The other essential tool for bead making is a kiln. And as mentioned in earlier segments,
the kiln performs two functions. It allows the bead to cool off very gently, so as to
avoid thermal shock, which will cause cracking in a bead. And it also importantly performs
the function of annealing the bead, annealing is the process of making happy glass molecules.
Where the glass molecules get to vibrate. Annealing doesn't change the look of the bead,
it doesn't change the shape of the bead. But it gets the temperature high enough in the
case of the Effetre, Italian glass we're using, nine hundred and fifty degrees fahrenheit,
gets the glass hot enough so that the molecules in the bead form, get to vibrate and kind
of move a little bit. So that they can work out any stress that they might have. When
we make a bead we're introducing lots of focused heat into one particular and our goal is to
have that not be so localized. But to have the heat distributed evenly, and there are
homogenization processes we use in making the breads. Where we do a nice kind of marshmallow
toasting of the bead after we have worked on one dot area or one designing area. And
a lot of this will become clear as we go through the sequences of the actual bead making steps.
But in any event the annealing kiln is a further homogenizing influence on the glass, and helps
ensure that the glass bead that you make, once it comes down to room temperature will
not crack. There are special kilns made for this and they are bead kilns. A ceramic kiln
can theoretically be used for making a glass beads but you have to be super careful not
to introduce the metal rod that you make the bead on into any of the electric elements
that are a part of the kiln. Because if you do you stand the risk of electrocuting yourself.
So a bead kiln will typically have a top chamber where the electrodes are direct and you never
would touch that with metal directly exposed. But there's a underneath chamber which has
usually a mesh separation where you physically cannot introduce this your metal mandrel,
which is holding your bead to an electrode by accident. And we'll get you another picture
of the bead kiln later on you can see the door. But a bead kiln is a great tool, and
they cost any where from between four hundred and six hundred degrees. Some of them have,
dollars excuse me, some of them have controllers which automatically adjust the temperature
and others just simply use a variable speed, sort of potentiometer dial, and you have to
keep looking at the pyrometer, which tells you what temperature you're at. On the kiln
I'm using it's not fancy, we have no programmable computer, it doesn't keep it at a certain
temperature. I'm always having to look at the pyrometer to make sure that I am maintaining
the temperature I want. In this case right now I've got my pyrometer and it's indicating,
it's hard to see of course, but take my word for it that's about nine hundred and fifty,
nine seventy-five fahrenheit. One thousand is straight up on that middle slash. So that's
the pyrometer and this is my bead kiln, and again these are available from any of the
glass supply houses. With respect to the kiln function of annealing and keeping thermal
shock away, the particular bead kiln I have in this instance also serves a very valuable
safety function. Because the bead when it goes into the kiln it does not risk getting
into contact with electrodes that are located above, because there's a separation between
the upper chamber and the bottom chamber. You'll notice there's a mesh screen so you
would never put a steel mandrel into this top area, because it can electrocute you.
By touching the mandrel to the electrodes you can get a injuring or killing shock. So
a bead kiln is specifically designed to prevent against this and has a separation screen between
the bead chamber and where the electrodes are actually located.