Cloudy results

[KJHayes]

Hi ALL, question from a newby.  Having done courses and acheived some eye popping results I am currently very disheartened by my first efforts at firing at home.

My glass all came out dull / cludy/ matt whatever you call it it had NO SHINE.

Any Ideas where I may have gone wrong??

Was using system96 glass, and followed their firing guidelines. I may have introduced some water into the kiln as on the bottom shelf I was slumping some glass over a home made mould that wasnt 100% dry. But could water in the kiln make my glass come out dull?

Have I got a problem that has been encoutered before, or am I just experiencing early day disappointments?

[Stephen Richard]

It would help if you gave more information – schedule, separator, lay up, cleaning regime, etc.

Most problems of this sort – devitrification – come from inadequate cleaning of the glass.  You can see my take on cleaning here:

http://glasstips.blogspot.com/2010/08/cleaning-glass.html

Stephen Richard

blogs at: http://www.verrier-glass.blogspot.com/   and  http://www.glasstips.blogspot.com/

[KJHayes]

Hi Richard, thanks for your reply. That article/page on cleaning, plus other extensive reading of this site has led us to believe that we were sloppy and introduced badly cleaned glass, stuck with innapropriate glue to the kiln. So despite follwing the System96 firing protocol to the letter, we failed.

So we wont be cleaning the glass in Lynx shower gel again! (joke).

 

This devit business, which I have now read extensively about, is a devil.

Kiln is on its way down from another firing, having been serviced, cleaned and calibrated. Glass was cleaned following your guidelines/cautions and hopefully all will be well. Let you know in 8 hours time!

Cheers Kevin

[Stephen Richard]

Stephen Richard

blogs at: http://www.verrier-glass.blogspot.com/   and  http://www.glasstips.blogspot.com/

[knittinmama]

I have experienced some cloudy result even after careful cleaning.  My glass instructor told me that, with a small, top element kiln like mine, sometimes there is not enough ventilation.  Any fumes put off by glue, kiln paper, and anything else is trapped in the kiln, rises to the top, burns and falls in a haze onto the glass.  I sand blasted the pieces that were affected and I am getting ready to fire them again.  If you don’t have access to a sand blaster you can also polish them off with some very fine grit automotive wet/dry sand paper.  I found some at Walmart.  ‘Hope this helps!

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