aluminum foil and cracked beads

[Kraaloog]

Hi everybody,

Couple of days ago, I tried to make some beads with aluminum foil (the kind most of us use in the kitchen) in them (since I haven't yet ordered silver leaf to use instead) and all beads were cracked when I took them out of the frying pan. The beads themselves were very nice (with the effect of the silvery foil inside I mean). Does anyone have a clue as to what I did wrong? Does aluminum foil behave the same as silver leaf, or is it actually so, that, had I used real silver leaf instead, the beads would have probably been OK?

:confused:

[IF-Designs]

dont use foil...that is so bad. When you super heat aluminum it releases VERY nasty gasses. Your class cracked because aluminum foil is NOT compatible with your glass.
Silver leaf IS compatible and would be ok more than likely but you must have good ventilation or your risk heavy metals poisoning.

Karin
(funny your the first person ive met that spells their name the same lol now arnt WE going to confuse people lol)

[kbinkster]

Frying pan?

[IF-Designs]

I wondered about that to.

[Dale M.]

Possible 'lectric frying pan full of vermiculite for cooling?

Dale

[glass_beads]

I was thinking that it was the old fashioned method of "crackling" glass -- get a bunch of 50-60yr olds together and they all seem to recall having placed marbles in fry pans to get them to crackle without breaking them at some point in their youth. Of course, I have only heard others speak of having done this so I don't even know if it works.

[kbinkster]

Possible 'lectric frying pan full of vermiculite for cooling?

Dale
That was my guess - electric or regular on a hot plate.

[Kraaloog]

Possible 'lectric frying pan full of vermiculite for cooling?

Dale

You got that right, Dale!\\:D/ . I don't have an annealing kiln and someone came up with the idea of using a small electric frying pan to cool the beads, rather than some sort of blanket or something. I do batch anneal in my ceramics kiln, whenever I have enough beads to anneal.

[Kraaloog]

dont use foil...that is so bad. When you super heat aluminum it releases VERY nasty gasses. Your class cracked because aluminum foil is NOT compatible with your glass.
Silver leaf IS compatible and would be ok more than likely but you must have good ventilation or your risk heavy metals poisoning.

Karin
(funny your the first person ive met that spells their name the same lol now arnt WE going to confuse people lol)


Hi Karin,

Thank you for your reply, it's good to know that it wouldn't have worked this way, no matter what I did. I'll order some silver leaf soon....

By the by.....are you of Dutch origin at all? Maybe way,way,way,way back...........:-k