Keeping Parts Warm

mattreidy · #1 2022-10-25, 12:36pm

I'm only about a month into lampworking and I'm slowly gaining knowledge and skill. I have a nice torch (Nortel Major/Minor) and a small kiln (Jen-Ken Chili Pepper) for annealing. So far, I'm using soft glass (104 COE) and making small objects.

Question: When making objects with that require multiple pieces to be joined together, how do people keep a part warm while making other parts? Should I just put them in my kiln or is there another option where they're a bit easier to access when needed? I watch videos of the pros demonstrating in Corning and elsewhere and never really see how they manage this aspect of the art...

rcktscientist · #2 2022-10-25, 1:23pm

The term most use is to "garage". As in, "I'll garage this part while I make the other part, then join them together"
Yes, a kiln is one of the best ways to garage parts. Some people actually use the top of the kiln to keep pieces warm but I'd recommend inside the kiln for COE104.
Also, some people adjust their workflow and simply keep the first piece warm by flashing after adding parts directly, always keeping the temp above the strain point (about 850F for soft glass).

mattreidy · #3 2022-10-25, 2:53pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcktscientist

The term most use is to "garage". As in, "I'll garage this part while I make the other part, then join them together"
Yes, a kiln is one of the best ways to garage parts. Some people actually use the top of the kiln to keep pieces warm but I'd recommend inside the kiln for COE104.
Also, some people adjust their workflow and simply keep the first piece warm by flashing after adding parts directly, always keeping the temp above the strain point (about 850F for soft glass).

I've moved my kiln closer to my torch so I can move pieces in/out now so I'll give the garaging method a try. Thanks!

ESC · #4 2022-10-25, 3:29pm

In the past I used a glass top buffet warmer, but rcktscientist is right. If you can keep the parts warm in the kiln, they're going to be much less likely to shatter when reintroduced to the flame.

rainygrrl · #5 2022-10-31, 6:37pm

Agree that a kiln is best but for convenience when working with small parts, a hot plate can work. For example, if I’m building a complex floral murrini I would heat petal pieces (about 1 inch long by 4 or 5 mm in diameter) on my hot plate. You have to be careful hen introducing to the flame, of course.