My Glass is cracking

[littlemomma]

Hi, I'm new here, and I am fairly new to lamp work.
I have, in the last couple days, found some of my glass rods have 'splintered' in places, usually mid rod, and near end, and some have fractures. (this proves how new to this I am: ) I am A.F.R.A.I.D. of that glass, afraid it will 'blow' on me and take of in who knows what direction. I'm still a bit intimidated by all of this and can't take classes, long story on that one.
I don't understand why the rods are fracturing (right word?) they have been used before, not new ones.
In addition, I ordered some glass, and it came that way, and I'm afraid of THAT glass too, so any advice. Use it, make frit, toss it? Solution? thank you in advance! I'm sure I'll have many more questions if I don't run away in terror of flying glass pieces. (Silver smith, torch happy idiot and afraid of glass..lol)
thanks!!

[jamie lynne]

Devardi? Just a guess.

Now I'll ask the question, what glass is it? Some are just shocky. Wear glasses, keep some water near by, and get used to it. It happens to even the most experienced lampworkers.

[Sheila D.]

What brand of glass are you using?

[Eileen]

Are you saying you have glass that splintered/cracked while you were using it, or that splintered/cracked on the table with no flame near it?
If while using it, you need to heat it slower to minimize the cracking.
If while it's just sitting there with no heat, I'm stumped.

[clh]

Some of my rods have cracked and splintered after use when set on my rod holder. Not many but I recall a day when it seemed they all did. I think it had to do with the way they cooled on the rod rack. Might be the ambient temp in my basement where I work.

I've never received glass in the mail that was cracked though, but I only use effetre (need to branch out for sure!).

welcome to LE, one of the best places I've found to learn about all of this!

Cheryl

[DeevaaS]

It seems like quite a few of my rods are cracking about an inch and a half from the hot end after I have used them and set them in my rod rest. I have always assumed it had to do with a quick chang of temp and contact with the rod rest.

I have started to rest the rod much farther way from the hot glass or on my graphite marver instead. That seems to help. I also try to reheat the rod carefully so I don't lose the piece at the end - heating it slowly and including the cracked area in the heating process. I try to remelt the cracked part along with the tip of the rod. This often works, although I end up with more glass heated up than I might want, depending on the size bead I am trying to make. I also just pick up the part that falls off with the heated end of the rest of the rod and carry on. And I guess I am not afraid of the glass flying. :)

[Three Muses Glass]

Solution? Melt it, you'll get used to it. Or better yet, try aversion therapy. Take a rod or two of anise white and stick it right in the flame (pointed away from you of course). It's like popping popcorn. After a bit of that the other glass will seem OK. lol

Some glass gets splintered on the end depending on how it's cut. Just heat it slowly and pluck off the scum with your tweezers.

[Mountain Snail]

Or better yet, try aversion therapy. Take a rod or two of anise white and stick it right in the flame (pointed away from you of course). It's like popping popcorn. After a bit of that the other glass will seem OK. lol




:lol:

[FosterFire]

You might post a picture so we can be sure what you are looking at, but most glass for any manufacturer can have chips or splinters off the ends. Generally it just means it was hit my something harder than the glass itself. I preheat my rods in the kiln to reduce shocking so that could help you.

Anise: depends on which batch, but yeah..that would do it!

[littlemomma]

wow, thanks for all the great advice! I thought it might have something to do with constant temp change when I was in the basement, but I moved my studio (stole the garage from the man who calls himself 'husband') and it's still doing it.
And YES...Devardi!!! (not all the glass splintering is Devardi) BUT you should see the glass, oh wow, one more time..YOU SHOULD SEE the glass (not yelling at you, them) they sent me. Total c.r.a.p. scared to death to tough it, it looks like they broke it and sent it, and, AND, sent it in a paper towel tube stuffed with newspaper in an ENVELOPE!!!! Whoa.
I emailed emailed emailed, stopped payment, haven't used the glass but requested a return mailing label and nothing. This was my first and last experience with these people. Learned: No phone number, no purchase. Delphi actually HUNTED down glass I was looking for and called me and told me where to buy it. Franz is the same way. Love them both. Customer service is like talking to a best friend, if fact Delphi CSR told me about this site. If they don't know, they find out.
Oh, I'm long winded. : P
Thanks, I think I like it here!! Going out to see if I can send some glass flying across the room, if I open the garage doors, I'll have a glass driveway!!!! (and flat tires.)

[artsyuno]

Be careful about the angle of your rod of glass in the flame. If you let your flame hit a cool part of the rod, it'll shock and crack. Also, after using the rod, try standing the rod up for a short time, hot end up. Heat rises. This will allow the heat to escape off the end instead of shifting down the rod, shocking the cool part of the rod. Rods cracking where they lay on the rod rest is a perfect example of that shock occuring from the hot rod contacting the cool metal. If the crack is fairly close to the end of the rod, you can bang the end of the rod against a hard surface and the part from the crack to the end will likely break off. You've sacrificed a little glass but will avoid it shocking and flying at you when it hits the flame. If it's an opaque glass (where scratches in the glass won't cause visible scum), you could pick that short piece up with the end of the hot rod, once you put that rod back in the flame, and melt it and use it.

[Kalera]

One way to help minimize that thermal crack rods get a half-inch or so from the end when you use them is to get a $10 hot plate (I got mine from Walgreens) and use it as a rod warmer. Put the hot end of your rod back on the hot plate after you use it, and it won't crack.

I love the Gold-N-Hot curling iron heaters, too, but after burning out two of them I decided that cheaper is better. Plus, the hot plate has a temperature control!

[artsyuno]

I use a curling iron heater, but I plug it into a soldering iron rheostat. I find that using the heater at 80% is perfect. It gets the glass plenty hot but not so hot that the glass slumps like it does at full power.

[echeveria]

I got some warming trays from a junk store for 99 cents - the ones that are about 8x14. So far I have found four in five years. They work great.

[jaci]

Wave fast through the flame, unroll you see the orange glow. Then you are good to goo. I mean fast!

[simvet02]

When I get done using a rod, especially the larger clear rods, I hold them, hot end, up. Just while I'm melting in the glass I have just put on the rod. It give it a chance to cool a bit and I have less cracking.

The crack usually form about an inch from the hot end. When that happens I just knock the end on the table and it usually breaks off. It's too dangerous to put it back in the flame.

I read somewhere that when you heat your rod it should be perpendicular to your ear...cold end near your ear...LOL If the glass is going to be shocky it pops at a 90 degree angle to the rod.