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| Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2023-03-16, 1:52pm
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Mar 16, 2023
Posts: 2
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Flame annealing
Hello,
I am a hobbyist at best. I make marbles by mashing COE 104 together and that is it. The largest I make is 1 1/4"
I want to buy a hot head torch. Flame anneal the marbles by getting it bright red and then cooling it in the flame until dull red. Then put it in a crock pot with dried vermiculite on high for an hour then cool in the crock pot.
Any guesses about the likelihood of success? I know there is a lot of stress in my marbles as I mash all sorts of colors together.
Normally I would just try it and then drop the marbles on concrete. Thing is I need to make 20 marbles for my daughters wedding and only have 5 days to make them when I get back to the USA from the UK
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2023-03-16, 3:18pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 02, 2010
Posts: 3,148
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Number 1. making a 1 1/4" marble on a Hot Head is going to take forever. Number 2. making anything over 1/2" or so and expecting it survive after cooling in a crockpot is a crapshoot. Technically, you can cool them in the crockpot of vermiculite, but that is not annealing and their long term survival is questionable.
Does anyone near you rent bench space with access to a Minor or similar and a kiln to anneal those marbles? That's what I would be looking into. Good luck!
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ESC
Soft glass on a Minor/concentrator since 1996
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2023-03-18, 2:19am
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Mar 16, 2023
Posts: 2
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Thank you!
Thank you that is just what I was looking for. I will buy a kiln.
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2023-03-18, 8:36am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 02, 2010
Posts: 3,148
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You're welcome and good luck!
__________________
ESC
Soft glass on a Minor/concentrator since 1996
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2023-03-18, 9:30pm
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Slogan Challenged...
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Join Date: Mar 21, 2009
Location: Maricopa, Arizona
Posts: 6,038
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agree with all that, no such thing as flame annealing when you want them to last. It's a mis-named term for evening out the heat, sometimes folks get touchy even hearing that word but everything has its place.
A kiln is the best thing. Good luck! and Congratulations  Post some pics in the gallery if you like.
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2023-04-03, 6:30pm
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dances with ideas...
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Join Date: Sep 15, 2005
Location: Rochester, MN
Posts: 2,350
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Kiln is a great decision! In some cases, probably rare, a piece that has not been properly annealed can break years later.
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Roberta
”If it makes you happy, then it’s a good thing.” ~ Terryd
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2023-04-04, 9:46am
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Member
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Join Date: Jun 19, 2021
Location: los angeles
Posts: 92
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Alternative kiln idea:
Buy a Plug & Play PID ramp controller box for a 120v kiln ~$250
+ buy a ceramic thermal stove (for hot combs) ~$50
+ buy 1 sq. ft ceramic fiber blanket ~$20
$320 plus some time cutting the fiber blanket to create a 'door' and a little more time reading the manual and programming, then you can properly anneal marbles to your hearts content. That little oven probably holds at least 10 marbles. Perfect investment/cost/complexity for a hobbyist. Just be safe and smart with high temps and airborne blanket fibers.
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Bobcat on 15lpm and Phantom on HVLP
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