All aboard the failboat!

[Wilbur]

This was shaping up to be one of my nicest pieces to date. It sat on my bench forever, can completed, was waiting to decide on final assembly, the. Had a few drinks one night and decided to rush thru it. Tagged the domnstem seating it. Tore it open, unstick down stem and cook potted some black over the gaping hole. Looked like shit so I decided to not do anymore on the piece. Was gonna get a bunch of horns and attachments, but it turned into a shop piece.

Boo.

[OceanMelt]

bad bridge seal....crack, pop, done.

[jr23]

How fitting that this thread is here! I was looking for something supportive to read having just lost a piece I had put about 10 or 12 hours into over the course of three days.
It was a custom sidecar bubbler with a separate "dry carb" bowl section. I've always done my bubblers this way, but I use a lot of color in my designs, which makes the walls really thick, and it's not uncommon to have difficulty with cracking around the weld between the top and bottom of the can. The weld is between the open end of a section and a flat or rounded surface. That's usually where the trouble starts.

Attachment 74581

This one went beyond cracking, the whole piece essentially broke apart in my hands once I welded the mouthpiece and bridges on. You can't really see all the cracks in the picture. There were actually little slivers of glass flying off the piece. It's possible there was a compatibility issue as well because I encased a layer of Star White in a layer of Asian Jade White. I am feeling so defeated and also stupid for spending so much time and materials working on this and having nothing to show for it. I'm not sure what I've learned, other than maybe I shouldn't make bubblers anymore. I have had some really great successes with this particular design (different color scheme) but even more total failures.

Do you have a Bunsen to help during bench work. Or more soaks between. But if it always starts same place I would find out if its smooth on inside. Of welds or if places go thin . thus getting cold.faster.being its always same its got to be something you can change.

[gomilobster]

This fucker cracked on me in a few spots at different points, can't really get a good shot of the cracks, but I "healed" them in the kiln with my mini-torch. Left scars or little micro fissures. Guess its my next house piece. I was sad too as it was shaping up to be one of the first sherlocks I have done in quite a long while, and was coming out better than them too :p

[paulsafo]

That moment you're finishing up your halfway point and realize that your color boxes are one row too far over.

Finished for the practice but damn. Lesson learned. And that lesson is... Hm. Pay attention? Something?

[PyroChixRock]

Your fail is better than mine. Paul.

[paulsafo]

Doh!

Ok here's a good one. I dropped this in the kiln and turned around and heard the sound of glass shattering. Somehow it made it's way to the floor and shattered. That's the second one to do that tonight. First one fell when I opened the door to put it in something fell out then this fell out when I closed the door. Maybe I should kill it tonight.

[Ray]

Maybe you could lift the front feet 1/4 inch or something?

[Zolococo]

To sum up, I knew better, but wanted to get on the torch, even though kiln is out.

On the plus side if you're looking to make glass cabs, just let a marble bench cool.

[istandalone24/7]

If you need to bench cool a questionable piece....cover that glass in soot. it seems to help, at least in my limited experience with bench cooling.

[Enigma]

^this I can't use my kiln right now either till I work out my electrical in the mean time I've been sooting them up and putting them in the kiln and closing it , I tend to have things survive a little more

[PyroChixRock]

You guys can use vermiculite, too. I've saved some pieces that way from absentmindedly not turning on the kiln.

[Enigma]

Yeah I need to pick some up, hoping electric will be worked out sooner than later

[Zolococo]

Totally forgot i have a slow cooker full already from my first attempts at soft glass, I'll resurrect that. Thanks

[Ray]

I've been using a fiber blanket

[istandalone24/7]

you've bought 3 gtt's, but no kiln yet? what?!?

[PyroChixRock]

Uh oh. Someone might have an early torch addiction.

[STROKER]

This piece was a total fail that I reserected from the dead.
I fucked up the drop first and had to redo
Then I did a shitty seal on the second cap over the drop which I had to tear of and 8n turn redo the drop for the third time. Ughh.
So just when I think I got it kinda back to the plan I ignored the glass laws and sat a cold can bottom down on my hot kiln floor with now warm up.
20 seconds after I sat it 8n there I heard the giant pop we all dread so much...
Needless to say the entire bottom clear part of can had shattered just up to the 4 connections and down to the pattern
With nothing to loose I turned the kiln way up and then proceeded to torch it back together inside the kiln.
Now this piece is for sure a seconds quality but it was a real test of my abilities to even get water in this one so for that I'm glad I finished it.
Not too bad looking all things considered

[paulsafo]

I love this thread. Thanks for sharing stroker. All about the save

[PyroChixRock]

Damn stroker. Nice save even if it is a second. Skills.