FrogBlog
Top 10 Platemaking Tips
Bullseye Glass Studio Tip: As many people are receiving their first kiln this holiday season, we thought it would be helpful to share a Tip Sheet on Platemaking that contains our favorite Top 10 platemaking tips. Plates and platters are popular projects for both advanced and beginning kilnworkers, and platemaking is a perfect way to learn kilnforming’s two most frequently used methods: fusing and slumping. The tips shown in this sheet are basic and they are the building blocks for more advanced kilnforming methods. Because the object is to make functional plates with smooth surfaces, these notes assume that the first firing will be to full fuse temperatures. On the final page of the tip sheet, Bullseye lists a basic fuse and slumping schedule. While many variables can impact a schedule, it's a great place to start! Check out some of our best-selling glass kilns: Jen-Ken AF3P 15/6 Paragon Xpress E-12T Olympic 126 Lite
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Volume & Bubble Control
Bullseye Glass Studio Tip: No matter if you are new to fusing, or have been doing it for years, bubble control is part of your life. For many kilnformers and glass artists, nothing is more frustrating than when a project emerges from the kiln distorted or full of large bubbles. For others, controlling distortions and bubbles may be an integral component of their work. Whether you wish to avoid them or control them, you will need a fundamental understanding of the factors that cause distortions in kiln-glass. In TechNote 5: Volume and Bubble Control, Bullseye Glass shares a number of great tips on how to mitigate trapped air and control volume, which will help you manage distortions and bubbles in a variety of kiln-glass techniques. Another way to minimize the look of bubbles is detailed in this Quick Tip from Bullseye: Powder Power for Bubble Control. It states... Add a light application of Clear powder between the layers with a full-fuse firing schedule. That’s right: between the layers! You’ll actually trap more bubbles, but they’ll be smaller than the usual “champagne” bubbles—and to that we say, “Cheers!” Check out some of our glass kilns to fire your pieces however you desire: Jen-Ken Kiln - AFG ProFusion Fiber 26 Paragon Kiln - Fusion 17 (S1310 Trio) Hot Shot Oven and Kiln - HS24-Pro Clamshell Cress Kilns - FUSER2818
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12 Ways to Improve Your Cutting
Bullseye Glass Studio Tip: Glass cutting is a fundamental skill any kilnformer needs to be able to master. If you’ve never cut glass or you’re unconfident in your abilities, there is good news. This is a skill you can improve! With proper cutting tools and techniques, even beginners can learn how to produce clean, accurate glass shapes. Your glass cutting skill level will not only affect the quality of work you produce, but also how much money you spend. Think about it: better glass cutting skills mean fewer mistakes and less wasted glass. Ready to sharpen your skills? Of course you are... #1: Dowload the 12 Ways To Improve Your Cutting from Rudi Gritsch of the Glasfachschule in Kramsach, Austria. Rudi is former Director of Research at Bullseye Glass Co. and a world-class glass cutter. #2: Watch the video lesson below. This will teach you how to properly score a piece of glass and how to break the score as well as how to cut circles in glass. Check out some of our best-selling glass kilns to fire your cut pieces however you desire: Paragon Kiln - SC2 Evenheat Studio Pro STP with Window Jen-Ken Kilns - AF3P 15/6 Olympic Kiln - Champ XL
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Don't be a gambler with your kiln..
I'm declaring November "National Kiln Problem Month!" Murphy's law says that whenever you need your kiln most, and are firing the most, that's just when it's going to have a problem. So.... we all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of I told you so. This is not directed to any one of our clients who've contacted us this month with an OMG moment! This is for all of us, who are just very busy and forget to take care of the basics. And yes... this has happened to me so, you're not alone. If you don’t already know, a relay is the part of the kiln that controls the power or current to the element, allowing the element to either receive current and get hot, or to interrupt the circuit thus not allowing the element to receive current and cool down. The mechanical relays, which come standard on all kilns, are what is responsible for the ubiquitous opening and closing clicking we hear while our kilns run. ALL MECHANICAL RELAYS in U.S. kilns are vitually the same... no matter the manufacturer. Mechanical relays have a life of up to “X” amount of clicks and then they fail. This failure can either be in the closed position (Yikes, my kiln temperature keeps rising and it won’t turn off… everything is ruined!”) or they can fail in the open position. (Yikes, my kiln won’t heat up at all!) If they fail, it is not the manufacturers fault, since they do not make the relays. They test them to make sure they work at the factory, but after that... it is your responsibility. We know that all failures stink and that is why we recommend changing your relays every 12-24 months. If you are a heavy kiln user, you should be smart and change your relays once a year. Think about it like an oil change or new tires... you wouldn't let you car drive on bald tires or your engine run on old oil. Pick a month and make it kiln maintenance month. Install new relays, paint the bottom with kiln wash, etc. and give your kiln a thorough inspection. Don't be the cautionary tale!! Finally, if this is something you don't want to hassle with... you can eliminate the problem by upgrading to mercury or solid state relays and almost never have to change a relay again. In our opinion, it's the best upgrade money can buy.
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Glass Glossary and more...
This glossary is designed to assist you in finding and understanding all of the various terms associated with glass, ceramics, metal, clay, enameling, and more! We hope you will find this a useful resource as we have emptied our brains and have nothing left to share with you! A-B | C | D-E | F | G | H-I-J | K-L | M-N | O | P-Q | R | S | T | U-V-W-X-Y-Z
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Feeling Like I'm on Grey's Anatomy... Kiln Surgery... STAT!
There's a sinking feeling that I get in my gut when one of my kilns behaves oddly. It's akin to the car making weird noises as you are driving down the highway. Thoughts of dread begin to fill your mind and you start to concoct scenarios of doom. Mainly, "ON NO, I HAVE TO OPEN THE CONTROLLER BOX!" It's funny because I've owned a lot of kilns over the last 14 years and changed a lot of relays, transformers, thermocouples, etc., but still that feeling of dread comes over me as though it was my first time "opening the box." It's like a big mystery. What's in there? What's it going to look like? ...and the biggest question of all.... WILL I SCREW IT UP? You'd think that I'd approach this with confidence and bravado thinking, "I've done this a million times. I've got this!" But, sadly, NO! Anyway, if you feel the same way too, know you are not alone. The inside of the "box" is intimidating. Although it's pretty simple once you know what all of the wires are for and how the electricity needs to move, it's still a little daunting. So here's my story of the week regarding my kiln surgery. I have a 36" Profusion Fiber kiln. I love her, and her name is Jenny! (Yeah, I know I'm a weirdo.) I loaded some simple 2 layer plate tiles into the kiln for an easy full fuse and got a FTL error. The glass never got fired at all and the kiln only went to 600F. So why the FTL? (That's failure to cool, for those of you who don't know all the error codes.) Apparently, you get a FTL code after a FTH (failure to heat) code. Now that seems illogical, but that rant is for another blog. So my task was to figure out why the kiln wasn't heating. No heat = no fusing = no fun for me! There are only a few reasons why a kiln won't heat; dead or stuck relay(s), broken or fried element, not enough current/volts getting to the kiln, etc. The thermocouple was telling me the correct temps, so we could rule that out easily. I'm not as religious about changing relays as I should be on this kiln. I changed them all out exactly 3 years ago. So, it clearly was time! Luckily, I'm not a hypocrite! I did have a stash of relays that was reserved for this event, so I was ready when the time came. (I might be lazy, but I'm not a hypocrite!) So I set aside yesterday afternoon for this planned outpatient kiln surgery! I took out my drill with the 1/4" nut driver attachment, my phillips head bit, and my long nose pliers. I unplugged the kiln and set a small bowl next to my chair. The bowl is for all the screw, nuts, and parts that come off, and will need to go back onto the kiln. It just helps keep things in one place and makes sure things don't roll away and escape from you. (I learned this from experience of not doing the bowl thing and being on my hands and knee on the floor looking for a damn screw.) I pull up a comfy low chair and found a stool to rest the box on since It was still going to be attached to the kiln. NOW I AM READY FOR SURGERY! All I needed was the trippy Grey's Anatomy music and someone telling me, go for it! As you can tell from these pictures, there is A LOT going on in there. The kiln has 4 relays with 4 element connections, power jumps from one relay to the next, connections to the pilot lights, etc. There are 6 prongs on each of the 4 relays, and each prong has something attached to it. That's 24 connections to take off and reconnect correctly, and in the right order. That wouldn't be so bad except that this all has to be done in a tiny space. I'm not the largest lady in town, but I'm not small and delicate either. My hands are normal size, but in that box I felt like my hands were baseball mitts. Each relay is color coded to an element. So the red wires go to one relay, the whites, the blacks, and the blues, each to their own relay. That's really helpful so that you know you've got it all correct. Of course that escaped me the first time I did this, but you learn. Each relay is held in place by 2 bolts, each with their corresponding nut. That's a challenge, removing the relay from its spot, then disconnecting all of the crimped connections, then attaching all the connections correctly to the new relay, and then bolting the new relay back in place securely. That's what you do, just four times, in a small space, bent over, with reading glasses on, while you struggle to hold the long nosed pliers that are wiggling the tightly crime connectors on and off. See.... it's simple... a breeze.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? The TRUTH is that none of this in mentally taxing. I didn't need special knowledge, JUST NERVE! I had to remember that this was just a giant toaster, and I am a resourceful girl! Yes, I started out intimidated, but that soon gave way to a wave of confidence and accomplishment. My last step was to take a picture of the inside of the box and send it to the folks that built the kiln to assure I hadn't missed anything. They got back to me quickly and pointed out one mistake, which was easily fixed in 15 seconds. The kiln companies are there to help, so utilize that help. NOW I AM READY TO GO! HERE'S WHAT I LEARED, THAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM TOO... Fear is the enemy, not the relays! Have the right tools and get them together in one place. Get a stash of relays so that you will be ready when the time comes. Schedule a quiet, uninterrupted "appointment" time with yourself to do this task. Go slowly and take a break if you need it. DO NOT wait until the kiln doesn't fire, or do this the night before a show. Ask for help from your kiln manufacturer. Reward yourself for job well done! Good luck! If I can do it, you can too! Your Kiln Gal, Gail Some important kiln parts: RelaysAdhesive Electric Kiln Parts
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My first big kiln! What should I be looking for?
I remember this like it was yesterday. I had been fusing for a while and I was ready to go to my first "big girl" 240 volt kiln. The truth is I really did not know what I was supposed to be looking for in a bigger kiln. I just knew I wanted more space and I had the money in my pocket ready to go. This was about 14 years ago, and I'm sure there were answers out there, but I didn't really know who to trust and what their motives might be. Here's my story... (without any bias to manufacturers). My first larger kiln was a 24"octagon with a 21" round shelf. I was so excited at the time that I didn't realize that a 21" round shelf meant that a only a 15" inch square would fit on the shelf. I knew that was not going to be enough shelf space for me so the problem was easily fixed a year later when I sold that kiln and purchased an oval. So, now I had an oval, which I loved by the way, but that one had a two piece shelf, making it harder to do larger pieces without the dreaded line. The full shelves were a $250 upgrade which seemed like a lot of money at the time. However, I really should have upgraded and not cheaped-out as it would have saved me alot of hassle. Lesson learned. About two years later, I then bought a new square one. This one had a 24" shelf and gave me a lot of utility. But again, I'd discovered there were issues I hadn't thought about. That kiln was very low to the ground and killed my back to load. Also, the lid was a bear to open and close from the front because again I didn't think I needed the lid lifter... so I'd have to stand on the side to open it. That added torque to the lid and a crack soon appeared. Again, I was being frugal and should have upgraded. After the lid was replaced, I sold that one too and continued my quest. By now you can see that the addiction was taking hold. My husband and my business partner may have been colluding behind my back to check me into the nearest 12-step kiln addiction program. But I didn't care. Within a few years I'd added a fiber kiln to the mix. My confession is that I've owned over 25 kilns in 15 years. It's given me a great deal of experience about what kilns work for what projects. It's also allowed me to have the experience to helping others determine what they need and what might not be a good fit. Let's face it, everyone's needs are different and dictated by the kind of art work they want to do. NO ONE KILN IS PERFECT FOR EVERY JOB, EVERY TIME, EVERY ARTIST! Next, I bought my first clamshell. I really liked that one but the shelf was only 20" square. Too small for my taste. More bad decisions, you'd think I would have learned!With all of that said... here's my checklist of what to think about when purchasing your first larger kiln. I wish someone would have shared this with me about 20 kilns ago. Think about what kind of work you might want to do in the future. Your choice might work for today's needs, but will it look for tomorrows needs? Think about your body. This might sound silly to you, but if you intend to use your new kiln a lot, you'd better be comfortable loading it, scraping the shelves, vacuuming it and lifting the lid. Whether the kiln loads from the top or the front changes how much bending and lid-lifting that involves. You will absolutely use the kiln LESS if you are not comfortable. Be smart, get the lid lifter, or the full shelf, or the clamshell, or the taller stand, even if it costs more. It will be worth it in long-term utility. Be honest with yourself. Will you change the relays every year or two without someone standing over you to do it? If not, then think about getting mercury relays, which never need to be changed. Yes, they're an upgrade, but in 14 years and over 25 kilns I've had a few relay failures. Two of my failure happened with full kiln loads and the relays stuck in the "on" position. It does happen and it's no one's fault. It's just like a blown out tire, it just happens. Think about how lazy or energetic you are. No one is judging you here! I can be lazy and I'll admit it. How much do you love to scrape shelves and vacuum? I don't love it, so I avoid it. The way to fix this problem and make it less irritating is to actually purchase extra shelves with your kiln. It's actually much less expensive and far healthier to use kiln wash than it is to use fiber paper. The more shelves you can rotate, the less scraping and coating it will feel like you are doing. Finally, really think about getting what you want. I cheaped-out on several upgrade items that would have made me happier with my kiln long term. Even if it hurts a little, get what you need so that you don't have regrets. Of course there's a disclaimer! I am part of the kiln establishment now, selling kilns to other artists. But here's my truth, I represent four different kiln companies and doing this allows me to better represent my artist clients and get them the kilns they need, configured the way they need them. I'm not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of the number of kilns I have owned from each of the companies I represent. I'm joking a little saying that, but owning kilns from each manufacturer has made me more than just familiar with how those kilns work, it's made me educated about how each company builds their kilns, and where each company shines. So here's the recap of what to consider: Think long-term about your artwork needs! Think long-term about your physical needs and how they might change! Think long-term about your nature and how you want to spend time! Think long-term about your budget and what you'll really need to make you happy on #1-2-3! I love teaching my students and talking to artists about their needs everyday! I love helping fellow artists get what they need to do their best work! Thanks for letting me do what I love! Your kiln gal, Gail Explore some of our best-selling large or x-large kilns: Olympic Kiln - MAS1823HE Paragon Kiln - CS-19S Jen-Ken Kiln - AFG JK2 27-11
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