Search found 35 matches

by BillsBayou
Fri Feb 26, 2016 12:47 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: uroboros mottles - can I firepolish edges?
Replies: 7
Views: 9148

Re: uroboros mottles - can I firepolish edges?

Doesn't sound good so far. I say do it! Post photos.
by BillsBayou
Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:59 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: An old MK 101 I got for $175. Would you have bought this?
Replies: 4
Views: 5332

Re: An old MK 101 I got for $175. Would you have bought this?

... they make it easy to return things. I bought a concrete mixer from them. I had to assemble it myself. It was so bad, it had trouble running when it was empty. The return was easy. Then stock clerk came up to collect it while I was getting my money back. "Aww, he left it assembled?" he...
by BillsBayou
Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:41 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: An old MK 101 I got for $175. Would you have bought this?
Replies: 4
Views: 5332

Re: An old MK 101 I got for $175. Would you have bought this?

Well, a brand new Harbor Freight tile saw the same size is around $220 on sale. So I guess it depends on what it costs you to fix it up. My concern was the tray action. I read some things about the HF tray being a bit jerky. I'm hoping my initial costs for fixing this up will be limited to nuts and...
by BillsBayou
Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:03 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: An old MK 101 I got for $175. Would you have bought this?
Replies: 4
Views: 5332

An old MK 101 I got for $175. Would you have bought this?

I got this for $175 at a pawn shop. It will be my first glass saw. I think I'll name the saw "Rusty". I'm hoping I didn't get screwed on the deal. Even if I did talk them down $75 on the price. The tray slides smoothly, if a bit slow, and the motor seems to run without vibration. I'll have...
by BillsBayou
Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:33 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: The likely cause of my eruptions?
Replies: 4
Views: 6747

Re: The likely cause of my eruptions?

Thanks for the replies. These are good things to keep in mind. I believe the issue was related to the build-up of glass release on the kiln shelf. Air below the built-up layers plus an uneven surface on the shelf combined to really screw me over. Learned my lesson. I'll be ordering a second shelf so...
by BillsBayou
Fri Feb 12, 2016 12:51 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: The likely cause of my eruptions?
Replies: 4
Views: 6747

The likely cause of my eruptions?

I've been suffering with eruptions lately. I brought my schedule down to reasonable firing rates with plenty of bubble-squeeze time. Then I had another eruption of 2-1/2-inches right in the middle of a 12-inch disk. The eruption takes up the entire thickness of the glass, not just a layer. The disk ...
by BillsBayou
Tue Nov 24, 2015 12:33 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Poinsettia Mold With Bubbles
Replies: 6
Views: 9404

Re: Poinsettia Mold With Bubbles

The post positions may have something to do with it. I know for a fact that I put the posts several inches inside the diameter of the plate. I still have the plate/mold/posts exactly where I fired them. I'll take a look in the morning. Pre-firing the 11" disks into one double-thick cap will be ...
by BillsBayou
Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:22 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Poinsettia Mold With Bubbles
Replies: 6
Views: 9404

Poinsettia Mold With Bubbles

Help! I got this Poinsettia Texture Frit Bowl mold and am getting a bubbling problem. I put down the frit and capped with 2-3mm 11" circles of Texta glass. No frit in the center. I had a huge bubble in the center only. So I put scrap Texta into the middle and refired. Now I have 3 bubbles. Mold...
by BillsBayou
Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:14 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Large bubbles (1-inch plus) in my glass platter. Help with next project, please.
Replies: 5
Views: 8884

Re: Large bubbles (1-inch plus) in my glass platter. Help with next project, please.

Bill, Put the solid piece of tekta on the bottom and there will be no air entrapment (bubbles.) On your schedule, there is no benefit to hold at 1000. You also skipped the anneal. The time at 950 is not the anneal. It is to equalize the temperature. The anneal occurs when you drop from 950 to 750 a...
by BillsBayou
Mon Nov 09, 2015 11:43 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Large bubbles (1-inch plus) in my glass platter. Help with next project, please.
Replies: 5
Views: 8884

Large bubbles (1-inch plus) in my glass platter. Help with next project, please.

I want to create a large 11-inch bowl. To learn, I'm using scraps from last year's snowflake project. I arranged 2-inch diamonds, half-inch sqares and diamonds, and 2-inch rectangles as tightly as I could. I filled the gaps with smaller shards and frit I was making on the fly. I arranged this in a r...
by BillsBayou
Wed Sep 30, 2015 4:42 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Bowl Slumping Questions
Replies: 7
Views: 15187

Re: Bowl Slumping Questions

Thanks for the reply. With respect to question 3, my idea is to tack-fuse two disks to get a thicker disk for slumping. I had this weird idea that I would want to have a mold-sized disk and one that is just a bit smaller. Tack the smaller on top of the larger. Then the question becomes: Would it be ...
by BillsBayou
Wed Sep 30, 2015 4:09 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Bowl Slumping Questions
Replies: 7
Views: 15187

Bowl Slumping Questions

I have a simple circular bowl mold much like THIS ONE . It has steep sides and settles to a relatively flat bottom. Here's my questions before I make a mess of things: 1) How much of a "lip" must I leave on my ready-to-slump glass? The thickness of the mold is just under 6mm and it is 6 in...
by BillsBayou
Thu Nov 13, 2014 1:00 pm
Forum: Newcomer Forum
Topic: What is the most acute angle you can cut for full fusing?
Replies: 1
Views: 4042

What is the most acute angle you can cut for full fusing?

It's snowflake season! I want to know how shallow I can cut an angle for full fusing with respect to the 6mm rule. I want to make a six-sided snowflake. Right away, this means I'm leaving comfortable square 90° angles for the more shallow 60° angles. I want to push it further. Skipping right past 45...
by BillsBayou
Tue Nov 04, 2014 1:55 pm
Forum: Newcomer Forum
Topic: Are Bullseye Videos Lessons worth the expense?
Replies: 18
Views: 29598

Are Bullseye Videos Lessons worth the expense?

Bullseye glass has a "Video Lessons" section that costs $39/year. Does anyone have any experience with these videos? Are they worth the expense? Or is most of this available from other artists on YouTube for free?
by BillsBayou
Tue Nov 04, 2014 12:50 pm
Forum: Newcomer Forum
Topic: New Kiln Setup
Replies: 2
Views: 5354

New Kiln Setup

I'm setting up my first kiln workshop! I'm getting a Paragon CS-14D kiln . My big question is about the table. I'm thinking about getting this hardwood table from Harbor Freight . According to the video page at Bullseye "Bringing Home Your New Kiln", section "Placing your kiln"(3...