What is kiln annealing?
Kiln annealing is a process that ensures the integrity of your glass. When glass is melted and manipulated to create the designs and brilliant colors that create a work of art, the glass becomes stressed. If this stress is not removed the glass will eventual crack either as it cools or at some later date. Kiln annealing reduces that stress so that it becomes more stable and less fragile. Since glass cools from the outside in, the molecules in the central core are still moving around (even though they’re no longer molten) long after the outer surface has cooled and hardened. Annealing is the controlled process of slowly cooling finished beads in a temperature controlled kiln (oven) over a period of several hours (how long depends on the type of glass), so that the glass molecules have a chance to slow down. This ensures the glass bead has a tougher core.
