Firing schedule for a noob?

[kokeshikitten]

I have a minor burner and an 02 concentrator. And a chili pepper kiln (ceramic fiber innards). I want to get some boro clear, a few frits, and mess around making some small beads. How high do you go in your kiln while annealing boro? I also have a fusing kiln...would it shock the beads horribly to take them off the mandrel and do a batch annealing in that kiln? Does anyone here feel like posting a firing schedule for smallish boro beads? (1 inch in diameter or thereabouts.) Thanks a bunch!

[LePatron]

Keep the kiln at 1050(f) while you work. When you are done, ramp it up to 1150(f) for 30 minutes, then back down to 1050(f) for 30 minutes, and then off for the night. After its below 500-600(f) its safe to remove items from but why not go pro and let it wait till room temp. :) :) Good luck hope this helps!

[kokeshikitten]

Thanks! how about taking them off the mendrels and firing them that way? will that be a good or bad idea?

[Bunyip]

Keep the kiln at 1050(f) while you work. When you are done, ramp it up to 1150(f) for 30 minutes, then back down to 1050(f) for 30 minutes, and then off for the night. After its below 500-600(f) its safe to remove items from but why not go pro and let it wait till room temp. :) :) Good luck hope this helps!

The above schedule is probably for a firebrick kiln. If you have a fiber kiln, ramp it down don't just turn it off - fiber kilns cool too quickly. To be honest, though I would not use that schedule no matter what kind of kiln I had. It might be suitable for hollow work with thin walls, but for pieces with any kind of mass I would be extremely leery.

Read this:
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3567295&postcount=9

use the search function:
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/search.php?searchid=7174261

[LarryC]

Keep the kiln at 1050(f) while you work. When you are done, ramp it up to 1150(f) for 30 minutes, then back down to 1050(f) for 30 minutes, and then off for the night. After its below 500-600(f) its safe to remove items from but why not go pro and let it wait till room temp. :) :) Good luck hope this helps!

Annealing temp I use is 1050 but I only ramp to 1150 if I am trying to Kiln strike a color. In other words, if you like the colors you see on the mandrel do not ramp up to kiln strike because they will change. If I am using ANY aventurine (sparkly) colors I garage them at 950 until I am done for the day and am ready to anneal.

[nevadaglass]

Ditto what Larry said....



Annealing temp I use is 1050 but I only ramp to 1150 if I am trying to Kiln strike a color. In other words, if you like the colors you see on the mandrel do not ramp up to kiln strike. If I am using ANY aventurine (sparkly) colors I garage them at 950 until I am done for the day and am ready to anneal.

[kokeshikitten]

So, Bunyip, reading the first link you posted, this is what I got from it:
Anneal at 1050, ramp down to or below 960 at a rate of 15 degrees per 15 minutes. Am I understanding this right? At which point would you shut it off? My chili pepper does cool down kind of fast, and I will wait longer to get my beads out if it is safer. How long would you anneal at 1050 for small, solid beads? (My kiln does have a programmable controller.)
Thanks for your expertise and patience...

[Alaska]

If you ask 10 boro folks you will get 10 annealing schedules. Most work out just fine. Some take longer and may use more power. But all in all they work.

The higher temperature as stated above is for kiln striking. Have used 1175 for boro just for that purpose. For a kiln made of IFB this is the schedule that works for my small bead applications up to 25 mm.

1) Ramp up to 1050 F
2) Soak at 1050 for 30 minutes
3) Ramp down to 910 in 40 minutes
4) Once at 910 turn off kiln.

The IFB kiln will cool down to about 120 F in 12 hours.

For a good read on annealing see chapter 8 in "Contemporary Lampworking" 3rd edition by Bandhu Dunham.

[Bunyip]

So, Bunyip, reading the first link you posted, this is what I got from it:
Anneal at 1050, ramp down to or below 960 at a rate of 15 degrees per 15 minutes. Am I understanding this right? At which point would you shut it off?

Personally I'd leave the beads on the mandrels and put them in the kiln still warm (but not glowing) from the torch. That said, 99% of my boro work is off mandrel, so your mileage may vary there.

What you choose to do once you have annealed your work and gotten it below the strain point (960) is up to you. My personal preference is to ramp slowly down to 910 "just in case", and then ramp more rapidly down to about 300 before actually shutting off. Now here's the complicated bit: Below the strain point (960 or so - allow some slop due to kiln temperature variations), you don't have to worry about "trapping" any stress in your work. However, if you cool them too fast, they can still crack from simple thermal shock. So what you do below the strain point is based on your own risk tolerance. I have a fiber kiln also (paragon bluebird), so I err on the side of caution.

So for now, my suggestion is that you put together some sort of program based on the information you have gotten here, but keep learning about annealing. Use the search function here for starters (the link I posted is a good start) Contemporary Lampwork is a great resource which every lampworker should consider purchasing as there is a wealth of knowledge There are lots of other free resources available as well. Read up, and modify your annealing schedules as you learn.

One more thing: My boro cycles have a "kiln strike" segment as well. I have a garaging segment followed by the striking segment. I find that it's easier just to skip it if I don't want the kiln strike, rather than switching programs.