castuary1The kiln hit process temp* last night, stayed that way for eight hours and about two minutes ago reached its annealing soak. It’ll soak for another 23 hours and 58 minutes, then start the long, downhill slide to room temperature.

By my calculations it’ll hit room temperature Friday morning at 5:15 AM. Another 24 hours of resting, and it’s mine.

But right now, we (the glass and I) are in what I call the patience zone, and it’s the part of Castuary that drives me nuts.

It’s a terrible place, but it’s where you live (well, where I live, anyway) when you’re into glass casting. What’s done is done, what will happen will happen, and there’s not a daggone thing to do but wait.

  • Did I use enough glass?
  • Am I going to get a bad color reaction?
  • A good color reaction?
  • Did I hold the glass long enough to pick up really good detail?
  • Long enough to fine out some bubbles?
  • Did the investment hold or do I have a new glass kilnfloor?

Opening a kiln is like Christmas and a train wreck all at the same time. Oh, I know the bloody mold and firing schedule are, if anything, over-engineered, I know I calculated volume correctly (29 pounds of glass, give or take a few ounces), I know the chemistries predict a potential reaction between only two of the 11 glasses I used and I want that reaction… but I’m still going to be surprised on Saturday morning.

Hopefully in a good way.

In the meantime, I’m lulling the glassjones with some more tack-fuse experiments and also a housewarming/wedding present for cousin and new cousin-in-law who just arrived in glassland. (And had the good taste to admire my work. I swear, I’m too easy. Praise my glass and the next day it’s gift-wrapped on your doorstep. This is why I never have enough stuff for a full show.)

These are mostly variations on a theme, stuff I’m doing just to get them out of my head while the REAL heartwork is pounding on my motor centers and screaming to get out. And all this tack-fusing has given me an idea I’m calling tack-casting right now…but could be very interesting and potentially heartwork if I can develop it.

But with all this, my thoughts keep arrowing down to the kiln…and Saturday morning.

–sigh–

Update: Wanna see what came out of the kiln? Meet The Lady.


*what most people call process temp, or the hottest point in the firing cycle, the point at which the good stuff happens…or not