Comments on: Casting into the doldrums http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2008/glasswork/castingpate-de-verre/casting-into-the-doldrums/ My life, my sculpture...and other things Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:44:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cynthia Morgan http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2008/glasswork/castingpate-de-verre/casting-into-the-doldrums/comment-page-1/#comment-255 Cynthia Morgan Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:19:15 +0000 http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2008/02/21/casting-into-the-doldrums/#comment-255 Austin, I've learned the only thing you can do is walk away. Just walk away. No, walk away! That kiln is D-E-A-D dead until the little readout has said "OFF" for at least a couple of hours. I stay out of the kilnroom except for temperature monitoring, and once it hits the downcycle I pretty much stay away. Only way I can keep myself from peeking. If you can separate the pieces, Hxtal might be a good choice to glue it back together, or if the crack is exposed to the surface you can use an old lapidary trick and let a thin, slow-setting glue like Hxtal seep into the crack and fill it. Since it dries pretty close to optically clear it can sometimes make the crack vanish. Other option, though, is to reinvest the cracked piece--assuming you otherwise like it--and refire. Just make sure you get it really, really clean before you invest, and alter your schedule to account for a solid (and probably thermal-stressed) piece of glass. Austin, I’ve learned the only thing you can do is walk away. Just walk away. No, walk away! That kiln is D-E-A-D dead until the little readout has said “OFF” for at least a couple of hours. I stay out of the kilnroom except for temperature monitoring, and once it hits the downcycle I pretty much stay away. Only way I can keep myself from peeking.

If you can separate the pieces, Hxtal might be a good choice to glue it back together, or if the crack is exposed to the surface you can use an old lapidary trick and let a thin, slow-setting glue like Hxtal seep into the crack and fill it. Since it dries pretty close to optically clear it can sometimes make the crack vanish.

Other option, though, is to reinvest the cracked piece–assuming you otherwise like it–and refire. Just make sure you get it really, really clean before you invest, and alter your schedule to account for a solid (and probably thermal-stressed) piece of glass.

]]> By: Austin http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2008/glasswork/castingpate-de-verre/casting-into-the-doldrums/comment-page-1/#comment-254 Austin Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:02:51 +0000 http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2008/02/21/casting-into-the-doldrums/#comment-254 I'm having the same problem with my glass. I spend almost two weeks working on a casting before I throw it into the kiln. The last run of the kiln lasted about ten days. I was so anxious to see the finished project that I started to break away the plaster silica mold while the glass was still warm! Clink! A crack where the glass was exposed to air. I need to learn to be more patient, especially after waiting a month for a piece to be 'finished.' I use bullseye casting glass with stringer inclusions. Do you know of a way to fix cracked glass? Hextal maybe? Austin I’m having the same problem with my glass. I spend almost two weeks working on a casting before I throw it into the kiln. The last run of the kiln lasted about ten days. I was so anxious to see the finished project that I started to break away the plaster silica mold while the glass was still warm! Clink! A crack where the glass was exposed to air. I need to learn to be more patient, especially after waiting a month for a piece to be ‘finished.’ I use bullseye casting glass with stringer inclusions. Do you know of a way to fix cracked glass? Hextal maybe?
Austin

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