Larry wrote this: 'The myth of using vermiculite and crockpot or fiber blanket is fairly prevalent here. It is not something that is widely done in ANY other glass community though.'
This is the opposite of what I have found, having spoken to beadmakers in many countries with a history of lampworking. The focus on annealing in the US is unlike any other place I have visited. In most countries around the world, kiln annealing small glass objects is simply not done. This includes places where kilns are simply not available and places where the skilled glass workers manage to make the pieces in such a way that stress in the glass is reduced while making it. For bead (and marble) makers who are still fairly new, or working experimental, or for specific shapes, larger shapes, etc, I will always recommend the use of a kiln. However, it is not so black and white as we sometimes think it is.
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