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Lauri, I've heard all that before and would agree with part two except for the way the devit showed up. It's really strange. It is on the lower half of the piece (upper as you look at the finished product) while the rest is clean! That tells me that the glass in the bottom of the mold, which was in...

The "Casting With the Best" cd is revealing in this regard. They experimented successfully with some mixes with less than 30% plaster by weight. One of the basic formulas was plaster/olivine/ludo -- 30/30/30 with maybe 5% kaolin. I haven't had the time to really study it and take it apart ...

Depending on the details, you might want to cast your model in rubber or silicone instead of plastic. If so make sure that the rubber you choose will work with the plasticine. Some plasticines have sulfur in them and some rubber mixes react to sulfur. I don't know if this is a problem with silicone ...

1700 is pretty hot. You probably don't need to go above 1600, if even that.

I use a plaster/silica mold under my pot melts. I have found that fiber paper gets eaten by the glass the same way that your kiln wash was eaten.

ch

What I really want to discover is just how thick a slab of glass I can anneal on the floor of my kiln. Eventually I will get around to doing comprehensive testing on this. I can borrow the necessary equipment for the tests. I just need a compelling reason to do the tests, beyond curiosity. Last sum...

Realize that plaster/silica is not happy at any temps above 1400. 1675 is way above 1400. There are reasons people spend big bucks to cast with Gaffer glass or Schott. The lead lowers the maturing temps making for more reliable castings. hi Bert. my question is a bit off topic. i use a dry 50/50 mi...

Hi I´m trying to make a plaster/silica mold, but it seems impossible :?: I´ve made the mix of plaster and silica by weight. Mixed very well... Then I tried to add it to 1 liter of water - result was a heavy and very very thick mess... I tried 1,5 litres and 1,75 litres the result of both was a me...

I think there can be some warping even if the plate isn't welded. I've seen plenty of marvers that are a half inch thick or more of floating plate that have warped over time from hot glass being rolled over them. This came up in a small way when I was building the kiln and the guy doing the welding ...

I say what the heck, give it a shot. Experience is the best teacher. Make sure you look at it with a polarimeter before you sell it so you know there's no incompatibility stress in it.

ch

Stuff fiber blanket in the holes. You can also put down a thin layer of sand to protect the floor of your kiln.

ch

No it won't work out to 3 litres since the powder has lots of air mixed in between the grains. You can't look at a litre of powder and tell how tightly it is packed. Because of this we usually measure powder by weight. Most people mix 50% plaster and 50% silica by weight. I think it is good to mix t...

Are you going to be there for Jazz Fest? Last weekend in April, first weekend in May. If not then just stay for it. It is the best time of year to be there. Unbelievable music and the food is overwhelming. Then if you can hang on till June you can go to the Glass Art Society conference. See the Rena...

I suspect that the thick steel beneath your bricks is problematic. . . Bert I agree. My kiln floor is expanded metal mesh, then 1800F board, then fibre. Only 4, half bricks near the corners to act as bases for the bricks that support the shelves. No warping ever. These kilns are 20" x 20"...

The powdery spot on the surface is where a bubble came through all the way from the bottom of the glass. When bubbles rise through the glass they pull stuff, usually glass, up from underneath. Notice that the other bubbles have colors from down below in their centers. I know that some people use pow...

I have recently noticed that most of my glass that is sand cast has some grits of sand sticking on the top surface. I'm not exactly sure just when they get on there. It could be when I lower the bell, although I was pretty careful last time and it seemed to be worse on both ends. Perhaps I knocked ...

hi charlie, what kind of steel grating? like expanded metal or some sort of welded strips on edge tm kind of thing ? would you have some sort of small i beam or angle iron support under the grating? i am in the verry beginning stages of designing my big kiln. rosanna I would use one of these, proba...

This came up not long ago when somebody complained about oddly bent glass. Now it has happened to me. I have always had two layers of IFB in my kiln floor. I recently took one layer out in order to get my kiln to cool down faster between firings. I've got a sand bed in it and want to reload it every...

Fordhams are toys next to Suhners. Richard Whiteley started pushing them several years ago. He likes the Rotafera.

http://www.suhnerusa.com/apt/flex/index.html

The rotary marks don't make any difference unless you are not going all the way to a polish.

ch

I have a Flex and like it. Mine is heavy though since it is variable speed. You can get a heavy duty flexible shaft with an angle head and attach it to a regular old electric motor mounted on a bench, if you don't have to cover huge areas and really want a light weight tool. The Cadillac of flex sha...

I'm assuming though that not all plaster is created equal... what sort of plaster? and where would I get silica? And for my personal use, right now, I'd prefer something that's already mixed, where all I have to do is mix it with water... Something I can buy ready like that. Dental plaster is stron...