Search found 25 matches

by nbobb
Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:13 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Question about drying molds
Replies: 2
Views: 7670

Re: Question about drying molds

Thank you for your reply.
by nbobb
Sun Aug 20, 2017 12:01 am
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Question about drying molds
Replies: 2
Views: 7670

Question about drying molds

I recently bought a kiln with a downdraft venting system, with the intention of using it to facilitate the drying of plaster/silica molds. I've noticed that I seem to have more mold cracking and I'm wondering if the vent system is drying the mold out too fast. I have been making lost wax castings an...
by nbobb
Wed May 11, 2016 7:32 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Thoughts on Casting Kilns
Replies: 2
Views: 7068

Re: Thoughts on Casting Kilns

Thank you, Peter!
by nbobb
Sun May 01, 2016 9:24 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Thoughts on Casting Kilns
Replies: 2
Views: 7068

Thoughts on Casting Kilns

I need a deeper kiln for casting and I've been thinking a ceramic kiln would have the configuration I need. I wouldn't need top elements for the type of casting I'm doing, in fact it might work better without. I can get quite a bit of depth with this type of kiln, as long as my back holds out. What ...
by nbobb
Mon May 18, 2015 6:22 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Glass casting video
Replies: 4
Views: 11210

Re: Glass casting video

I have that DVD on eggshell thin pate de verre. It's very good.
by nbobb
Mon May 18, 2015 6:13 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Ode to kiln controllers...
Replies: 12
Views: 18705

Re: Ode to kiln controllers...

Roadkill??? LOL. Don't think I ever resorted to that, but the other stuff, yeah...
by nbobb
Mon May 18, 2015 6:03 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: source for mica flakes
Replies: 14
Views: 23894

Re: source for mica flakes

There's a company called K2 that used to sell mica in two particle sizes. Their "sparkle" was the powder and their "glitter" was larger particles. Nobody carries these any more, so I contacted the company and they wanted me to import at least a kilogram of each color. The guy sai...
by nbobb
Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:54 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Quenching glass
Replies: 22
Views: 25584

Re: Quenching glass

Actually, I meant to heat the glass in something else in the kiln then drop it into a galvanized bucket with water in it - outside of the kiln. I never meant that the bucket itself would be in the kiln. Maybe I wasn't clear about that.
by nbobb
Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:10 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Quenching glass
Replies: 22
Views: 25584

Re: Quenching glass

I did wonder about your warning not to use a galvanized bucket to quench glass since many people cook in them. From what I've heard, zinc vaporizes at around 1600 F, so heating glass to 1000-1200 then dropping it into a galvanized bucket with water in it would be nowhere near 1600F. And even if fume...
by nbobb
Wed Feb 18, 2015 8:48 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Bullseye's Hydrogel
Replies: 0
Views: 12019

Bullseye's Hydrogel

Out of curiosity, is Bullseye's Hydrogel the same thing as alginate?
by nbobb
Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:26 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Quenching glass
Replies: 22
Views: 25584

Re: Quenching glass

Someone posted (I can't remember where) a warning about not using galvanized buckets for quenching glass. I'm assuming this was due to potential zinc contamination of the glass. Would this really happen? If so, could one paint the bucket to prevent said contamination?
by nbobb
Sat May 03, 2014 8:31 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Glass Enamel questions
Replies: 24
Views: 29843

Re: Glass Enamel questions

My apologies, it's the Paradise Paint that is no longer available, not Sunshine.
by nbobb
Fri May 02, 2014 11:09 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Glass Enamel questions
Replies: 24
Views: 29843

Re: Glass Enamel questions

Thanks, guys. Lot's to think about here!

I read that Sunshine isn't available anymore but I do think I'll try the Ferro. I'm also looking at another brand that says you can mix the colors and also screen it. The colors don't look quite as bright on my computer but you know how that goes!
by nbobb
Fri May 02, 2014 12:10 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Glass Enamel questions
Replies: 24
Views: 29843

Re: Glass Enamel questions

Bert, thank you!
by nbobb
Thu May 01, 2014 9:56 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Glass Enamel questions
Replies: 24
Views: 29843

Re: Glass Enamel questions

Rats, I had high hopes for the Thompson - I test fired some pink and it was beautiful. I have some of their 7000 series, which are for fusing on glass.

Thanks for the Ferro link, I'll check it out.
by nbobb
Thu May 01, 2014 6:08 pm
Forum: Newcomer Forum
Topic: Irid Food Safe?
Replies: 9
Views: 13429

Re: Irid Food Safe?

I have a Pyrex measuring cup that I've had for years. It became crazed in the dishwasher because some soaps are very abrasive. If I took a sandblaster to an iridized plate that was already fused, I could blow off the irid and I think, over time, the dishwasher could do the same thing.
by nbobb
Thu May 01, 2014 5:55 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Glass Enamel questions
Replies: 24
Views: 29843

Glass Enamel questions

I'm about to embark on screen printing enamels and have a couple of questions that I'm hoping you experts can help me with. :-) - Does the grain size of the powder matter? I notice Fuse Master is 340 mesh and Thompson Enamels is 80 (not sure about Ferro). Once you mix it with a medium does either wo...
by nbobb
Thu Apr 24, 2014 6:12 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Plaster mold
Replies: 11
Views: 22034

Re: Plaster mold

Fenton and Kerwin's book, Pate de Verre and Kiln Casting of Glass, gives a lot of information about different kinds of investment mixes. One of their mixes has kaolin clay (or EPK) included, which acts as a property modifier and, according to them, helps the mold seperate from the glass. Their propo...
by nbobb
Thu Apr 24, 2014 5:46 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Calculating amount of glass for a casting by weight of clay?
Replies: 5
Views: 9787

Re: Calculating amount of glass for a casting by weight of c

Or, you can form the clay into a shape, like say a cube, calculate its volume in cubic centimeters, than take that volume times 2.5 to get the grams of glass that you will need. (2.5 grams/cubic centimeters being the density/specific gravity of Bullseye glass).
by nbobb
Thu Apr 24, 2014 5:44 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Tile saw dilemma
Replies: 6
Views: 10201

Re: Tile saw dilemma

Thanks, Cynthia!