Use Instructions: Place clear glass in your Vitrigraph Pot to give a level base. Put the Phoenix Form in the center of the Vitrigraph Pot and pack medium frit size clear glass around the outside so it is held in place. NOTE: If packing the inside details with fine frit, use fine frit to pack around the outside. Leave some of the Phoenix Form above the level of the glass so you can pull it out later. Then fill the inside details with medium frit of the colors you want. NOTE: if using fine frit in the details, pack outside the form with fine frit also. Instead of frit, you can also fill the details with stringers or rods, but the goal is to have a dense packing of glass in the details. Once filled inside and outside, slowly lift the Phoenix Form out while gently tapping with a spoon. It helps to stop every 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so to tap and allow the glass exiting the Phoenix Form to fill the void below. Once the Phoenix Form is completely removed, add about a 1/2 inch more of clear glass to the top of the Vitrigraph Pot to help with final clean out.
Notes: You can certainly use colored glass around the Phoenix Form, but that color will be permanently adhered to the inside of the Vitrigraph Pot and my affect future color choices, but if clear is used around the Phoenix Form, and placed on top of the glass after the Phoenix Form has been removed, there will be almost no color left in the Vitrigraph Pot upon completion of the cycle. Also, if you allow all glass except for the small amount that coats the inside of the Vitrigraph Pot to come through the bottom of the Vitrigraph Pot, the Vitrigraph Pot will be reusable many times. Leaving glass in the Vitrigraph Pot subjects it to additional stresses and will lessen its life expectancy.
For best results, use this firing schedule:
1 – 500F/Hr to 500F and hold for 10 minutes
2 – 9999F/hour to 1385F and hold for 20 minutes
3 – 9999F/hour to 1610 and hold until pot has been emptied of your usable murrini/millefiori is coming out mostly clear
4 – 9999F/hour to 1700 and hold for 30 minutes pull as much of the glass that remains through the bottom –
5 – Turn kiln off and allow to cool to 100F or less before removing Vitrigraph Pot for the next round of pulling