this,

[flame n fuse]

depending on the look that you are wanting to achieve, you might want to fuse the 2 sheets together in one fusing,  and then tack fuse the mosaic squares on top in a subsequent fusing. Also, if you are using inclusions, you need to think about their layout and whether they will trap air. I often run transparent stringer from the inclusion to the edge of the glass to keep an air escape route open, otherwise the edges often fuse shut before the air has escaped.