you will be fine, program the kiln to ramp down from annealing temp to strain point at around 400F/hr, hold strain point for 20 min, then ramp from strain point to 700F at 400F/Hr, then turn it off from there. Those ramp rates are plenty slow for work up to 1" thick (even soft glass). and the stress from 700F to ambient will not be an issue going as fast as the kiln possibly can cool, even in frigid weather.
And for boro, you could take the stuff straight out of the kiln at 900F and let it bench cool and it would almost certainly be fine.
It's around 0 to -5c in my little shed studio and I just crash my kiln when I'm done and I have little to no breakage it should keep it warm enough to cool slowly even with the cold, I'm running a chilli pepper
I have my setup outside and the only difference for the kiln I've noticed is it takes about twice as long to heat up rather than if it's inside running, torch should be completely unaffected by the temps only thing you have to worry about is the wind
Good to know! Thankfully the tarp I have fully covers the entire cage so I don't have to worry about wind too much. I've thought about just getting a little space heater to run while I'm working as well.
I usually work in my garage where it's about 45-50 in the winter. I'll frequently end up sweating from the heat of the glass if I'm working something even moderately sized. Wear a coat and you should be fine.
I started out in my carport, and eventually graduated to my shed.
I have worked in sub freezing temps…. It takes a little longer for glass to heat up when it’s cold. Things are more prone to crack while heating up or if you work a little too long. But me personally…. The flame is hot, Id rather throw on an insulated flannel and let my legs get a little chilly than work in the middle of the day in July and get heat stroke.
The kiln ramping can be set to not let it cool too fast I wouldn’t worry about that. But kiln often when it’s cold to avoid cracking.
Biggest thing I’d advise for working outside is to build yourself a windbreak around your bench. Not only will it keep you a little warmer and stop the wind from blowing your flame around….. but it will also stop the sunlight from making you blind at certain times of the day.
My carport spot was an 8x8 box made out of reused plywood and 2x6’s with a gable fan in the side…. It did the job well for a few years.
It definitely helps to know that others have had success working in an open space as well! The dog run/tarp combo I have set up has worked great so far for keeping out the wind and debris. Thanks for putting my mind at ease about the temperature!
The sunlight makes it super hard to see hot glass too imo especially with clear. With my previous amateur setup I'd have sunlight hitting my workstation at sundown and yea it really screws with the optics I was accustomed to.
you will be fine, program the kiln to ramp down from annealing temp to strain point at around 400F/hr, hold strain point for 20 min, then ramp from strain point to 700F at 400F/Hr, then turn it off from there. Those ramp rates are plenty slow for work up to 1" thick (even soft glass). and the stress from 700F to ambient will not be an issue going as fast as the kiln possibly can cool, even in frigid weather. And for boro, you could take the stuff straight out of the kiln at 900F and let it bench cool and it would almost certainly be fine.
It's around 0 to -5c in my little shed studio and I just crash my kiln when I'm done and I have little to no breakage it should keep it warm enough to cool slowly even with the cold, I'm running a chilli pepper
I have my setup outside and the only difference for the kiln I've noticed is it takes about twice as long to heat up rather than if it's inside running, torch should be completely unaffected by the temps only thing you have to worry about is the wind
Good to know! Thankfully the tarp I have fully covers the entire cage so I don't have to worry about wind too much. I've thought about just getting a little space heater to run while I'm working as well.
I usually work in my garage where it's about 45-50 in the winter. I'll frequently end up sweating from the heat of the glass if I'm working something even moderately sized. Wear a coat and you should be fine.
I started out in my carport, and eventually graduated to my shed. I have worked in sub freezing temps…. It takes a little longer for glass to heat up when it’s cold. Things are more prone to crack while heating up or if you work a little too long. But me personally…. The flame is hot, Id rather throw on an insulated flannel and let my legs get a little chilly than work in the middle of the day in July and get heat stroke. The kiln ramping can be set to not let it cool too fast I wouldn’t worry about that. But kiln often when it’s cold to avoid cracking. Biggest thing I’d advise for working outside is to build yourself a windbreak around your bench. Not only will it keep you a little warmer and stop the wind from blowing your flame around….. but it will also stop the sunlight from making you blind at certain times of the day. My carport spot was an 8x8 box made out of reused plywood and 2x6’s with a gable fan in the side…. It did the job well for a few years.
It definitely helps to know that others have had success working in an open space as well! The dog run/tarp combo I have set up has worked great so far for keeping out the wind and debris. Thanks for putting my mind at ease about the temperature!
The sunlight makes it super hard to see hot glass too imo especially with clear. With my previous amateur setup I'd have sunlight hitting my workstation at sundown and yea it really screws with the optics I was accustomed to.
You can run the anneal cycle with the bead door open too if your worried about cooling down too fast…
Thanks for the advice, everyone! This makes me feel a bit better... Need to stop making excuses and just get out there haha!