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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #1  
Old 2012-12-06, 1:35pm
Angie09 Angie09 is offline
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Default HELP please ... my hearts are cracking

I have been making hundreds of hearts in the last year or so and am now having a problem. They are cracking vertically from the small end (hard to see in the photo so I put a red circle around the area). I use 96coe with 96 frit and 104 with 104 frit. I have garaged at 940 (up from 920) and more than half of the heart I am making are cracking. I have been very careful to give them lots of heat and the last thing before going in the kiln is to heat the smaller end. What the heck else can I do to stop this??? Help please!!!!

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  #2  
Old 2012-12-06, 1:38pm
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Are you using any new glass?
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  #3  
Old 2012-12-06, 1:43pm
Angie09 Angie09 is offline
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No, I usually just use clear (Effetre or Uroboros) but today I used several transparent colors in both COEs and lots of cracks.
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  #4  
Old 2012-12-06, 1:53pm
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Three Muses Glass Three Muses Glass is offline
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Using blue sludge by any chance?
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...ht=blue+sludge
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  #5  
Old 2012-12-06, 2:20pm
Angie09 Angie09 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Muses Glass View Post
No, I use Fusion.
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  #6  
Old 2012-12-06, 3:20pm
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It's really hard to tell from the photo but it looks like the thickness of your glass at the small end is very minimal. I would apply a little more glass there.
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  #7  
Old 2012-12-06, 3:41pm
Angie09 Angie09 is offline
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Yes, it does thin out which is why I went from 3/32 mandrels to 5/64 in hopes that would help...but unfortunately almost all of the 15 I did today are cracked.
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  #8  
Old 2012-12-06, 4:09pm
Angie09 Angie09 is offline
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Would using Bullseye as a base with 96 frit add any additional strength and maybe not crack? Any thoughts?
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  #9  
Old 2012-12-06, 4:32pm
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I would think that the thinner the mandrel the better with the thin glass (the "glass should be at least as thick as the mandrel" rule), but maybe just working to keep a bit more glass on that end would help?
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  #10  
Old 2012-12-06, 5:05pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryBeth View Post
It's really hard to tell from the photo but it looks like the thickness of your glass at the small end is very minimal. I would apply a little more glass there.
I agree with MaryBeth. I think you need more glass on the skinny end.
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  #11  
Old 2012-12-06, 6:18pm
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You also need to be insurance heat on the whole thing - not just the thin end. EVEN heat is very important.
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  #12  
Old 2012-12-06, 6:43pm
uncle louie uncle louie is offline
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try making the bootom rounder so it comes out a little thicker that's how i make mine and so far no cracks here and i use foster fire and alice's 50/50
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  #13  
Old 2012-12-06, 6:51pm
Angie09 Angie09 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uncle louie View Post
try making the bootom rounder so it comes out a little thicker that's how i make mine and so far no cracks here and i use foster fire and alice's 50/50
Doesn't a "round bottom" on a heart look a little strange?
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  #14  
Old 2012-12-06, 6:59pm
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Many of the beads here have a rounded edge on the bottom.
http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234556
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  #15  
Old 2012-12-06, 7:02pm
uncle louie uncle louie is offline
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not totally round just not thinning out all the way like the one on the picture.just provide a small thin round at the bottom.i do mine like that and have'nt had any issues with cracking yet.
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  #16  
Old 2012-12-06, 8:31pm
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See the floral hearts in post #15 in the heart thread. Plus, by the time the buyer adds findings, the heart ends up being a little more "pointy". It looks fine, but yeah, it does look like you need more glass there.
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Last edited by truegem; 2012-12-06 at 8:33pm.
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  #17  
Old 2012-12-06, 9:47pm
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Thanks Patti, the hearts in post #15 are mine & I was going to say something about the ends cracking because they were probably too thin...

There are a lot of findings that will make the ends more pointy... Real hearts aren't pointy..

Bad picture of a so so bead..

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  #18  
Old 2012-12-07, 4:41am
Angie09 Angie09 is offline
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OK ... sounds like I have to add more glass at the pointy end. I'll give it a try ... you all are so helpful!!! Thanks to each and every one of you!!
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  #19  
Old 2012-12-07, 9:20am
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Looks like you have gotten some good advice. I'd only say just add more glass (like others have said) and have it be enough that you have a small dimple. That way even if findings are not used, there will be no sharp edges.
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  #20  
Old 2012-12-07, 10:56am
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If this is something that has just started happening, I would go back
to your OLD glass, make a few hearts and see if that solves the
problems. If there is no cracking, then you know it's the glass.
It might be an incompatibility because of COEs or viscosity.
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  #21  
Old 2012-12-07, 1:20pm
uncle louie uncle louie is offline
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totally possible but i gotta tell you i have bought 104 glass from 5 different suppliers and i dont keep track of them i just sort them by colors and so far no cracking!

Last edited by uncle louie; 2012-12-07 at 5:56pm.
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  #22  
Old 2012-12-07, 1:57pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Angie09 View Post
Would using Bullseye as a base with 96 frit add any additional strength and maybe not crack? Any thoughts?
No, because you say you're using 96 with 96 and 104 with 104... Bullseye is 90, so mixing 90 with 96 is going in the wrong direction in terms of reducing cracking.
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  #23  
Old 2012-12-10, 8:10am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Angie09 View Post
Doesn't a "round bottom" on a heart look a little strange?
You can still have a pointed bottom or rather tapered bottom and have enough glass at the same time. You may have to marver a bit bit it can be done. Just remember to compensate on your length to width ratio, to deceive the eye I make hundreds of hearts. Oh and if you really want the cute down to almost nothing heart consider changing the direction of the hole to a horizontal, see my evil heart not that yours have to be evil! Lol
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