cracked glass

[jhuels]

The weather in Ohio has been chilly this weekend. My torch is in the garage. Today I was trying to make a Lauscha Milky Way/amethyst/terra/clear bead. Every one cracked either before I cleaned it or right after. I preheated the glass. Is it the weather - can it effect stability of the glass? Or am I suddenly doing something different? Dang!! Jill

[JavaGirlBT]

I bet it's not the weather. I torch in the garage into December and I live in NH. I bet it's the terra and the lauscha not getting along. Or maybe you just didn't put them in the kiln soon enough - Lauscha likes to go into the kiln a little hotter than effetre.

[jhuels]

Thanks Ellen, it sounds like it's definitely not the weather! I batch anneal, and I've always used Lauscha clear, but I don't think I've always encased the terra. That may be it. I'll try it again without the clear. Jill

[jaylee78]

Lauscha doesn't play nice with alot of other glasses. My guess would be that the lauscha isn't playing nice with the high silver content of the terra. Could be wrong, but I usually try to use lauscha only with lauscha.