Fusing 104coe 1" square tiles [Part II]

 So, we figured the problem was actually that I had filled the kiln with three times as much material as the time I used the original schedule.

In the interest of time, I adjusted the schedule but continued firing with the three molds.  It went swell.

In the future, I might want to continue experimenting until perfection is achieved, but for the moment I have actually run out of scraps.  Could I use virgin material for this product?  Sure, probably... but I'm currently behind with commissions for things I know how to do well (including a painting), so I have to finish those first before launching into more experimentation.  I also see more profitable and satisfying to figure out how to make the blown beads again.  So, projects will be prioritized...

Fusing 104coe 1" square tiles [Part I]

I'm posting this mostly for myself than anything else.

Back in 2013 I melted these tiles, and took the notes that follow. 

 

rA1 = FULL

F = 1472

Hdl1 = .10

rA2 = FULL

F = 1292

Hdl2 = 0

rA3 = 320

F = 1004

Hdl3 = 1.00

rA4 = 248

F = 752

Hdl4 = 0

Then, upon attempting that schedule yesterday, I got the following results... 

I made twelve of them, and those 5 are the ones I decided to keep because I mean, they're adorable... here are all of them...

Anyway, lots of aesthetics but that wasn't the point of this post...  I didn't understand why they got hot enough to stick but didn't melt all the way down, especially since I was sure that the schedule I had used (successfully, as per the first picture) had been that one... I asked on LWE as well as the Lampwork Tips, Techniques, and Questions Facebook group, and the consensus was that I didn't allow the glass to soak for long enough at 1472.  Phill (SpeedSlug) on LWE gave me some notes I'm going to include below for future reference, and also Patti Cavill on Facebook.

So, using these notes I came up with the following schedule, which is in the kiln right now... I needed these tiles done this morning but alas, it is what it is.

rA1    =    FULL

F        =    1435

Hld1    =    30    note:  Claudia Stuart suggests holding for 1 hour and peeking, then skipping step when it looks good

rA2    =    FULL

F        =    1004

Hld2    =    1.00

rA3    =    100

F        =    680

Hld3    =    0

rA4    =    200

F        =    110

Hld4    =    0

Normally I would just finish at the third hold and let it cool down naturally but I'm feeling well behaved...

For anyone reading this needing the visual, this is what my kiln looks like: