reheating a marble

J.Meader · #1 2011-01-04, 6:21pm

ok so last night I made a marble that measures 1.75" which is the biggest one I have attempted (I got a Lynx for xmas and wanted to try and push it

) Unfortunatly I ran out of time toward the end and rushed it. I missed one little dimple right on the lense

. So my question is this, most of the time when I want to rework something I just put it in the kiln, turn it on and let it ramp up, Is this ok with an object this size or should I set it up to ramp up a little slower?

By the way mad props to you guys that make marbles that large all the time, that sucker was getting heavy

Ashmo · #2 2011-01-04, 6:33pm

Ramp it up slower. I usually ramp it up over a couple hours., never had an issue. I then let it soak once it has reached the temp before I work it.
You should have no problem,
good luck!!

J.Meader · #3 2011-01-04, 7:22pm

ok Thanks Ashlea

Cornbread · #4 2011-01-04, 10:04pm

can't say i've ever tried something that big. but i'd say better safe than sorry. my vote is slow ramp...maybe 500/hr or so

J.Meader · #5 2011-01-04, 10:43pm

Thanks Justin that sounds like a good rate..

here is the marble in question lol

Mr. Smiley · #6 2011-01-05, 5:09am

Depending on how deep the divet, you can some times position the piece in the kiln so that you don't have to take it out... you'll also need to have enough hose to reach the kiln with your torch... In kiln repairs or touch ups are super easy... just bring it up to temp, open the door and torch that spot... if the piece needs to be rotated while you work the spot, this won't work... just throwing it out there, because some day it'll come in handy.

Cornbread · #7 2011-01-05, 10:07am

that's actually a sweet marble! i have one similar to it with a slight divot on the lens but not enough to bother me. haha. i must post a pic! coming soon.

cheng076 · #8 2011-01-05, 10:16am

Love that marble!

Cornbread · #9 2011-01-05, 10:17am

this one is between 1.5" to 1.75" it's my convo piece at craft shows. people are just amazed with the hole in the middle.

Ashmo · #10 2011-01-05, 10:31am

Really cool marble!
Thanks for the tip Mr.Smiley, I haven't tried that yet.

J.Meader · #11 2011-01-05, 10:36am

Nice justin ! I was actually trying to make a double vortex (their is a tutorial on the melting pot) but I didn't get my constriction tight enough and then I had to condence the whole thing down because it was going to be a 3 incher (yikes) so that caused the constriction to become even larger, but I still like it

Brent, I have been thinking about what you said about using the torch in the kiln. I have a top loader and plenty of hose, but is the flame splash going to do some kind of damage to the kiln bricks? Maybe I just being paranoid...

todda · #12 2011-01-05, 11:38am

I've made a marble like that once - I wrapped a 19mm clear rod in dicro and, then wrapped the dicro with purple luster it came out really nice. Kinda like a sparkly looking glass

Cornbread · #13 2011-01-05, 11:44am

i made a doublevortex...i thought i was being original though..haha. no idea there was a tutorial out there. mine came out awful. im curious to know if the construction i used is the same.

as far as the one i posted. i put down color lines around the middle of a rod (maybe 12" long rod with handles ad just a couple inches of color). melt in. clear. melt in. twist. color. push the clear rod inwards to build up some lens and size.

Cornbread · #14 2011-01-05, 11:57am

the hideous double vortex. i wanted there to be a "dime sized" hole of clear through the middle..wound up with a pin hole. but it was one of the firsts i ever made. maybe #3. i was pushing my limits from the get go..haha.

J.Meader · #15 2011-01-05, 12:05pm

Thats a cool marble!

Here is a link to the tut
http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30640

Cornbread · #16 2011-01-05, 12:16pm

thanks for the link...that's pretty close to how i did it...i actually made my back to back cones first and then layed down color and twisted..filled in with black and got my double vortex.

menty666 · #17 2011-01-06, 10:37am

neat! I want to make one

J.Meader · #18 2011-01-06, 11:53am

I am happy to report that the patient made it through the procedure without any complications

I set the kiln to ramp up at 500 degree per hour and then let it soak for about a hour while I made a few other little things. I pulled it out of the kiln fire polished the lense and it came out all good this morning.

Thanks for the help

Cosmo · #19 2011-01-06, 1:54pm

I've thrown all size marbles into a cold kiln and let them heat up full speed with no problem. The thing is that you want to leave them in to soak for a while before you work them. I usually let them soak for 1 hour per 1/2" diameter. Never had a problem.

Only time I haven't had luck is when there was an opal involved. About half the time the glass will crack around the opal if you reheat them.

menty666 · #20 2011-01-06, 1:58pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.Meader

I am happy to report that the patient made it through the procedure without any complications

I set the kiln to ramp up at 500 degree per hour and then let it soak for about a hour while I made a few other little things. I pulled it out of the kiln fire polished the lense and it came out all good this morning.

Thanks for the help

How did you pull it out of the kiln? I've done seals with punties before, I've also done by best to position it carefully cold so I could grab it "correctly" and then used cloth wrapped tongs

J.Meader · #21 2011-01-06, 3:42pm

I have a pair of really thin tongs that I found at a thrift store, the tong part is about a 1/4 inch wide. They work really well for putting things in and taking things out of the kiln. So with my handy tongs (preheated) in one hand and my marble mold at the ready, I pull the marble out and set it in the mold. Then with the marble sitting in the mold I fire polished out the offending dimple.

J.Meader · #22 2011-01-06, 3:54pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmo

I've thrown all size marbles into a cold kiln and let them heat up full speed with no problem. The thing is that you want to leave them in to soak for a while before you work them. I usually let them soak for 1 hour per 1/2" diameter. Never had a problem.

Only time I haven't had luck is when there was an opal involved. About half the time the glass will crack around the opal if you reheat them.

Thanks Cosmo that is good to know, especially since I see you make lots of larger marbles.

If I was to soak it for 1 hour per 1/2" then that would have been about 4 hours at annealling temp. All told the marble was in the kiln for about 3 hours from the time I turned on the kiln untill fire polishing. I guess that was enough. But then again I was only fire polishing and not really putting alot of heat back into much of the marble. Do you think that it would have cracked had I tried to do more or do you think the interior was hot enough? Should I have garaged it for longer? just askin

menty666 · #23 2011-01-06, 5:04pm

Nice...

I wrap tongs in this stuff: http://www.waleapparatus.com/catalog...showprevnext=1

I have to replace it once in a while, but it doesn't take much.

Kobuki · #24 2011-01-06, 5:34pm

The best way to re-heat and repair marbles is to make yourself a "kiln boat". Blow out some tube into a small cup with an opening about 2"+, flatten the bottom and then add a handle long enough to extend out of the kiln. It will look a bit like a glass ladle. You can then put the marble in the cup and take it in and out of the kiln without getting kiln dust on the marble.

JK

p.s. don't forget to name it.

menty666 · #25 2011-01-06, 6:40pm

LOL

Ashmo · #26 2011-01-06, 8:15pm

Cool idea, gonna have to try that out
Thanks

J.Meader · #27 2011-01-06, 10:13pm

John that is brilliant! I had the marble sitting in a stainless steel tray filled with salt that I keep in my kiln so that really hot round objects don't roll out. But I was cursing this setup as I was trying to brush salt off the bottom of a 1000 degree marble. I am going to make me a "kiln boat" so that won't be a issue in future projects. I made my family candle sticks for christmas, they each had multiple pieces that I was garaging in between steps. I had to punty up to each piece or pull out with my tongs and again fight the salt (and kiln dust) so a "kiln boat" would have solved several problems. Thanks

Ok so for a name hmm I will have to sleep on that one, any suggestions? anyone?

Salado Flameworks · #28 2011-01-06, 10:38pm

I love LE! I want to thank everyone here for the helpful hints. I had some problems with my kiln getting too hot and leaving scars on marbles. I'm making a "kiln boat" tomorrow and I will fix those puppies.

Thanks again,
Peg

dragonart glass · #29 2011-01-06, 10:51pm

All kinds of great stuff in this thread. Thanks everyone!

Kobuki · #30 2011-01-06, 11:01pm

I wish I could take credit for coming up with it but a guy named Trevor Applegate turned me onto it many years ago.

The marble will stick sometimes but that means your kiln is too hot.

JK