cracks!
 

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this little mystery...

I made four or five sets the other day - one set cracked. I rarely get cracks like that - maybe once a year if that. Here's a picture:



It's mint on one side, caramel on the other, with Aurora Trails stringer and silver creek frit, encased. The majority of what is touching the mandrel is the mint. I use caramel all the time, no problem. The mint is my guess - I don't use it a lot. When I pulled them from the kiln still warm, the cracks were only on the mint side. Now the cracks are all the way across but it appeared that it started on the mint side. Is this one of those colors that doesn't like to touch the mandrel? Or did I just toss too many colors together? It isn't the clear, because I used it on other stuff with no problems. Any ideas?

It's the mint susan, I have some and it's really touchy. you might get it to work better if you either mix it with clear (pita) or lay clear down first, but it's not that great a color, I'd just do what I did with mine. It's sitting there in my shop, forgotten and unused. Also, the mint and carmel have different viscosity, the carmel is a lot softer than the mint.
The mint I have even shocks in the flame sometimes like soft glass.
Hey I have a new tool/toy to try when I get back, it's a mandrel from Arrow Springs
that has tungsten welded to the end of it, you don't need bead release, and you only
need one mandrel because you slide off the beads and start again. I'll let you
know how it goes. lol Going to have to find some Utube demo's before I try it.
Hopefully,... a mandrel I can't melt.

Just be careful Mary K ... tungsten doesn't melt but it does fume and I seem to recall reading somewhere the fume is really bad for you ... make sure your ventilation is going full bore.

Susan ... pity the beads cracked. Note to self ... skip getting mint and stick with Greener Trails ... minty look and no shocky or cracky!!!

It's the mint. Put a small pot of clear down first. It should solve the issue.

Thanks so much!! I'll try the clear next time.

I've heard about those mandrels, Mary. The though of just sliding the beads off is so appealing! Wow, think of how many beads I could fit in my kiln if I wasn't using mandrels!!! I'm sitting back waiting for people to try these and share their opinions. The fume part is a bit intimidating. I wonder if the boro heat would be too much.

I'm pretty sure that Beau said that Boro heat was too high :-( (at his presentation at the Gathering).--Gail

Dang it! That is such a bummer.

Sorry about the cracked beads! I've gotten to where I don't put any color directly on the mandrel, always a layer of clear first. It's just too damned sad when beads crack :sad:

On a happier note, the Citrus Smash beads in your Etsy shop are gorgeous!

Looks like it's a base of clear for me from now on too. I agree, it's just not worth the heartbreak.

Thanks for the compliment! That was Exotic Citrus Grapefruit mixed with white, with Amazon Bronze frit/powder (can't remember which), encased with Simax.

Oh gosh, boro heat is too much for this mandrel? I should have known. Well I have myself a new tool anyway, there are still lots of things I can do with it as a poker, it is pointed. Thanks for alerting me to the fuming aspect of it. I didn't think about that, yikes!

Have you tried that tungsten mandrel yet??? :biggrin: