So EXCITED!

[wendyo]

Hi, I am new here. From Ct. Started lampworking about one year ago after 2 lessons. I use a hothead and a Chile Pepper Kiln. To skip ahead......was creating and selling bracelets wholesale to 4 retail boutiques and doing well. Then my beads began cracking at an alarming rate. First I believed it was because winter had arrived and the basement was colder. I added a heater. Then I was advised (in the chat here) that my technique for torch annealing basically sucked and I tried to changed that. Then I was told that my glass was incompatable because I had gotten it from Sundance so I ordered an entire case from a new supplier......same problem...cracking up the middle 9 out of ten beads.I watched tutorials, I took another lesson, I sat in the chat room and listened to advice from condescending experts who would cyber 'wink wink' to each other about my obvious ineptitude. But I never gave up. This is my DREAM......When I adopted my daughter from China, my inspiration was a glass mermaid I saw hanging in a lampwork shop in Newport Rhode Island that started me on the road to becoming a new Mom and a glass maker. SOOOOOOOOOO......suddenly one nigt after laying awake going over and over what had changed around the time the beads began cracking, I realized that at some point about 6 months prior I had received a set of about 36 mandrels. I don't know the size off the top of my head but they seem about average. So I thought about how the only beads that weren't cracking were the ones on the older thinner mandrels I used.
So the end of this ordeal is I threw out all my mandrels and bought 48 of the thinnnest kind I think they are 1/16th......correct me if I'm wrong....I use a nice thin layer of blue coat...and NO cracks or BREAKS......the only problem I am still having is w/ moretti alabaster.
But OMG I'm back in business.....so excited,

I think next time I have a problem I'll tread lightly on the chats.

[Abacus Beads]

Wendyo
Alabaster is very hard to work, I gave up on it a long time ago. It seems to burn about 90% of the time and when theres so much other glass and great colors to work with I just never went back to it. I think my original purchase of alabaster must be about 7 years old by now and it still sits there in it's spot taking up space.
Liz R
P.S Show us some of your work, we would love to see it

[jeepinwelch]

I sat in the chat room and listened to advice from condescending experts who would cyber 'wink wink' to each other about my obvious ineptitude.

I've been there too and it is no fun when people automatically assume your cracking problems are due to lack of skill. Even when you state that the problem just popped up and you are not doing anything differently than you did for the last few years.
Yes we are flame annealing. No we are not gazing lovingly at it for minutes before it goes in the kiln. Yes we are using the appropriate annealing schedule. No we aren't mixing Bullseye and Vetrofond. I understand these are all common mistakes but it would be nice if the person offering advice actually read the entire question and didn't just assume the person asking is an inexperienced lampworker.
I ended up doing like you did and went through any changes, however small, that happened before the cracking began. It's amazing how the smallest thing can ruin huge amounts of work.

[cricket]

Hi Wendyyo...
I'm new here too, I started flameworking about a year ago after 1 class and I LOVE it!! Thanks for sharing what solved your problem, I'll keep that in mind if I start having a cracking issue.