We’ve been telling the story of our crucible crisis. This blog contains part 2 of 3, but in case you’re just joining us, here’s a quick recap!
Recently, our crucible sprung a hole and unexpectedly put us on an emergency timeline for repair! A crucible swap is a lengthy process that can take up to nine full days in total, so being able to plan for it is the ideal situation. As life often does, we were thrown a curveball — and our incredible Studio & Gallery teams rose to the challenge!
The Fix — Swapping Under Pressure
After the lengthy cooldown and spilled glass removal process, we finally removed the old crucible and were able to see what happened! Our initial suspicions proved correct when we spotted a crack along the brim that had been leaking molten glass into the rest of the furnace. Cracks such as this one are formed by the gradual breaking away of the ceramic material crucibles are made from, eventually eating enough away to create a hole right at the brim!
During the process of replacing our crucible, we also took the opportunity to replace the furnace elements! These elements are long metal rods that are responsible for heating the furnace up to a staggering 2100°F! These elements are quite brittle, so pictured above is LSAG glassblower Tyler carefully removing the old elements and installing the new ones!
Then, the installation process for the new crucible began! It took a team of two to lift the heavy crucible into and position and to carefully to preserve the structures keeping the furnace insulated at the same time. But after the important due diligence was paid in ensuring the new crucible would function perfectly, the furnace was sealed back up and the heating up process could begin!
