How Long Does It Take To Crack
 

Question. How long does it take beads to crack if they are going to crack? I noticed on occasion a bead will make it out of the kiln okay to later crack. Not sure if I got it too cold or if the combinations were incompatible.

It can take minutes, or months, unfortunately. I have had beads that I thought were fine crack after weeks. I bought some back in the day from Austin Hamilton on ebay, just to check them out. They cracked after a few months - just one of the many problems they had.

That is a lovely bead. Sorry it cracked.

Have to second Kathy on this subject.

It might be possible to salvage that one by preheating in your kiln and warming it slowly in the back of the flame for a long time to get it up to melting temp.

You will want to put it on a mandrel with barely enough bead release before hand while it is cold of course.

It's gorgeous work.

Another choice would be to just hang it with some sort of cap on either end and wear it yourself knowing that it could break some day.

Agree with Kathy and Phill about the timing. That is a gorgeous bead!!

It's hard to say when they'll crack, if they are going to, because it depends on why. I do find heat related cracks show up almost immediately. Compatibility cracks can happen quickly, or take a really long time (guess it depends on how incompatible they are).

I am guessing something is incompatible because my second bead cracked too. It took a few days out of the kiln. Sad :(

I'm going to guess that is 96 frit under the clear? Could be why.

What's your glass combo?

Good call! I have never successfully encased 96 frit with 104 clear.

Aye, you have to keep the frit content down to less than 5% I think.

Oh and not to heavily concentrated on any one spot.

There have also been issues with some of the older clear glass just not wanting to play well.

I think ASK clear was a problem even with itself some half dozen years ago.