What does kiln annealed mean?
Once glass has been heated, it developes internal stress as it cools. This can cause the glass to crack or dangerously shatter later in its life. Sometimes it happens as soon as it cools, sometimes months later. To avoid this probem, glass needs to be properly kiln annealed. Once I make a bead, it immediately goes in my kiln which has an internal temperature of 968 degrees. At the end of a bead making session, the kiln will stay at that temperature for two hours without the door being opened. This process is the annealing process. After two hours, the kiln will slowly ramp down so that no stress is created in the glass. It’s often hard to wait until the next day to see my days work, but it is best for the beads.
