Back in my garage days, I'd always rush the initial gather and end up with bubbles. After a workshop in Asheville, I force myself to heat the rod for a full 30 seconds before even touching the furnace.

The patience feels weird, but my clarity is way better now. Anyone else have a simple step they added that made a huge difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

troystone29d ago

My buddy in Seattle swears by a 45-second preheat for all his color rods.

gonzalez.rowan1d ago

Ask if he's talking about a full 45 seconds from cold in the kiln, or like, warming them near the glory hole first. That seems like a long time and I'd worry about the colors boiling off or getting weird. My experience is that a lot of those instructions depend on the exact type of glass and the furnace temp.

barbaraschmidt29d ago

Remember how we used to just blast cold glass into the furnace? I tried that slow preheat thing on some old frit and it totally changed how the colors laid down.