Slump test 1 done!!

 I'm very thankful for my success so far. I seem to have received very good advice to this stage and have had no real problems. I did have some misgivings last night when I compared the slumping schedule that I was using from Spectrum glass, compared to the one in my book from Brenda Griffith. I held fast and went with what I started. My wife and I talked and it was a smaller piece and we could always re-slump it, if needed. Luckily, it was not needed.

So enjoy the pictures, I don't think there is much to add at the moment. My wife is planning to try casting a piece this week, and I will be sure to include information for that as she progresses.

Full Fuse Test... Successful!, On to Slumping

 The results are in! The total firing time for the full fuse for my 6" x 6" piece was 8:15 according to the kiln. It took another 8 and a half hours to get down to approximately room temperature (It actually got down to about 150° and I couldn't take the waiting any longer, so I vented the kiln). I am extremely happy with how this turned out. I really had not done my most terrific job of cutting the glass before testing out the full fuse. Again, impatience. Who me? Couldn't be!

Before I hit the hay last night, I prepared my mold by putting a few coats of kiln wash on it. I let it dry over night so it would be ready, right when I needed it today. The bottom picture is of the plate of glass set in the mold getting ready to fire. It is much smaller than the mold is designed for, but I'm reasonably comfortable that it will work out just fine. I made sure that each side of the plate was the same distance from the top of the mold, to ensure even sides when slumped.

For slumping I am using the following slump schedule:

Segment	Ramp	Temp	Hold
1	150°	300°	15
2	300°	1235°	15
3	AFAP	950°	60
4	150°	800°	10

Here's to crossing my fingers for now!

Full Fuse Test 1

If I were a nail biter, I'd be doing it now. I thought that the kiln had some built in schedules for full fuse, tack etc, but I can't seem to find them in the instructions anywhere. It's probably just as good, all considered that I had to enter in my own firing schedule. This way I know exactly what is happening, if I need to make adjustments later. I used a firing schedule that was provided to me during a get to know your kiln class at my local glass shop, The Glass Place, who in turn got it from Spectrum Glass.

The schedule I am using is firing at a rate of 300° per hour, until it reaches 1150°, it will then hold that temperature for 30 minutes. This is so that the whole glass piece evens out to the same temperature before going higher. Next, it will fire at a rate of 400° per hour until it reaches 1475°, and I will hold it there for 10 minutes. Somewhere around 1465° - 1500° is when a full fuse takes place. I'm told it can be different for different types of glass and how many layers of glass you are dealing with at the moment. After the full fuse hold, I will let it cool down as fast as it can to 950° and it will hold that for 60 minutes. This will allow the glass to anneal. It will then ramp down at a rate of 150° and hour to 800° and hold for 10 minutes. To tell the truth, I'm not absolutely sure why they have this step in there. My guess is that it keeps stress out of the glass by letting it cool down slowly. At that point the kiln will turn off and cool at whatever natural rate it will cool to room temperature. This schedule can be written simply as.

Segment	Ramp	Temp	Hold
1	300°	1150°	30
2	400°	1475°	10
3	AFAP	950°	60
4	150°	800°	10

I will probably be writing all future schedules in this manner.

I was advised to go ahead and try to make some things while I was testing out Full fusing, slump fusing, tack fusing, and contour fusing. I decided to use some of my scrap glass to make a small dish, for this first attempt. I like the glass in the middle section because it has a nice sparkle in it, that really comes out when fired. I had done a large sushi dish in this same color scheme when I was taking my fusing class way back when, so this is being put to a good use. If it turns out, I may gift it to the same people I gave the other piece to, so they have a sauce dish. Who knows, the whole thing may blow up to!

Shimmy Shimmy Shake with a side of electricity

The kiln is now set up in the basement, which is unfortunately a little damp at the moment. It is very important that the kiln be level. I've struggled for a while on exactly how to shim the kiln stand before placing the kiln on it. If I used a regular wood shim it may rot over time or possibly collapse over time with a kiln that is approximately 165lbs.. So today I spent some time at Lowe's looking at outlets for the kiln (more on that in a second) and I got inspired. I could use electrical junction box covers as shims! They only cost about $.59 a piece and they could handle the weight and not rot out. I am extremely happy with myself for this thought.

My kiln takes a 20 amp plug, the same that a lot of clothes washers take. Unfortunately for me my outlet for the dryer is too far away for me to also use for the kiln. The kiln really should have its own breaker. Our plan had been to have it on the same breaker as the washer, but never use them at the same time. I also considered trying to make an extension cord for the outlet, but I was strongly advised against it, and I was uncomfortable with my own idea for that in any case. I am having a certified electrician come over tomorrow and look at it for me. It may only cost around $100 - $120 to do it, and considering the safety factor, it is the right thing to do. So alas, I have to wait even longer to prep the kiln and start experimenting.

Till next time.

Kiln Gloves!

Gloves are pretty damed important when it comes to messing with temperatures upwards of 1800°. There are 3 main types types used by kiln users from what I have read. They are welders gloves, Kevlar gloves and Zetex gloves.

Welders gloves will cover your forearms and protect you from very short exposures to the kiln. They would not be used for raking the glass, or bending bracelets or the like. I'm seeing prices from $4 to about $20 currently from a brief search. Looking high and low I cannot seem to find a consistent heat rating for this type of glove. My educated guess would be about 350°.

Kevlar gloves are good for about 800 °and temporarily up to 1,000°. These seem to be going for anywhere between $30 - $50. From what I'm reading this is the most common type used with the kiln. You can use this type to rake the glass or manipulate it.

Finally, you have Zetex gloves. Zetex comes in two flavors, Zetex and Zetex plus. These gloves are rated anywhere from 1,000° up to 2,000° for temporary exposure. They are made out of a treated fiberglass. Prices are ranging upwards of $80 for these gloves.

Personally, I want to be as safe as possible. 3rd degree burns are not my thing. I've gone for a pair of 14" Zetex plus gloves for $60. The rating from the manufacturer says these should be good up to 1800°. This makes me feel pretty safe and I think it is well worth the extra money. A trip to the ER would certainly cost more. I'm all about avoiding that.

First Mistake, The kiln stand....

Last Night I finally cleaned up enough of the basement to begin putting together the kiln stand. The stand is essential for operating the kiln safely. This stand will keep the kiln approximately 20" off of the ground. The instructions seemed to imply that the stand needed to be weaved together, like you would with a cardboard box that you wanted to close without tape. See picture to the left. I wrote paragon an email asking if this was indeed the case, but they have not replied to me as of yet. Having found the picture on the internet, I'm going to assume that I do need to weave it together, which means taking 2 legs off and weaving correctly and then placing them back. After that I need to make absolutely certain that the shelf is level before putting the kiln on it and having some fun. I'm sure some homemade pictures will be on their way soon.

Update: Paragon emailed back today and confirmed that the kiln stand is to be weaved together.

Kiln is at the house!

Kiln in Crate, a photo by Gryphon and Phoenix on Flickr.

So the kiln made it to my house on Saturday, but I was unable to get it set up for now. I've had a lot of cleaning of the basement that had to be accomplished before we place it. I will post more once that is done. But for now, you can check out my glass projects from my Fused glass class I took a couple years ago. I can only advance from here.. I'm still very excited, if moving a bit slowly.

The Kiln is in Pittsburgh!

The kiln is here... kind of. It is at the glass studio that I am purchasing it from, but I can't make it there until Saturday to pick it up. Why do I have to work a day job again? Someone please remind me...  *Sigh*

There are a couple projects around the house that I must put some time into in order to be ready to do ANYTHING with the kiln.

But, Oh Happy Day! The kiln is almost in my grimy little hands!