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Well...possibly, but it's not IN an enclosed metal box. It's outside the box, looking in, and the box is foil-lined cardboard. And you have it on while you're working the clay, not all the time (i.e., unsupervised). Well that's a little bit different. Just read and understand those lamp fixture WAR...

Oil-based clay oven is actually pretty easy to make, and I like it better than the warm water/cooler method because it's not quite as messy, you can deal with relatively large volumes of clay, and you don't have to keep reheating the water for new clay. You get a banker's file box for a couple of b...

... oil-based clay ... tends to need a little more equipment to work properly-- clay oven to soften it and some way to warm your tools if you're shaping. If you make the mistake of letting it get hot in the mold, good luck digging it out--it can bake in and become cement-like. Hi Cynthia, to soften...

I think Cynthia normally uses water-based clay for her sculpture. Personally, I'd recommend your daughter use an oil-based clay or plasticine for her model. [I use Poly Plasticine from Polytek myself.] For oil-based clay, your daughter need not be concerned with clay drying out [cracking] prematurel...

Hi Terry, one important thing to keep in mind about using silicone rubber is, in general, silicones with higher viscosity may be more prone to trapping air during mixing [causing bubble problems which shorten mold life] UNLESS you de-gas them under vacuum just after initial mixing of the rubber. Low...

Hi Bonnie, there's a remote chance these pots are made of resin rather than clay. Perhaps a simple match flame test will be in order to determine if the material melts and/or burns. Have water nearby. If the pots don't melt/burn, they may indeed be made of clay and you're seeing "black-coring&q...

Hi Terry,

You may simply use 'cold water' [60ºF or cooler] for your plaster mix to give extra set time
rather than risk some of the negative effects of added acid retarders, i.e., brittleness, more cracking, glass surface
imperfections, etc.

Good luck!

Jim

What is the best release for a plaster mold taken off of a plaster master? I have lost one and do not want to lose another!!!! Thanks! Hi Laurie, typically a plaster master is first sealed with a suitable liquid soap [e.g. green tincture soap, or Murphy's Oil Soap], then a release is applied such a...

I would like to offer a definition of art and an explanation to support it which is as follows: “True Art is an organized piece of work that effectively communicates a genuine human experience.” I'm reading Frank Stella's new book. He questions :" Does it have to be good to be Art?" It wa...

Brock wrote:Seeing as you're a pay-as-you-go kind of guy, send me $10.00 and I'll tell you.

Brock,

I'm guessin' you'd just tell me "Yes".

I'm investigating making my own wire bending jig(s) now.

Thanks,

Jim

Are there some sort of special "edge clips" available for fastening this shape of glass mask to its stand? Any suggestions where I might find them?? Thanks very much,

Jim

Bert, Thanks, I understand now. If the larger Alumina Oxide doesn't satisfy your need, there is another material you may consider adding to your recipe that may help to hold a pattern better - 200-mesh Kyanite. Kyanite has many uses, including refractories for glass. Kyanite is well-known for its in...

Hi Bert, Instead of Alumina Oxide, is there any reason to discount using Alumina Tri-Hydrate (325-mesh) along with plaster as your sandcasting "mold" for sheet glass ? I'd think proper (slow) firing of the Alumina Tri-Hydrate + Plaster "mold" would release the extra chemically-co...

Annah,

First, apply a coat of "clear" shellac to prime the glass. Then, apply the paint which will adhere to the shellac.

Best wishes,

Jim Murphy

Hi BobB, Let's just say you want to create one of Monet's "Water Lilies" in glass. You haven't indicated how you would "recreate" or "reproduce" it and it would probably be wise - legally - NOT to publish an explanation of your method if it involves some sort of "s...

Rodney wrote, " is there anyway to get those tiny bubbles outta there, to make it a bit closer to translucent" Wait a second Rodney. The tiny bubbles ARE what creates the translucency. We're talking microscopic "bubbles", not the larger bubbles visible to the naked-eye in some tr...

Rodney, I share my booknotes below regarding particle size vs. translucency for Lead crystal pate de verre from "Art and Technique Of Pate de Verre" Notes: How to control translucency? - determined by size of glass grains. Large grains of glass charged into molds trap large bubbles inside ...

Don and Bert,

Thanks for the info. I've got a better understanding now of what materials
I'll need.

Jim Murphy

Hi again, Yes, my goal is "to have brilliant vivid transparent colors as if the blocks were made of colored glass". I plan to use backlighting shining thru the tinted glass blocks. The plan is for indoor-use only though durability of the tinted coating is a "must" for quality wor...

Hello & Happy Memorial Day to all ! I've got some Pittsburgh Corning glass blocks I wish to tint, separately, using the seven R-O-Y-G-B-I-V (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) colors. Any recommendations for either a commercial tinted window glaze product, or better yet, a recipe ...