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Costly crack from batch annealing has me questioning my routine
Yesterday, I was finishing a floral paperweight and waited to anneal it with other pieces. It cracked overnight, which was really annoying. Some folks insist on annealing right away to prevent cracks, while others say batching is fine and saves on kiln runs. Where do you all fall on this?
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max3886mo ago
Referencing "waited to anneal it with other pieces," I wonder if room temperature swings are the REAL culprit. Everyone debates timing, but if your studio gets cold at night, that glass is cooling unevenly before it even hits the kiln. That initial stress can make it WAY more likely to crack during annealing, no matter when you batch it. I lost a big vase once because I left it on a bench near a drafty window overnight. Now I keep everything in a sealed box with a warm pack if I have to wait. It's not just about WHEN you anneal, but HOW you store pieces before the kiln run.
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samschmidt6mo ago
My friend's bowl cracked just from sitting in a chilly garage, so @max388 might be onto something.
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