Perhaps I am missing something. But, I never use flux when I am
fusing links. I just throw the little guys into the kiln, and let
’er rip. If you are using fine silver, it won’t be necessary.
Margaret
I never use flux when I am fusing links. If you are using fine silver, it won't be necessary.
Margaret, a disconcertingly large proportion of my links were either
melting or acquiring a rough texture from overheating. Then I read
about a granulation technique: Applying copper just to the sections
to be fused. It essentially creates a localized, lower-melting
alloy, so the join can be fused without overheating the remaining,
purer silver.
Thus I entered a Mad Scientist phase. I put a small section of
plumbing pipe into ammonia to make a copper solution, took the
battery out of the garage-door opener to make a crude electroplater,
and plated copper onto the silver links.
The directions for granulation said to add a little flux, so I
dipped the links into Prip’s. Then I laid the links onto the ceramic
surface of the kiln and used a butane minitorch to complete the
fusing.
Evidently, the heat needed to fuse the links was also enough to turn
the flux into glass-based cement! Whatever links that I successfully
fused were subsequently mangled when wrenched from the kiln. 
Janet
the former Mad Scientist
never use flux when I am fusing links. I just throw the little guys into the kiln, and let 'er rip. If you are using fine silver, it won't be necessary.
Margaret, Would you be kind enough to describe fully the technique
you use for fusing links etc. J. Dule
Hi All,
I coat my table top kiln (Melon kiln, beehive kiln) with kiln wash
on a regular basis. When ever something sets stuck, its easy to get
it off.
I have even ground down the top VERY CAREFULLY!!! on my flat lap in
order to renew the surface when glass got stuck to the top.
-
Unplug the kiln and take the element out of the kiln by removing
the center screw. 2) With your calipers, measure the thickness of the
element. -
From the bottom of the element, I can see the element heating
wires. -
I used a very fine sewing needle and push it through the spacing
in the wires (to the top of the wires) to determine the depth and
measure this depth with my calipers. -
Subtracting the depth measured in #4 form the height measured in
#2 gives the thickness of the kiln above the element. -
Mine was about 5mm.
-
I put it on my flap lap and ground down past the embedded glass,
and remeasureed. It was about 4.5 mm, which means I ground off a
half a millimeter. -
I put it all together and it worked fine.
-
IF you try this, be sure that you don’t grind into the wires. It
is a way I have found to revive an old kiln prior to buying a new
element.
The best thing is to not get into this situation in the first place.
-
Coating the kiln top with kiln wash works, but reduces the heat
some. -
If you think there may be some slop or melting of metal, you can
put a piece of Mica on top of the kiln. Nothing stick to it. It can
be purchased from any enameling supply such as Thompsons Enamels. A
6" x 6" square is about $6 and will last a while. This works if you
have glass stuck to the kiln top and don’t want to grind off the top.
Stuck glass will result in a sticky kiln top every time you bring
the kiln up to the higher temperatures.
If you get metal stuck to the kiln, here is how to remove it.
-
Turn the kiln up all the way.
-
Get a piece of metal and flux the end and melt a few pieces to
the end. I use the handle of one of my miniature files. -
With your torch, heat the end of the file (or metal rod) and then
heat the metal that is stuck to the top of the kiln until it balls
up. -
Touch the rod to the ball of metal, and remove the flame from the
kiln top. -
Let the ball of metal cool slightly, about 3 seconds, and remove
the rod. Most of the metal will come off the kiln onto the rod. You
will have to do this 5-10 times, but you can get off all traces of
the metal with this procedure.
Love and God Bless
-randy
http://www.rocksmyth.com