Deep Slumps with Bubbles

 

Photo Credit: Rachel Meadows-Ibrahim

The main causes of the large thin bubble is most probably  too high a temperature combined with a long soak.

Elevation of the Mould

The poster indicated there are eight holes total – four on the sides and four under the glass. This means any air has an exit out from under the glass and from the inside of the mould. So, in this case it does not need to be elevated for exit of air.  In my practice l have never, except in tests, elevated my slumping moulds. I have not had failures. My experiments involved in writing the eBook Low Temperature Kilnforming  showed no significant temperature differences between elevating, or not, below the mould.

Effect of Fast Rates

Slow rates to low temperatures with long soaks avoid sealing the glass to the mould. This means air can move out from under the glass during the slump. 

• Fast rates, and elevated temperatures can restrict air movement from under the slumping glass.  
• Fast rates and high slump temperatures can each cause uprisings because the glass slides down the mould during the soak, and that weight pushes the bottom upwards.

Temperature and Uprisings

This uprising is different from the bubble at the bottom on this piece. It is possible to see the glass bubble is thinner than the surrounding glass. As there were holes for air to escape, it seems the temperature and or speed was great enough to allow the glass to form to the mould at the bottom.  This covered the air holes and allowed the remaining air to push upwards on the glass.  A lower top temperature may have avoided this bubble formation.  Certainly, a combination of a slower rate and a lower temperature would have avoided the formation of the bubble.

Observation

Further, observation during the firing would have caught this bubble formation early enough to skip to the annealing and result in a piece with only a slight uprising, and before it became a bubble. Peeking should start at the beginning of the slumping soak and be repeated at 5 to 10 minute intervals.