Help with my kiln!!

[ShawnLynn]

I wanted to ask a ? . I just started using my kiln and im finding that when i put beads in there that have bumpy dots on them they seem to break in two and the dots fall off!! What am i doing wrong??
Im keeping my kiln at 950-1000 F . its not digital and i have a hard time getting it to stay at 950-960. Im really new at this and im not sure how to do much, could anyone guide me??



Thanks~~ Lynn

[MikeAurelius]

Could be a couple of things.

First - you may be letting your beads cool down too much before you put them in the kiln. This causes heat shock and they will usually crack right down the mandrel and split in half.

Next, if your dots are falling off, it may be that they are not properly melted in and only cold sealed. If they are under cut, meaning that there is more dot above the attachment point than at the attachement point, you need to melt them in further.

Typically, only about half the dot (above the attachment point) should be showing - the dot should come down to the bead at a 90 degree angle and fuse into the bead.

It takes a fine touch to maintain the temperature with an infinite control. Mark your dial as needed, and only make small changes and let it sit at least 10 to 15 minutes to balance out the heat before making any other changes.

The temperature will drop after you put a bead in, this is normal and you should not try to compensate for this with the temperature control. Let the control do the work.

[ShawnLynn]

thanks alot Mike, that whole answer makes alot of sense!!


Lynn