Fiber blanket - pros and cons?
 

Hi
I am thinking of going to the fiber blanket as oppsed to the Crock/vermiculite when I dont anneal on the madrel...
I am finding that the vermiculite is breaking off some of my more delicate stuff (like flower petals etc) when stuck in....
would the fibre blanket be good enough?
Also, some beards are hard to take off the mandrel even after a soak - any suggestions?
Thanks
Laura

I used a fiber blanket for years and loved it, never quite got the hang of vermiculite...

Make sure there's a good round of insurance heat applied to the whole bead before tucking it into the fiber blanket, and don't take them out until they're totally cool - no peeking!

Make sure to heat the bead release to a red glow before applying glass, it's easier to remove then. I like Fusion bead release, I soak them in how water for 5-10 minutes and they come off and clean out nicely.

I can't tell you if one is actually better than the other, but unless the petals just aren't attached well enough, they likely aren't breaking off as you push them into the vermiculite. They're breaking due to thermal shock because the vermiculite can't hold an even temperature in the piece, so the petals cool too fast and pop off. Sculptural pieces in general aren't going to do well in either vermiculite or a fiber blanket. They need to go straight into a kiln.

If you're losing too many pieces, you might want to consider doing surface florals rather than sculptural ones, until you get a kiln. :-)

I have done sculptural horse heads with both fiber blanket and vermiculite. I found that I had trouble with bits of the mane breaking off after cooling with both methods. However, mine was due in large part to lack of making a good seal between the base glass and stringer decoration. Once I started applying the stringer to an adequately heated and softened base, then melting it on securely, I stopped having them pop off while using the fiber blanket and the vermiculite. I also found that there are different sizes of vermiculite. I used some that was about the size of a small pea and some that is about the size of #0 frit. I like the smaller stuff, easier to push the beads into.

I prefer using a fiber blanket, but after reading the health concerns I've opted for vermiculite. The fiber blankets have caused mesothelioma in lab rats. This hits close to home because my father passed away from Meso so I'm overly cautious where it is concerned.

Before I garaged I used annealing bubbles, tiny round insulating almost dust-free pellets. I never liked fiber blanket for several reasons, such as, if your bead istoo hot it may get a fiber blanket beard or a fiber blanket texture. While there is some debate over whether the hot crockpot adds more value than say a coffee can, the temperature near the bottom of my crockpot was about 400 degrees and the bubbles held that heat in around the beads. Of course, garaging has been the most liberating option for me, I no longer worry is this bead too cool, too hot, too big, etc.

Yup, that's pretty much MY experience too :lol:.


Save your money. Get a kiln. Beads go from torch to kiln.
No more problems.

The particles are dangerous to breathe in and the blankets do constantly shed them and fall apart with use. I wish I'd gone to using just a kiln sooner but it's a lot of electricity use if you aren't making beads all day. As opposed to vermiculite I'm not sure, I never used it. Vermiculite is also bad to breathe in so it may be the same propblem unless you are keeping it well contained and not stiring it up too much to remove the beads or put them in.

Vermiculite does have a potential health risk. It can contain microscopic asbestos fibers depending upon where it was mined. If asbestos fibers are present, they can become airborne when the vermiculite is poured or stirred up. About 70% of the vermiculite sold in the US was mined in Libby, Montana and contains asbestos. Vermiculite from Libby was used in the majority of vermiculite insulation in the U.S. and was often sold under the brand name Zonolite.

That being said, fibergass particles may have many of the same inhalation risks as asbestos. However, fiberglass particles are often larger and cannot be breated as deeply into the lungs.

Before I got my chillipepper, I used a fiber blanket. I also used a tip I found (here?) on a forum.... I used heavy duty aluminum foil and made a book jacket for the fiber blanket. Yep, just like you used to do for school text books. I used duct tape where needed- and ALWAYS avoid having the beads land anywhere near the tape! lol- ask me how I know that! (The duct tape was on the inside corners of the book jacket.)

Using the aluminum foil does 2 things: 1) helps insulate the fiber blanket, which translates into slower cooling of your beads which will help avoid thermal shock and 2) cuts down on fibers in the air which can cause health concerns.

So, my choice was fiber blanket over crockpot/vermiculite. Just don't forget that cooling slowly does NOT replace an annealing program. Your beads will need to be batch annealed at some point in time. Do not sell/give away unannealed beads. We all get a black eye when folks do that and then the public thinks all artisan made beads will break.

Sue

Um, whoops. :lol:

I'm all kiln'ed up now, but fiber blankets did well for me for years - no tears...

You might want to note that the mine in Libby, Montana was in operation until 1990, at which time it was closed because of the asbestos contamination. When you buy vermiculite, check the packaging and see if the producing company supplies any information regarding the origin of its vermiculite, or if possible, look it up online to see if there are any risks of contamination with the product. It is still a good idea to avoid breathing dust from vermiculite.

I'm used to handling vermiculite, fiber blankets and a powder that I believe is like the annealing bubbles mentioned above from back in my doll making days. All three have hazards that were drilled into our heads by our instructors. The risk with both fiber blankets and the powder was great enough that we were encouraged to wear respirators when working with them. For that reason I still have some packed up in a box with some old doll making stuff in a cabinet gathering dust. I opted not to try lampwork until I could afford a new kiln.

Now if the kiln would just get here...

Lori

I have used a fiber blanket sandwiched between foil and it works well. I also NEVER push my beads into vermiculite. I always twisted them down into it.
Worked better for me.

Lorraine

You can use "perlite" of garden, is much better than vermiculite, retains heat and does not stick to glass beads. If placed in a clay pot, the better!! the white blanket sticks to the glass bead if this is way too hot.

Good Luck,
Ana María

I really want to get the annealing bubbles for bead demos when I travel. I can go home and batch anneal. http://www.artcoinc.com/annealing_bubbles.php


from the website page:

" Can't afford a kiln to anneal your glass? Is it too hot out to fire up the kiln for just a couple of beads? Do you travel and can't take your kiln with you? How can you cool your glass slowly without a kiln?

Annealing Bubbles!

Ok, let's be clear right from the start: no, this product does not 'anneal' your glass. What it does is allow the glass to cool slowly, minimizing the internal stresses. If you are making small, round beads (that you don't plan to sell), this is often enough. If you work with the ultra-soft glass (Satake, Kinari, Easy-Flow), this is often enough. If you want to make your glass now, and batch anneal later, this is often enough.

Like glass, these tiny, hollow micro-spheres are mostly silica. Silica (and glass) is a poor conductor of heat. When you place your hot beads into these bubbles, you create a tiny micro-climate that retains the heat for a long time.

This product replaces the use of vermiculite or fiber blanket. Unlike vermiculite (where you have to act like a kitty and dig a hole into which you can bury your bead), sliding a bead into this material is almost effortless. And, this material does not have the dust or fiber concerns that vermiculite or fiber blanket does.

You can use this material at room temperature, or you can place it in a Crock-Pot®.

We offer this product in two packages: "

Is true, is an excellent product. For me it's the best after the kiln.

Perlite does sound interesting. However, I'm a bit concerned with the ease of burying the hot bead down into the product. The garden Perlite doesn't move with ease, as I remember from working in a garden center some years back. I would be afraid of pushing the bead down into it, and denting the soft glass.

The annealing bubbles are supposed to be 3 times more effective than Vermiculite or fiber blankets, at slowing the cooling process down. Would you say this is true about the Perlite?

I've Never Had Problems with perlite. No sticks to the glass bead and save the heat

It Is Not NECESSARY to bury deep the glass bead, 3 cm enough.

Beat the perlite before introducing the glass beads. This will leave it soft.

Perlite is a natural crystal very abundant on the planet. Containing 5% water in it has the property of expanding when subjected to high temperatures, thus presenting a porous texture and light.

Measured in volume since their weight varies greatly depending on the particle size and moisture content.

It is not toxic.

The biggest problem I have with a blanket is that it mats down. It mats down double-fast when the cat decides to use it as a bed (I've always had it contained inside a plastic bag so she never has direct contact.

Had I known about the foil "book cover" I would have done that a long time ago. Might have discouraged the cat too. Now my big blanket is all matted and yukky. I don't always get to work long enough to justify using the kiln, and I work small (Under 12mm) for my beads so I'm going to try the annealing bubbles then batch as usual. I don't mind batching but it sure screws with my striking glass. I save that for garaging!

I used fibre blanket for years, with minimal breakage, then it got wet and I had to swap to vermiculite. At least a third of my beads broke!
I went back to fibre blanket but this time went for body soluble instead. You WILL breathe in the fibres, you are kidding yourself if you think you won't, but the body soluble stuff won't hang around for the rest of your life, it'll be broken down by your body.
I would prefer to go straight to the kiln but medical issues mean I often can't sit at the torch for longer than it takes to make 3-4 beads so its just not economical for me to switch it on except for garaging.
Oh, and I lay the blanket on an old metal tray and cover it in tinfoil. On really cold days I have been known to warm the blanket with a wheat bag but I doubt that does much good, other than to make me feel better!

Take a mandrel or two and hold in one hand. With the mandrels do a very slow stir of the vermiculite once or twice around the container. I use vermiculite and find that on occasion it gets matted down. One or two times around and it brings it back to being easier to put your beads in.

I am not one who can sit and make nonstop beads so running a kiln all day doesn't work for me. I used fiber blanket for almost 10 years. The noncarsinogenic is a better choice for those of you who decide to use it. The only flaw is that it shreds.

I recently tried the annealing bubbles from ARTCO and love them!!!

Sara

I either need a new chair or a new butt, because the garage cycle on my kiln keeps it nice for 4-hours while I work then slowly starts to ramp down. My butt ramps down after about an hour…LOL.

My annealing bubbles shipped from ARTCO on tuesday afternoon. They should be here any time now. I've heard good things about the bubbles from people who make small to medium-sized beads without a lot of sculptural detail.

Can't wait to try it! I think my blanket is toast.

I just ordered my annealing bubbles from Malcom too. In the tin. Should be here Monday. I am waiting for the tin to arrive before I go out and try to make thousands of spacer type beads. I wonder how long it will last?

I have used vermiculite and fiber in a foil bookcover so it will be fun to see how well they work. I will report back sometime next week. :-D
Lorraine

Annealing bubbles is the "perlite" !!!!!!

Like the other poster said, you "fluff" it prior to using it. Not like all up in the air, but I kept a mandrel in the pot I kept the perlite in and ran it around the container a few times to loosen it up before working.

I can't compare perlite to any other medium used to slow down cooling. I went from perlite to the kiln, after using perlite successfully for several years, then batch annealing. I can tell you I've burned myself on a bead that was in it for an hour on a day I made a lot of stuff.

Libby processed ore until 1992! All current vermiculite sold to homeowners is now tested and labeled asbestos free!

You would have to be using 15 yr old vermiculite, or stuff reclaimed from very old house insulation. This has been well covered in the saftey forum!

Save your fustration an buy an annealer!

My bubbles were delivered yesterday. I went for two bags and no tin, because I probably already have a thousand containers that would work. Haven't used them yet…I'm in the middle of a studio "clean up".