I’ve been noticing lately that whenever I anneal in my kiln (a small
enameling one), the metal gets very oxidized. This happens with
metals I’d expect it from- but also with ones I don’t (argentium,
22k fusing gold, etc.)
I’m thinking there are 3 possible causes, though I may well be
missing something:
- kiln wash in the kiln
- steel kiln furniture supporting the metal
- it’s not a ventilated kiln
Any thoughts on this? I don’t mind especially cleaning or pickling
off the oxides, but I think annealing and then hardening the
argentium has lead to firescale in it (at least, I can’t figure out
where else the stuff came from!).
I’d really love to be able to anneal safely in the kiln, without
adding extra oxides. For heavier stock, I feel more comfortable that
the metal has annealed thoroughly in a kiln rather than under a
torch.
Thanks for any help!
Amanda
Amanda Fisher
http://www.afmetalsmith.com