Hot take: My kiln's fast cool-down was ruining my pieces

I kept getting hairline cracks in my work after annealing, which was super annoying. Figured out my kiln was dropping from 950 to 750 degrees way too fast. Now I set it to pause at 900 for like half an hour before slowly cooling down. No more cracked glass, and I save a ton of material, lmao.

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorcarr1mo ago

Pausing at 900 like you did is a big help. For thicker pieces, making that wait time longer can stop cracks inside. Saves you from wasting glass and time.

thead441mo ago

Wait, 900?! That feels crazy high to just stop at. I always thought you had to go way slower way earlier, like down at 500. I ruined a whole batch of paperweights last month because they just broke apart on the cooling rack. So you're saying holding it longer right there is the real trick for something thick, like a big bowl?

reese17727d ago

My last big vase survived because I held it at 900 for a full 30 minutes. That extra soak time lets the heat spread out evenly so the core doesn't pull apart later. I learned the hard way after a few cracked platters, just like your paperweights. Taylor's right, it's all about that long wait for thick stuff.