batch annealing

[dragonfly designs 56]

question, i need as much space as i can have, can i just put all my bead on skinny mandrels to anneal, or will they stick to the mandrel? no bead release, just putting a bunch on to anneal? how do you do yours. since running kiln, wanna make pieces i have to pop in, trying to only run my kiln occasionally. Oh, and do i wait till its gets up to temp before i put in, or can they ramp up while in there, its been five years, way rusty. cant remember how i did it?

[echeveria]

no bead release = stuck to mandrel

[bastetsbeads]

If you want to batch anneal, I'd keep the beads small (like rounds) and put them in before you turn on the kiln, rather than trying to put a cold bead in a hot kiln (if I am understanding your question correctly).

Why not just lay a bunch of beads in bottom of the kiln on a kiln shelf? I've done that before for people that didn't have a kiln and wanted to batch anneal so I'd add them in to the kiln before I'd start up and do beads.

Annealing temperatures for most 104 glass are well below the softening point, so they shouldn't' stick together, I don't think. The problem lies in putting hot beads in with them that are still just "sticky" enough that they may stick to something else.

[NLC Beads]

I batch annealed beads for Chrisij, she sent them on mandrels that annealed nicely. (ETA: By this I mean that she had cleaned all of them, and lined them up on mandrels, so each one held MANY - her beads are tiny! - beads. It was easier to load in and out of the kiln and took up less space overall.) I made sure they weren't touching each other and they were fine. As long as you're not getting the kiln hot enough to remelt the glass, it's ok.

I batch annealed for years. Put the beads in, then a slow ramp up, then a standard annealing schedule. Don't put them in when the kiln is already hot, they don't always dig that....

Mardi - Yes, I added fiber blanket on top, then torched as well. :) My side door kiln worked fine for this, too.

[bastetsbeads]

I should also say that the times I batch annealed for people, or batch annealed spacer beads for myself, I took the beads off the mandrels first- you can lay a bunch in there that way and still have room to work and lay more complicated things that wouldn't be good to let cool and anneal later. Just place a piece of fiber blanket in there and lay the little beads around it. Lay your new work on top on the blanket. You get a two-fer that way. (I am also assuming top loading kiln but you can figure similar adjustments for a side loader with a bead door.)

[dragonfly designs 56]

I swear I would put a ton of beads on a mandrel and did it, just because it takes less space, and then i can put work in thats hot off the torch, then i have the room, i have a ton of beads to anneal....

[dragonfly designs 56]

crap, when i did it im quite sure i didnt clean them first, what you think?



I batch annealed beads for Chrisij, she sent them on mandrels that annealed nicely. (ETA: By this I mean that she had cleaned all of them, and lined them up on mandrels, so each one held MANY - her beads are tiny! - beads. It was easier to load in and out of the kiln and took up less space overall.) I made sure they weren't touching each other and they were fine. As long as you're not getting the kiln hot enough to remelt the glass, it's ok.

I batch annealed for years. Put the beads in, then a slow ramp up, then a standard annealing schedule. Don't put them in when the kiln is already hot, they don't always dig that....

Mardi - Yes, I added fiber blanket on top, then torched as well. :) My side door kiln worked fine for this, too.

[dragonfly designs 56]

ill just go ahead and clean them first. I would think the bead release on the inside would protect them from sticking more?

[echeveria]

Sorry, I misunderstood the original question! I thought you meant you would make them on the mandrel with no release.

[NLC Beads]

I don't think it matters if they're cleaned before or after. They were sent to me for BoC, so they were cleaned so they could be annealed and go directly there.

I use Fusion, so cleaning is wiping the inside of the bead hole with the mandrel when removing them - it's a one step process. :)

[bastetsbeads]

ill just go ahead and clean them first. I would think the bead release on the inside would protect them from sticking more?

I think everyone answered the question.

It shouldn't matter if you clean them before or after annealing and I think you can use the idea of lining them up on mandrels- just be sure to put them in to a cold kiln, not a hot one. As long as your kiln temp don't start getting up towards the softening point, you should be fine.

[likes to make glass stuff]

You don't need to clean the beads before. I usually didn't when I batch annealed. I didn't want to add any more stress into them before annealing.

[Dale M.]

When batch annealing I usually run a batch of 50 to 100 beads and I clean beads before annealing..... I use old mandrels and some kiln furniture to create layers of beads (a rack) trying to keep a small space between beads (8-10 beads on a mandrel)...

If during batch anneal, if beads are sticking to mandrels you kiln is to hot.... Also if it reach temperature high enough for glass to bond to metal mandrels (rack), temperatures would be so that bead will be a glob of glass on kiln floor before it sticks to mandrel....

As for putting beads in kiln, you want to put beads in cold kiln and ramp up to annealing temperatures over a period of 2 hours or so....Once at annealing temperatures cool down is same as for "garging" beads in hot kiln during bead making process.... Over all process will take 5-6 hours.... Figure on 2 hour ramp up and 30 min at annealing temp and a 3-4 hour cool down....

Dale

[ingetraud]

I just put my cleaned beads all together in a pyrex bowl. When the bowl is full I batch anneal.

[Inky]

When I've taken them elsewhere for annealing I've "threaded" them on to a piece of copper wire to make them easier to load and unload from kiln, also to keep my beads seperate from those belonging to some one else. Have even been able to re use the wire for several batches.

[katz04]

I know this is an old thread but I am new to the kiln-bluebird 20 bead with two doors. I have about 100 beads that I need to anneal.
#1 Do I need to kiln wash my kiln? It has some type of fiber at the bottom-not bricks. I have read through all of the instructions and it looks to me like kiln wash is for brick kilns. What will happen to the fiber is a bead drops on it?
#2 Should I put bead release back onto my mandrels and then put them in the kiln with the beads on or just put them on plain uncoated mandrels.
Thanks everyone
Karen

[2xMI]

You do not need to kiln wash a fiber-lined kiln. And you don't need to put the beads you're annealing back on a mandrel, although nothing is harmed if you do.

If your beads pick up some fiber-fluff, or if your beads stick to the mandrel, your temperature is too high.

Mimi

[2xMI]

Sorry, I didn't completely answer your question. No, you don't need to recoat the mandrels if you put beads on them to batch anneal.

Mimi

[katz04]

Thanks everyone!
I am attemping my first batch as I type!

[Ali Oops]

Hope it goes well Katz04...it's so exciting huh?