Garaging

[HOSS]

I'm just wondering what other people consider to be the right amount of time to garage a complex hollow form between working on different areas to bring it all back up to temp. I don't remember anyone ever mentioning what the minimum safe time is supposed to be. I've typically been leaving things in for about 20 minutes, but maybe that's more than it really needs?

I know this is going to depend on several factors, so lets assume we're talking about a large multi-sectional heady bubbler, average about 4-6 mil thick. The kiln is at 1050, and the piece has been out long enough that some areas have cooled way down.

[p.j.]

i always leave them in longer than 30, but maybe that is just paranoia. i'd rather know something is going to be ok than wish i had waited, then fix a check or crack. sometimes you get flame deflection that hits somewhere that is cool and you get a crack nowhere near where you are working....

i must be overthinking this

[The Glass Fish]

Depends on the piece. I only do moderately complicated pieces, but I leave it in for at least 10 mins if I am polishing a weld or something. If I am doing a major weld on a thick area that will require additional cleanup seasions I will still only leave it in for about 15 min.

During the general prep and section making I just try to vary what I am workin on, even doing other prep or low end prodo in between so It doesn't matter. If I just sit and watch the kiln I get impatient, and impatience is our enemy.

[Natedizzle]

the actual time really depends on your kiln... I usually leave it in for 10 minutes AFTER the kiln is back up to temp. A really big piece can take 30 minutes or more just to get back up to 1050 after a long step out of the kiln...then wait 10 minutes to be safe... the more solid attachments involved the more important that 10 minute wait is.

[lucidvisions]

It should be determined by the thickest part of your piece and how long you had it out of the kiln. I wish my contemporary lampworking book didn't get stolen so I could tell you the exact time it takes for certain thicknesses to come up to temp, but it does have an exact graph on how much a certain thickness takes to get to temp after garaging it in 1050. If you don't have the book I personally think it's as necessary a tool as all the other's I have. So get it, by the way.

I personally work on 2-3 complex pieces at once and just rotate as I go. The impatience factor can have a huge effect and you think time goes by a little faster than it really does. I've never had many issues when working this way as I'm always going on to the next hottest piece and I'm not wasting time just counting down the minutes to start again. Plus you end up getting more work done in a shorter period.

Josh

[n3rd]

if you didn't garage long enough, you'll know right away! ;)

depending on the colors used, i sometimes increase the set temp of my kiln to 1100 or so when i get to those last few garage steps on a large piece a little quicker. this is probably a bad habit; i should really be more patient.

[schmoinkel]

You can check this out/time it yourself like this...

Hit peice with propane till there is soot all over it then garage it. The carbon will burn off around 1050. Time it. The thicker the peice the longer it will take. You will notice that on a peice with bridges/ attachments that there will be little places that the soot didn't burn off, hence that part didn't get hot enough.

Thats also a good trick if you have to flame anneal somthing(small / thin) on the fly. Apply soot then slowly heat peice in the back of a bushy mixed flame till the all carbon is gone.

Try it

Scott

[schmoinkel]

Hey Nemesis is your avatar glass? I like it

[The Lorax]

wouldnt the soot burn off the outside before the inside could of been warmed up though? since the outside would heat up faster i assume... maybe i'm wrong.

[HOSS]

Thanks for all the input, good food for thought! I love the soot test idea, definitely gotta try that. Bandhu's book is high on my list of Stuff I Need To Get, seems to be THE source for general lampworking lore.


I personally work on 2-3 complex pieces at once and just rotate as I go. The impatience factor can have a huge effect and you think time goes by a little faster than it really does.

You're fortunate to have the kiln space for that. :) I've just got a Chilipepper so assembling a largish multi-section bub is challenging enough already without having a bunch of extra stuff in there getting in the way. But fortunately it heats up really fast. So my process has pretty much been work for 5-10 minutes, then garage and wait for 20 or 30. This can eat up a whole day real quick without feeling like much has been done. :bangHead: Really gotta get more kiln space soon.


Hey Nemesis is your avatar glass? I like it

Thanks, that's one of the gong bowls I've been making recently. I loves me some sculptin'! :D I'm working on sorting through a ton of pics right now and will hopefully have some good ones to put up on GP soon.

[lucidvisions]

Seriously all the technical info you got need is in those books, it is a must have! Befor eyour next kiln, lol! Good luck! I don't tend to agree with the carbon build up being a good gauge on when your piece is back up to temp. Like Lorax said, the carbon build up disappearing will only show that that the the surface has been brought up to temp not the actual center of the thickest part of your piece.

Josh

[schmoinkel]

Yeah, I sould say that method is not perfect for everything, But I do believe its a good way to help figure out his question. And its better than guessing.

I think I remmber Paramore saying that he does it to most all of his work, when putting a peice in for final annealing, to make sure that everything on the peice reached 1050. Granted most of what he does is pretty thin. But you get the point.

Scott