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Firing Schedule for a Pocket Vase
Click here for basic
information about making a pocket vase.
It's not uncommon to experience
problems when firing a pocket vase. This is because the fiber
sandwiched inside the vase insulates the glass and prevents it from
firing evenly. Cracking and poor annealing are possible.
The best solution is to ramp up and
cool down more slowly than usual. A good rate of temperature
increase would be around 300F/167C degrees per hour to 1100F/600C.
Soak for 15 minutes to even out the heat, then continue heating to
the full fuse temperature that works in your kiln.
After fusing, anneal the vase by
holding the kiln at your annealing temperature (960F/516C for
Bullseye and Spectrum) for 45 minutes, then take two hours to cool
to below the annealing range (roughly to 750F/400C).
Finish cooling carefully to room
temperature (in most cases you can just let the kiln cool
naturally). Make certain that the finished pocket vase is
completely cool to the touch before removing the fiber paper.
Note that this annealing suggestion is intended
for simple pocket vases with fiber paper sandwiched between two
standard layers of glass. Thicker vases will require a longer
firing schedule.
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Copyright 2006 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
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