Changing size in Slumping

 “I have full fused a single piece of glass with a few small pieces on top.  I thought it would shrink some as I had been told, but it maintained its size and still fit the mold for slumping.” 

I believe the enquirer is talking about a single layer circle changing size at full fuse.  Dog boning is much less evident in circles than rectangles.  The glass retreats evenly all along the edge.  This gives the appearance of retreating less than rectangles.  The absence of any big change in size may also result from thinning of the centre.  The amount of size change will be affected by the temperature of the full fuse too.  In this case there were additions which will have resisted any tendency to shrink.

Lower top temperatures, more rapid ramp rates to the top, and shorter holds will have the effect of limiting the movement of glass toward 6mm thick.

credit: Bullseye Glass Co

The viscosity of glass at full fuse is enough for it to attempt to pull up to 6mm. At casting temperatures, the viscosity is so low that 6mm of glass spreads out.  Temperature affects viscosity.

 

At slumping temperatures (620˚C - 680˚C / ca.1150˚F - 1260˚F), the viscosity high enough that the dimensions of a circle do not change. A circular piece of 3mm glass held at slumping temperatures does not change dimension.  It may, if held long enough take on a kind of satin sheen, rather than a fire polish.  But the viscosity  is low enough to allow the glass to form to the mould, given sufficient time. The resulting slumped piece will appear to be smaller than the mould. If you measure the piece around its outside curve, you will find the distance is almost the same as the diameter of the blank. 

 

Changing size on a single layer piece is dependent on the temperature and heat work applied to the piece.

Slumping contrasting colours and styles

 A question about why a tack fused 6mm/0.25” piece of combined dense white and black in a slump firing broke has been raised.  Other pieces of black and other whites also tack fused in the same firing did not break.

"Living in the Grey" Stephen Richard

Contrasting colours

Combining the most viscous and the least viscous of bullseye glasses - dense white and black - is a challenge.  The survival of other pieces in the firing with slightly less viscous white give an indication.  Their survival shows that the anneal and cooling conditions were too short and fast for the broken piece. 

It may be worth checking how much stress is in the surviving pieces.  It may not be possible directly on these fired pieces. There is a way.  Mock up the black and white in the same way as the surviving pieces.  Put this on a larger clear piece and fire in the normal way. This enables you to see stress in opalescent layups. If there is any, it is revealed on the clear by using polarising filters. 

The usual recommendation is to anneal and cool as for twice the thickness was followed in this firing.  It is important to anneal and cool more conservatively in cases of contrasting colours. Strongly contrasting colours and styles (low viscosity transparent and high viscosity white opalescent) require more time at annealing and need slower cooling.  I do that by using a schedule for one layer thicker than calculated.  In this case, as for 15mm/0.61” (two tack layers needs firing as for four tack layers, plus one extra for the high and low viscosity combination).

Viscosity

The reasons for this are viscosity:  

·        Annealing is done at a temperature that achieves a viscosity of around 10^13.4 poise. It can be done in a range from there toward the strain point of 10^14.5 poise.  Below the strain point temperature (which is determined by the viscosity), no annealing can occur.  The glass is too stiff.  The closer to the strain point that the annealing is done, the more time is required at the annealing temperature.

·        The annealing of Bullseye is already being done in the lower range of viscosities. It is possible the viscosity of the white is so high as to be difficult to anneal with the usual length of soak.

·        Although I do not know the exact viscosities of dense white and soft black at the annealing temperature, it is known white has a higher viscosity than the black.  The means to achieve less stress in the glass is to hold at the annealing temperature longer than normal.  A cooling schedule related to the length of the anneal hold is needed.  This information can be obtained from the Bullseye chart for annealing thick glass.  The rates and times apply to all soda lime glass, which is what fusing glass is. Only the temperatures need to be changed to suit the characteristics of your glass.

Slumping

The slumping of this combination of high and low viscosity glasses requires more care too.  My research has shown that the most stress-free result in slumping is achieved by firing as for one layer thicker than that used for the fuse firing.  For a tack fuse, this means firing for twice the thickness, plus one more layer for contrasting colour and style.  Then schedule the slump by adding another layer to the thickness.  This means scheduling as for 19mm/0.75"instead of as for 12mm/0.5”.  This is to account for profile, contrasting colours, and stress from slumping.  This is about three times the actual height of the piece.  

Slumping tack fused pieces of contrasting colours requires very cautious firing schedules.  These longer schedules need to have a justification.  It is not enough to add more time or slow the cooling just in case.  Excessively long anneal soaks, and slow cools can create another set of problems. 

More viscous glass needs more time at the annealing soak to an even distribution of temperature between the more and less viscous glasses.

More information about other low temperature processes can be found in my eBook Low Temperature Kilnforming.  Available from Bullseye and Etsy  

Differential Cooling of Transparent and Opalescent Glass

A statement was made on a Facebook group that transparent glass absorbs more heat than opalescent glass. And it releases more heat during cooling. The poster may have meant that the transparent heats more quickly than the opalescent, and cools more quickly.

Yes, dark transparent glass absorbs heat quicker than most opalescent (marginally), and it releases the heat more quickly (again marginally) than opalescent. The colour and degree of transparency do not absorb any more or less heat, given appropriate rates. They gain the same heat and temperature, although at slightly different rates due to differences in viscosity.

An occasional table

The rate of heating and cooling is important in maintaining an equal rate of absorption of heat. The temperature of both styles can become the same if appropriate lengths of heating, annealing, and cooling are used. The slightly different rates of heat gain can give a difference in viscosity and therefore expansion.  This slight mismatch during rapid ramp rates, might set up stresses great enough to break the glass. This can occur on the quick heat up of glass during the brittle phase (approximately up to 540ºC/1005ºF). In fact, most heat-up breaks occur below 300ºC/540ºF.

The main impact of differential heat gain/loss is during cooling. Annealing of sufficient length eliminates the problem of differential contraction through achieving and maintaining the Delta T = 5C or less (ΔT≤5C). It is during the cooling that the rates of heat loss may have an effect. The marginally quicker heat loss of many transparents over most  opalescent glass exhibits different viscosities and rates of contraction. The stresses created are temporary. But they might be great enough to cause breaks during the cooling. Slow cooling related to the thickness and nature of the glass takes care of the differential contraction rates by maintaining small temperature differentials.

Significance of Differential Heat Gain/Loss

Uneven thicknesses and the tack fusing profile both have much greater effects than the differential cooling rates of transparent and opalescent glass. It may be that strongly contrasting colours (such as purple and white) are also more important factors in heat gain and loss than transparent and opalescent combinations.  Cooling at an appropriate rate to room temperature for these factors will be sufficient to remove any risk of differential contraction between transparent and opalescent glasses.

Kilnforming with 3mm Glass

 A power point presentation I made a few months ago to the group Lunch with a Glass Artist.

It is 33 slides long.

Kilnforming with 3mm Glass.pptx

Coe and compatibility

From time to time you will see the statement:

“CoE is the determinant of compatibility”

This is Not True!  

I wish I could come up with something simple to counteract this CoE fallacy, but glass is complicated and I can’t think of a snappy phrase to help.  To understand why the statement above is false, some background on what CoE does mean and what range of temperature it applies to is important.

What CoE measures

The coefficient of expansion can be a measure of either linear or volumetric expansion.  It is most often conducted over the range of 20°C to 300°C.  The result is expressed as an average over this range.  If there are variations in rates of expansion, they are absorbed in this coefficient, ie., average.  The measure is of the part of one metre the material expands for each degree Celsius increase in temperature.  In the glass community this coefficient is expressed as two digits such as 83 which represents the expansion of glass by 0.0000083 of a metre for each degree Celsius change in the measured temperature range.

Relevant temperature range

Note the temperature range over which this is measured – up to 300°C.  This coefficient works well for crystalline solids, but not for glass.  Amorphous solids do not have linear expansion rates throughout the working range of temperatures. Room temperature to 300°C is not a critical temperature range for glass.  After all, many of us turn the kiln off around 370°C.  This means that the CoE measured up to 300°C is not really relevant to us, as we have discovered that the expansion rates for 6mm or less thick glass are not critical below 370°C.

Annealing range

The CoEs at annealing temperatures – the critical range for glass -  are in the 400 to 500 range.  It is in the annealing range – generally about 45°C above and below the annealing point of the glass – that CoE is most important.  The annealing point is above the now popular, but lower, annealing soak temperature. This is where the glass is soaked to obtain a temperature with a differential of no more that 5°C throughout the glass.  The practice has become to do this temperature equalisation at the lower portion of the annealing range.  Often this is only 10°C above the lower boundary of the annealing range. This gives a shorter cool and increases the density of the glass. Do not confuse annealing point with the annealing soak. They are not the same.

Critical temperature range for CoE

The Coefficient of Expansion is more important at the glass transition point. This is the temperature at which the molten material becomes a slightly flexible solid. The CoE and the viscosity interact in this range.  It is critical, as the opposing forces of viscosity and CoE must balance.  The CoE is adjusted by the manufacturer to create this balance.  It shows that CoE is dependent on the viscosity of the glass.  And the characteristics of each colour must also match all the other glass in the range of tested compatible fusing glass. This is not a simple thing to do.  If it were, there would be lots of companies doing it.

Experience of moving to a single CoE for fusing glass

The Bullseye experience of attempting to achieve compatibility across a range of glass in the early days of making fusing compatible glass showed that less compatibility was experienced when the colours had matching CoEs. Lani Macgreggor describes this experience well in this blog, “Eclipse of the Fun”. 

An expert’s explanation

A Bullseye article by Dan Schwoerer - possibly the major expert on making compatible glass - on achieving compatibility through compensating differences is the key to understanding the balancing of CoE with the viscosity.  It is on the Bullseye site as Tech Note #3.

There is a more impassioned description of matters relating to compatibility in five linked blogs by Lani Macgregor in the To BE or not BE blog.

Manufacturing to a range of CoE

Spectrum long ago stated that the CoE of their glass ranges up to 10 points  to achieve a compatible range of fusing glass.  This is probably true for every manufacturer of fusing compatible glass. 

Why CoE is NOT the determinant of fusing compatible glass

The things that mean CoE cannot be the determinant of compatible glass are:

• ·        The coefficient is for an inappropriate temperature range for glass.
• ·        The critical temperatures for expansion are in the annealing range, for which there are no widely published figures.
• ·        The expansion rates need to be adjusted to match the viscosity in this annealing range.
• ·        A major manufacturer has indicated their glass, known by the CoE of its fusing standard glass, has a 10-point range of CoEs within their fusing range.

It is not true that CoE is a determinant of compatibility.

CoE is an inappropriate number to indicate compatibility.  It does not guarantee compatibility.  It is a suspiciously accurate number leading people to erroneously believe any glass labelled with a given number will be compatible with any other with the same number. 

Other blog posts on CoE:

CoE does not determine critical temperatures: 

https://glasstips.blogspot.com/2017/08/coe-as-determinant-of-temperature.html

Demonstration that CoE does not determine annealing or fusing temperatures:

https://glasstips.blogspot.com/2017/08/comparisons-of-coe-and-temperatures.html

Note on the physical changes at annealing

https://glasstips.blogspot.com/2014/03/annealing-physical-changes.html

Absence of any correlation between specific gravity and CoE:

https://glasstips.blogspot.com/2018/11/specific-gravity-cole-and-colourants-of.html

CoE Useage

Does anyone know what CoE means?

·         First the proper abbreviation is CoLE.

·         This means Coefficient of Linear Expansion.

·         A coefficient is an average.  This number may be exact at a given temperature, or an average over a range.

·         Linear is the length.  

·         Expansion is measured in fractions of a metre e.g., 0.0000096 metre.

·         The coefficient is given as the average amount of expansion per each degree Celsius.
     The temperature range used is 20C to 300C.  Expansion characteristics vary greatly at higher temperatures.

So CoE is the average amount (in metres) that glass expands for each degree (Celsius) increase in temperature from 20C to 300C. 

Whether you call it CoE or CoLE is immaterial, as it still does not equal compatibility.

It does not measure viscosity. Viscosity is a (possibly the major) element in making a range of compatible fusing glasses.

It does measure expansion rates, but up to 300C only.  It does not tell you how glass expands above that temperature.  Note: it does not behave in a linear pattern as crystalline materials do.

The CoE must be adjusted to match the viscosity to achieve compatible glass.  Spectrum has stated that their glass has a range of CoE of at least ten points to make compatible fusing glass.  Bullseye have stated their range to be 5 points. They also have indicated their base glass is nearer to 91 than 90.  

The only constant required in fusing glass is compatibility. 

CoE varies within each manufacturer’s range of fusing compatible glass to match the viscosity. And remember the CoE of glass at the critical annealing point is  higher than the low temperature expansion rate. See this post for details.

Viscosity varies according to the materials used in the colouration of the glass and their proportions, requiring the glass manufacturer to make adjustments in CoE to get compatible fusing glass.  More information here.

CoE does not mean compatibility.  It does not measure volume expansion at the glass transition point.  It does not measure the most important element – viscosity.  It is not even the correct term for the measure – CoLE is.

Since CoE does not mean a fusing compatible glass, its continued use can lead people (especially novices) to believe the simple number means any glass labelled with that number will be compatible with others so labelled.  This leads to unexpected incompatibilities for newcomers to the field.

My plea is: STOP USING COE TO MEAN COMPATIBILITY.

What can you use instead? It is easy – use the manufacturer’s name.  Where the manufacturer is making more than one range of fusing compatible glass use the manufacturer’s nomenclature.

Please: STOP USING COE TO MEAN COMPATIBILITY.

"CoE Equals Compatibility" - Kiln Forming Myths 10

CoE equals compatibility.

This is as persistent myth.  CoE is an abbreviation for Coefficient of Linear Expansion.  It is not an abbreviation for Compatibility.  

Apparently, CoE is used by manufacturers of glass that is being marketed to capitalise on the popularity of fused glass without the necessity of carrying out the testing and quality control required to ensure compatibility.  It is also used as a marketing device by wholesalers and retailers possibly to make greater sales.  It is used by individuals who have been lead into sloppy thinking about the materials they are using.

There are several facts to reinforce the assertion that CoE does not equal, nor is a shorthand for, compatibility.

·         Glass marketed as CoE90 or CoE96 has to be tested by the user.  Many users have often found that the compatibility with their other glass is suspect and inconsistent. This comes from breakages that occur with one sheet of glass but not another.

·         The System 96 range was made by two glass manufacturers who had testing and quality control to ensure their whole range is compatible.

·         Uroboros makes fusing compatible glass that many claim to be compatible with Bullseye.  In general, that is the case.  But many have found that it is important to test the compatibility of the glasses from Uroboros and Bullseye against each other before committing to a project, as the compatibility is not (and cannot) be guaranteed.

·         Not all float (window) glass is compatible between manufacturers.  Even the coloured glass is marketed with a range of 6 CoE points.  And some float glass is not compatible with the accessory glass. There is even a float glass that has a CoE of 96, but it is nowhere near compatible with System 96 glass.

·         There are physical reasons too.  Coefficient of Linear Expansion is tested as the average expansion between 20°C and 300°C.  This is the brittle range for glass.  We are much more interested in what happens at the glass transition point – the small range of temperature where the glass changes from a viscous liquid to a solid – generally between 480°C and 530°C. 

·         At the glass transition there is a surprising (to me) reduction in the CoE before a rapid rise.  This variation is influenced by the viscosity of the glass.  Also, at this temperature the CoE is much higher than at the measured region and cannot be taken as a guide to what is happening at the transition point.

·         In the early attempts to make compatible glass for fusing, it was discovered that the closer to the same CoE the glass was made, the less compatible it became.

·         Viscosity is the important element in the making of compatible glass.  The change in viscosity at the glass transition point must be balanced with the expansion characteristics of the glass.  A more viscous glass requires to be balanced by a different CoE glass than a less viscous one. Thus the CoE is being adjusted – not the viscosity – to balance the forces within the glass.

·         Finally, I believe the CoE of Bullseye’s clear glass is actually 90.6 rather than 90, so if we are rounding, Bullseye might be called CoE91. 

Whether the clear CoE90 or CoE96 of other manufacturers is the same as the Bullseye, System96, or Uroboros is not the relevant point.  The relevant point is whether it is compatible.  Whether these other companies have the quality control to ensure all their glass is compatible with the claimed fusing glass without further user testing is the essential point.  At this time, it appears that they do not have that capacity.  So, those using glass marketed as CoE90 or CoE96 will need to continue to test for compatibility with each sheet they use.

Other posts on Compatibility are here:
Is Coe Important?
What is Viscosity?
CoE varies with temperature
Defining the glass transition stage

All myths have an element of truth in them otherwise they would not persist.

They also persist because people listen to the “rules” rather than thinking about the principles and applying them.  It is when you understand the principles that you can successfully break the “rules”.

CoE and Temperatures

CoE as a Determinant of Temperature Characteristics

What CoE Really Tells Us

The wide spread and erroneous use of CoE to indicate compatibility (it does not) seems to have led to the belief that CoE tells us about other things relating to the characteristics of fusing glasses.  It is important to know what CoE means.  

First it is an average of linear expansion for each °C change between 0°C and 300°C.  This is fine for metals with regular behaviour, but not for glasseous materials where we are more interested in the 400°C to 600°C range.  Measurements there have shown very different results than at the lower temperatures at which CoLE (coefficient of linear expansion) are measured.  In kiln forming we are also interested in volume changes and CoE tells us nothing about that.

Unfortunately, CoE does not tell you fusing or annealing temperatures. 

And not even relative temperatures.  

Some examples: 

• Uroboros FX90 has an annealing point of 525C compared to Bullseye (516/482C), and to the Wissmach 90 anneal of 510C. 
• Wissmach 90 has a fuse temperature of 777C compared to Bullseye's 804C.  
• Another example is Kokomo with an average CoE of 93 which has an annealing range of 507-477C and slumps around 565C. 
• There is a float glass of a CoE of 90 that anneals at 540C and fuses at 835C.  
• Artista (which is no longer made, except in clear) had a Coe of 94 with an annealing point of 535C and fuse of 835C, almost the same as float with a Coe of 83. 

These examples show that CoE can not tell you the temperature characteristics of the glass. These are determined by a number of factors of which viscosity is the most important. More information can be gained from this post on the characteristics of some glasses, or from testing and observation as noted in this post .

CoE does not tell you much about compatibility either, since viscosity is more important in determining compatibility.  CoE needs to be adjusted and varied in the glass making process to balance the viscosity of the glass.  Viscosity is described here .

This post and its links describes why Coe is not a synonym for compatibility. 


What CoE REALLY tells us is that we look for simple answers, even when the conditions are complex.  

Mixing COE

Our use of Coe as an equivalent for compatibility can lead to difficulties. The only compatibility that can be relied on is that given by the manufacturer. No manufacturer can attest to the compatibility of another manufacturer's glass. They can only verify their own.

So, if you mix manufacturers' glass even though advertised as the same COE, it does not make them compatible. There is much more than expansion rates that goes into compatibility. You need to test different manufacturers' glass against each other before you use it.

These are notes on aspects of compatibility.

COE

Importance of COE

COE variations

Viscosity

Annealing

Problems when Slumping

A range of problems appear in slumping.  These include bubbles, splits, puddling and more. Several causes are possible.  This blog looks at the problems, possible causes and remedies.

Bubbles

Blocked Vent Holes

 Absence of, or blocked holes at the bottom of the mould to allow air out into the kiln on all but shallow or cylindrical moulds can be a cause of bubbles. Prop the mould up on stilts if the hole does not go directly from under the glass and out of the side of the mould. Alternatively, drill a hole in the side to allow the air to escape from under the mould.

Wet moulds

In kiln forming, the moisture resulting from recently applied kiln wash is considered by some to be a cause of bubbles. The water in the mould will be evaporated by around 250°C/482°F in any sensible slumping schedule. At this temperature, the glass will not have begun to move, so the moisture can move out of the mould through any vent holes at the bottom of the mould, or past the glass as it rests on the edge of the mould.

The circumstance when a damp slumping mould could cause difficulties is when using an extremely fast rise of temperature. This is detrimental to the mould also, as the rapid formation of steam is more likely to break the mould rather than the glass. It is also unlikely to result in a good slump conforming to the mould without significant marking.

In casting with wet plaster/silica moulds water vapour can move toward the glass. Casting practice has alleviated some of the problem, by having an extended steam out before 200°C/395°F, or pouring the glass into the hot dry mould from a reservoir.

In pate de verre, the mould is most often packed while wet. The small particles normally allow any steaming of moisture to pass through, and so be dry at forming temperatures without blowing any bubbles.

Top Temperature

Bubbles at the bottom of the glass are much more likely to be the result of too high a process temperature if the previous two conditions are met. This high temperature allows the glass to slide down the mould.  The glass is not plastic enough to thicken and form a puddle at the bottom at most slumping temperatures. Instead, it begins to be pushed up from the lowest point due to the weight of the glass sliding down the sides.

 

Avoiding uprisings on the bottom of bowls.

Vent Holes

Make sure the holes are clear before placing the glass.

Wet Moulds

Ensure that the moulds are no more than damp before placing in the kiln.

Top Temperature

Firing for too long or at too high a temperature will cause the glass to continue sliding down. Having nowhere else to go, the bottom begins rising. This is the result of the weight of glass pressing down onto the bottom, especially on steep-sided moulds. This is a consistent experience across several kilns and with multiple users.

Low Slumping Temperatures.

Glass at low temperatures is affected largely by its weight and viscosity.

Viscosity Effects

Thick glass will fall more slowly than thin, when using the same schedule. Thick glass takes longer to equalise the upper and lower surface temperatures. Since the lower surface is stiffer (has a higher viscosity) it will move less using the same heat up rate. This means slower rates should be used, or a significant soak just above the strain point will be required. This softening of the glass evenly throughout the rise to the top temperature is critical in obtaining even slumps.

Splits in slumps

Without the slow progress to top temperature there can be problems. Sometimes the upper surface of the slump appears fine. It is the bottom that exhibits a split or tear that does not go all the way to the upper surface of the glass. It indicates the rate of advance was too - but only just - too fast to achieve the desired result.

 The ramp rate has been quick enough to get the top heated and become plastic. But the lower surface is still cold enough that it is brittle. The weight of the upper softened glass begins to push down before the bottom has become hot enough to be fully plastic. The force of the weight on the bottom can be enough to cause the glass to separate, rather than move as the surface does. This split on the bottom but not the top indicates a slower rate for that thickness is required. This shows the interaction between viscosity and weight.

 Sometimes the split is evident from the top. The cause of this kind of split is the same as a split on the bottom. But the ramp rate has been much faster in relation to the thickness or profile of the piece.

Weight

It is possible to have glass slightly overhang slumping moulds if you use low temperatures. The glass has the appearance of behaving differently at these low temperatures than at fusing temperatures.  

 

At low temperatures it cannot form exactly to the mould. It falls first in the middle. Because the glass is not very plastic, the edges rise up from the mould at first, because the weight there is not great enough to allow the unsupported glass to bend. The edges stay in line with the beginning of the bend in the middle.  

 

At the beginning of the slump the glass is not soft enough to stretch. It maintains its dimensions as it falls. For deep moulds, the glass moves progressively to move over the lip of the mould and begins to fall into the mould.

As the slump proceeds, the glass stretches very little and so the edges move further down the mould. The glass continues to slide down at the edges until the centre settles down onto the mould bottom. 

During this slide into place, the glass can become marked. This is usually most evident on back of the upper portions of the glass where most sliding is happening.

 With higher than necessary temperatures, the glass can continue to slide down the mould. Since the glass is still not fully plastic, the weight pushes the glass at the bottom upwards. This gives the appearance of a bubble, but is an uprising due to the pressure of the glass at the sides of the mould.

 

During the sliding of the glass along the mould, it becomes more marked. The marks often look like stretch marks. And in many senses, it is exactly that.

At higher temperatures or longer holds, the glass softens more. At this point the uprising collapses and the glass begins to thicken at the bottom. It also thins slightly at the top.

Remedies

Ramp Rates

The ramp rates should be slow.

• ·        This allows the glass to heat evenly throughout. This is important to get even slumps. 
•          Contrasting colours or a combination of opalescent and transparent glasses heat evenly with slow rates.
• ·        Slow rates allow glass with tack profiles to heat evenly.
• ·        It helps avoid splits in the bottom of slumped glass.
• ·        It allows lower slump temperature to be used.

Low Temperatures

Using the lowest practical slumping temperature gives the best results.

• ·        It allows glass with small overhangs of the mould to be successfully slumped.
• ·        Low temperature reduces the mould marks on the back of the glass.
• ·        Fewer stretch marks are in evidence.
• ·        Low slumping temperatures with long soaks reduce the uneven slump that is sometimes in evidence with deeper moulds.
• ·        Low temperatures allow different colours to heat more evenly.
• ·        Low temperatures reduce the thinning or thickening of glass in a high temperature slump.

More information is available here.

This information shows you need to keep the slumping temperature to the minimum required. To find out what that temperature is, watch the slumping in stages in brief peeks (do not stare!). Look at the piece for a second or two every five minutes before you reach your desired temperature and at intervals throughout the hold.

If it has slumped completely at the beginning of the hold, you are firing too high. Reduce your temperature in subsequent firings and watch in the same way to find what the required temperature and time is. There is absolutely no substitute in slumping but to watch by peeking to learn what your mould and glass require. 

What Temperature?

To determine the temperature needed for your piece, use slow ramp rates – between 100°C to 150°C/ 180°F to 270°F. Set your top temperature around 630°C/1170°F for a simple slump of fusing glass. For bottle or window glass you will need a temperature closer to 720°C/1330°F.

It is necessary to observe the progress of the slump as you do not know the best slumping temperature. Start watching the glass at about 10-minute intervals from about 600°C/1110°F. There is not much light in the kiln at this temperature, so an external light is useful. You can also observe the reflections of the elements on the glass. When the image of the elements begins to curve, you know the glass is beginning to bend. You then know that is the lowest possible slumping temperature when using that ramp rate.

Hold for at least 30 mins at the temperature when the glass begins to visibly drop. This may or may not be long enough. Continue checking at 5-10 minute intervals to know when the slump is complete. If the glass is completely slumped before the soak time is finished, advance to the next segment. If not fully slumped, you need to extend the soak time. These operations mean you need to know how to alter your schedule while firing. Consult your controller manual to learn how to do these things. Stop the hold when complete and advance to the anneal.

In some cases, you may need to increase temperature you set by 5-10°C. You can do this by scheduling a couple of segments with 10°C/18°F higher temperature each and 30 minute soaks each.  If you do not need them, you can skip them. If you do need the extra temperature, you have it scheduled already.  You will know if you need the extra segments by whether the glass has begun to curve at the start of the first of the soaks.  If it has not after 10 minutes, skip to the next segment. Once the new temperature has been reached, check for a curve in the glass. Again, if after 10 minutes there is no curve, skip to the next (higher temperature) segment.

A low temperature slump will allow the glass to conform to the shape of the mould without softening so much that it takes up all the markings of the mould. That in turn means there are spaces for the air to escape from under the glass all the way to the slumping temperature as well as through the air holes at the bottom. It also gives the most mark-free slump possible for your shape.

If you are slumping at such a temperature that the glass has sealed to the mould, you are firing too hot anyway. Or put more positively, use a low temperature slump, that is, a slump at the lowest temperature to achieve the desired result over an extended period of your choice.

More information is available in the eBook Low Temperature Kilnforming available through Etsy or Bullseye.