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Old 2013-03-15, 1:36am
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Lyssa Lyssa is offline
The Harbinger of Cuteness
 
Join Date: Dec 11, 2007
Location: Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County, California
Posts: 1,465
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisi View Post
That's true. Now I'm curious, I need to go on the site and look at this thing again. I could swear it had a little door or a "window". Maybe not? I think they mentioned that you could use a piece of fiber blanket to block the door.
For future generations of lampworkers, here is my story with the Devardi mini annealer, especially in reference to covering the front opening of the Devardi mini annealer.

When I tried out the Devardi mini annealer, I built a structure of firebrick all the way around it, stuck a digital pyrometer in it, covered the front with a piece of firebrick, and annealed several sets of about twenty four beads each (I had MONTHS of beads I'd made that needed annealing), making sure to mix in a bunch of transparents all around inside with each batch so I could look at the sampling of transparents in a polariscope to make sure they were annealed. They were. But I had to sit there watching the digital pyrometer and making adjustments to the temp knob for six hours following a precise, scientifically determined annealing schedule as can be found in [Scott] Bandhu Dunham's books.

The ONLY thing REALLY wrong with the Devardi mini annealer is that Devardi mis-represents it. You HAVE to do everything I did in order to ensure properly annealed beads. If you don't at least look at your transparents in a plariscope, you will never know if it worked, and why go to all that trouble if you won't verify the work was effective? If you are willing to do everything I did every time you want to batch anneal your beads, you can save yourself a hell of a lot of money.

Please note the instructions that I received with the Devardi mini annealer specifically stated that you should NOT cover the opening. I was never one for following directions, even if I did read them multiple times.

After all my test runs I returned it and bought a Short Guy. I love my Glass Hive kiln. I would marry it if it weren't illegal in my state. I named him Harry.
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