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I am going to fire my first kiln-carved piece. I prefired 2 layers of Bullseye 1/8" glass together (14" diameter circle). I cut out a few leaf designs from 1/8" thick piece of fiber paper and have layed them down (they are 1/8" thick only, not layered on top of each other) on another base layer of 1/8" fiber paper. I fired the paper in the kiln to 1290 degrees to burn out the binder. I am now ready to fire my glass on top of the fiber paper with the irid side down. Even though I have read the Kiln Carving Tip Sheet, I am still unsure as to what is the right firing and annealing schedule. I plan fire it again a second time to slump the piece into a bowl mold, not a deep one. I would like to get good definition of the design elements, and a smooth top surface, but am unclear as to what the top temp and hold should be. I am thinking:
250 degrees/hr to 900 - hold 15
300 degrees/hr to 1100 - hold 30
100 degrees/hr to 1220 - hold 30
600 degrees/hr to 1520 - hold 20
AFAP to 900 - hold 2 hours
50 degrees/hr to 700 - off

Any thoughts. I only have one shot at this.
Katie

Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:25 pm

It really depends on how vertical you want the walls of the indentation you are creating to be. The hotter and longer the more vertical. Your schedule has some unnecessary steps because a bubble squeeze is not needed as your blank is already fused together. If you get any devit it will be on the back of the piece. I would do:

250 1450 Hold (Look) If necessary, go to 1500
Drop to anneal
Hold 60
100 600 Hold 30
Off

Thanks Brock!

I kilncarve at 1480F hold 20 min.........good detail.