Size with Vermiculite?

[ROGUE]

OK, so I have become impatient waiting on my kiln to arrive. I have to make something soon or I'm gonna go crazier.

So, this has probably been asked before, but I did a search and came up with a million results for vermiculite. That being said.

How big of a piece can go into vermiculite in a crock pot. I'll probably do a few spoon to sherlock size hollows and would like to be able to make a marble at least a1 1/2". Could those things be alright?

[H1JACK3R]

Trial and error, bud :bouncy:

That said, I wouldn't try to do large solid pieces. Also, I heard the finer vermiculite is better for this application.

Hope that helps.

[hellawacked]

I've made a 1.5 Inch marble and pulled of bench cooling it if that gives you a idea. You can go as big as you want just keep things reasonable (thicker pieces are more likely to break). Most of my cracks and breaks are due to my errors bubbles/ uneven heating. Just look a how things broke when they do so you can try and avoid it the next time good luck.

[ROGUE]

Trial and error is the best way I agree, but I am on a tighht budget and need these pieces to survive lol.

So is fine vermiculite difficult to find or is it in the same places?

[ROGUE]

I've made a 1.5 Inch marble and pulled of bench cooling it if that gives you a idea. You can go as big as you want just keep things reasonable (thicker pieces are more likely to break). Most of my cracks and breaks are due to my errors bubbles/ uneven heating. Just look a how things broke when they do so you can try and avoid it the next time good luck.

wow 1.5? I've never been that brave. I'm scared sticking a two incher in the kiln lol.

[hellawacked]

wow 1.5? I've never been that brave. I'm scared sticking a two incher in the kiln lol.

It was one of my first marbles, I completely misjudged the size of the gather to start. I've been to scared to attempt it again. Now I just make everything into pendants they break way less.

[ROGUE]

...they break way less.

LMAO!!! That line made me choke.

[themoch]

Trial and error is the best way I agree, but I am on a tighht budget and need these pieces to survive lol.

So is fine vermiculite difficult to find or is it in the same places?

1) if you're going to try and sell these things before your kiln gets here that's a big "NO"! it will cool down but they will not be annealed.
2) making simple spoons you should be able to make one and set it down on the bench without it blowing up. this is true for your inside out stuff as well. I just made a few onies the other day where they were fume/inside out and i just put them down on the bench with no issue... and then put them in the kiln later.

3) we're glass blowers, we're all on a tight budget, but not having a kiln and trying to do this stuff is going to cost you big time. if you try and sell things that are not annealed and they break, that will damage future sales more than you know.

[ROGUE]

1) if you're going to try and sell these things before your kiln gets here that's a big "NO"! it will cool down but they will not be annealed.
2) making simple spoons you should be able to make one and set it down on the bench without it blowing up. this is true for your inside out stuff as well. I just made a few onies the other day where they were fume/inside out and i just put them down on the bench with no issue... and then put them in the kiln later.

3) we're glass blowers, we're all on a tight budget, but not having a kiln and trying to do this stuff is going to cost you big time. if you try and sell things that are not annealed and they break, that will damage future sales more than you know.

Well, damn. That makes perfect sense. Thanks for telling me.

So if I do create some nice pieces, thrown them in the vermiculite and let them cool, is there anything special I would have to do to aneal them since they've already cooled? Or just throw them in the cold kiln like you would anything else?

[H1JACK3R]

Trial and error is the best way I agree, but I am on a tight budget and need these pieces to survive lol.

So is fine vermiculite difficult to find or is it in the same places?

Yes, it should be available at any gardening store. I picked up a bag for the S/O to use while I'm not around to fire the kiln up. Cost me around 6 bucks for a bag that would twice fill a crock pot. I've got half a bag left, if you were local I'd just give it to you. Luckily it's cheap :bouncy:

I filled a 9'x9' pyrex cake pan, and that seems to do well. If you try the Crock Pot thing and it does a better job, let me know.

You should be able to save your pieces this way, then batch anneal them when you get your kiln in.

Hope this helps.

[hellawacked]

If you have any close friends you can sell them something and offer to replace it if it breaks before you get a kiln. But the moch is right you can't really sell anything without a kiln.(it sucks)

[themoch]

Well, damn. That makes perfect sense. Thanks for telling me.

So if I do create some nice pieces, thrown them in the vermiculite and let them cool, is there anything special I would have to do to aneal them since they've already cooled? Or just throw them in the cold kiln like you would anything else?

1) open cold kiln door
2) place cold pieces inside
3) run kiln schedule
4) take out cold pieces
5) $$ profit $$

[byron3]

I filled a 9'x9' pyrex cake pan .......................

How many cake mixes did that take??
Ya'll do like big cakes where ever you are ...................

[menty666]

1) open cold kiln door
2) place cold pieces inside
3) run kiln schedule
4) take out cold pieces
5) $$ profit $$

^ what he said.

Annealing is more than just cooling your pieces slowly. Let's say your piece falls to 950 before you put it into the vermiculite. It's not annealed when it's cooled. To anneal it, you need to bring it up to the 1050 annealing range where the molecules can destress. Think of it as the difference between laying a piece of paper flat on the table vs crumpling it setting it on the table. In both cases the paper's paper, but with the crumpled piece you're going to see some movement as it tries to uncrumple itself. The flat piece will just lay there.

Stressed glass stays stressed unless it's annealed, and vermiculite cooling doesn't do that.

[H1JACK3R]

How many cake mixes did that take??
Ya'll do like big cakes where ever you are ...................


Haha. My bad, inches not feet.

[zman]

I regularly do inch and a half marbles and cool them in vermiculite (this is soft glass) and have only had 2 crack because the orange I was using didn't like to be encased. So you can go big just use colors that are friendly.

[ROGUE]

Cool, thanks everybody. I made a larger marble tonight, about 1 1/4 and it's in my kitchen oven right now. I think I'm just gonna be patient and wait for my kiln, it will be here in like eight more days.

Menty thanks for the awesome physics? lesson.