Flame annealing? fibre blankets?

[BeachesnBoots]

Hi everyone. I am new to lampwork and am currently working on a HotHead. I've made some pretty good looking beads (okay IMO lol) but am confused about the whole "annealing" process.

I've read that if I turn my bead very very high in the flame, really just in the heat until it turns to color and then allow it to cool completely in a fibre blanket, that this is sufficient "annealing" but then I have read that your beads MUST be kilned.

I've read some put beads in the kiln while still HOT and allow them to cool and others wait and so a batch of "cold beads" that heat up and then cool down over an 8-12 hour period.

Can someone PLEASE explain to me these different methods and as a beginner, is the fibre blanket sufficient if I want to make an item and sell it?

[pam]

Hi, Cooling the bead in the flame is called flame cooling the bead. Flame annealing is a misnomer started quite a few years back. It isn't annealing. Annealing is placing a bead in a kiln at the annealing temperature. Holding it until the bead is the same temperature on the inside as it is on the outside and then the controlled cooling of the bead. You have to cool the bead very slowly in the first hour or two at a controlled rate until it is below 800. After that the bead can still experience thermal shock so some beadmakers continue the controlled cooling down to four or 500 degrees, or even to room temperature.

There are two ways to anneal your beads. The safest way is to put the bead directly into the kiln when you finish making it. The other way is to cool all your beads and then batch anneal, which is slowly bringing all the beads back up to annealing temperature and then progressing through the controlled annealing process.

As a beginner it is perfectly okay to just cool your beads in a fiber blanket, however you shouldn't sell them to anyone as they may crack from stress at any time.

Good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of glass beadmaking!!

[Otter's Flame]

Hi everyone. I am new to lampwork and am currently working on a HotHead. I've made some pretty good looking beads (okay IMO lol) but am confused about the whole "annealing" process.

I've read that if I turn my bead very very high in the flame, really just in the heat until it turns to color and then allow it to cool completely in a fibre blanket, that this is sufficient "annealing" but then I have read that your beads MUST be kilned.

I've read some put beads in the kiln while still HOT and allow them to cool and others wait and so a batch of "cold beads" that heat up and then cool down over an 8-12 hour period.

Can someone PLEASE explain to me these different methods and as a beginner, is the fibre blanket sufficient if I want to make an item and sell it?

The last time I answered this question I got flamed by a newbie so I swore I would not get into this conversation again. However I can't help myself, if someone asks for advice...... I'm full of it ;)

As Pam said "flame annealing" is really a misleading term. Bringing your bead back up to an even temperature all around in the flame before putting it in your kiln helps to prevent cracked beads, it is NOT annealing them.

If you are going to give away, sell or use your beads, they MUST be annealed in a kiln. During the bead making process the glass develops a large amount of thermal stress. In order to relieve that stress, the bead must be heated to a specific temperature and held or "soaked' at this temperature for a specific amount of time. The glass then must be cooled in a very slow and controlled manner until it gets well below the strain point for that particular glass. It is virtually impossible to do this with a flame and a fiber blanket.

Most people I know work while the kiln is hot, at annealing temperature, make a bead, put it into the kiln while the bead is hot, {garage the bead} and then they will repeat the process. After they are done making beads, they will allow the kiln to hold the annealing temperature for a specific amount of time after the last bead is made. The kiln will then be "ramped down" at a slow and controlled manner below the glass's strain point. Then the kiln will be allowed to cool to room temperature. This ensures all the beads, including the last one are annealed.

"Batch annealing" is as you described: taking a batch of beads you have made and cooled down, slowly heating them in the kiln until they reach annealing temperature. Hold them at that temperature for a given amount of time and then slowly "ramp down" the temperature as described before.

It is convenient to "garage" your beads as you make them because your beads will be annealed and ready within several hours. Some people also seem to have more beads crack from cooling them in a fiber blanket and then batch annealing them.

........and as a beginner, is the fibre blanket sufficient if I want to make an item and sell it?

I will just once again reiterate and ask you PLEASE, do not do this. PLEASE kiln anneal all your beads for sale. You could injure a customer with a bead that is not properly annealed and then cracks. Sometimes the cracked pieces are as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel. Also, in my humble opinion.... and my opinion is worth less then what you payed for it..... if you sell beads that are not properly annealed you can potentially dissuade people from buying glass beads if they have had bad experiences with beads that crack after they purchased them.

Otter

[Dale M.]

I have nothing to add, but want to say that everything Pam and Otter has said is correct and very important to make beads the are safe and that will last for ages....

Dale

[BeachesnBoots]

Thanks so much! Luckily I have a friend that will kiln anneal my beads for me and also found a local glass store that charges a monthly fee but only kilns one day a week but that's still workable for me until I can make that kind of expenditure!