WarmGlass.com

Bert, the alumina files are growing. Good thing because it's a useful material. I am really interested in discovering how a kiln wash, made of alumina hydrate mixed with CMC in the water, will work. If my picture of it is correct, the CMC will burn off each time and the powder can be wiped off and s...

I did try aluminum oxide sand blasting grit and it sticks big time That's a surprise. I haven't used blasting grit for molds but always assumed it would work. Aluminum oxide blasting grit should be Al2O3, as is calcined alumina; alumina hydrate should be Al2O3 with some water of crystallization. At...

I wonder if it could be used in sand casting as a binder. You would have to dry the mix completely before firing and not get the glass hot enough to blow bubbles as there might be some gasses kicking around from the burnout. You're right on the money with this idea, Bert and I think it would work b...

Timely reminder - I hadn't checked Screenweb for a while

Thanks Paul
R

lauren Evaluate vinyl cutters with caution. The machine may be capable of driving the blade through the exact motion of cutting a 1/8" high character but you may not get that result in vinyl. There are other variables - the type and quality of vinyl, the speed at which you run the blade, its pr...

The vinyl sign-cutting machine is a quick way to make silkscreen stencils. No coating or adhering, no positive transparency, no exposure, no washing out. Yes, there is a resolution limitation but still plenty of room to work wonderful designs. One downside (other than set-up cost) is the time spent ...

Is methyl cellulose available in some other form besides Klyr Fire? Bert Get CMC from your pottery supply. Looks like bleached instant coffee granules. Mix with water to obtain anything from mucilage to a gel. Initially it can be troublesome to mix - swells up. There is a fancy way to do it with ho...

kl My understanding is that here in Australia there was only a limited number of companies making glass Not sure about past years but I think there's only one making architectural float now - Pilkington's in Victoria. However float is imported from Indonesia, China, Israel and other places. You're b...

Thanks Paul - I channelized right past that button. I'm running but seniority is catching up.

Ralph

Flux-leach theory? Definitely just a theory, but one I suggested on the original WGBB as a result of experimental work with different kilnwash and casting materials. (Can’t find a link to the old archives). The leach theory is supported by the widespread experience of others who find that kilnwash...

Hi Kitty Still here, still adapting tools and processes; working at combining colored glasses in more "controlled" ways than usual. Some progress -- but getting the right surface quality within constraints is proving tough -- just a single fuse firing, no coldwork, no abrasive blast and no...

Airbrush the firing paint onto the plain (flat) glass and fire it on. Cut your stencil with your plotter and apply to the painted surface of the glass. Sandblast through the open areas of the stencil, remove the stencil. Another way (no blasting necessary) is to apply your cut vinyl to the base gla...

Some thoughts: I think it's the glass - or at least the flux content of it - that contaminates the kiln wash and renders it less refractory for subsequent uses. Art glasses (float too) contain significant quantities of reactive metal oxide fluxes, especially sodium. Even at the comparatively low tem...

I was wondering if there is any good reason I couldn't just use a used propane pottery kiln with a pyrometer and keep a close eye on it. I suppose I would need lots of testing to find cold spots, etc. Thebes You can do this. Many small propane-fired soft-brick pottery kilns drop temperature at a su...