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Hi Franzeska, Good question. Under normal circumstances you do not fire polish rough edges during slumping. Jeannie is looking for a way to repair (or salvage) a piece with a few surface scratches. To achieve this by hand polishing is very challenging because you not only have to remove the scratch ...

Hi Jeannie,

I think the fire polish solution will work better. I have never had much success removing scratches with hand polishing.

Cheers,

Bob

Thanks for the comments everyone. It was an enjoyable collaboration. We weren't sure how marketable the piece would be so we designed it with a particular wall in our house in mind. As we neared completion we both started liking the outcome more and more. So we decided to up the price of the piece i...

Not it is not a typo... I meant Glilt Trip. Last summer Gallery 8 on Salt Spring Island had a group show titled "Two Wings". The premise behind the show was that many of the gallery artists have partners who are also creative and wouldn't it be interesting to have each couple collaborate o...

Hi Dana,

Hey don't be shy about your work. I also like the colour palette and design. One additional comment is the bowl is well executed. Lovely edge. The quality of the piece really complements the overall design. Nicely done.

Cheers,

Bob

Interesting thread. I once asked a studio owner why they put a one minute soak in at 1000f and was told, and he was not joking, that it gave the molecules an opportunity to all get aligned. We had a "lively" discussion and I was unable to convince him that the one minute soak did nothing f...

Hi Seachange, Your studio practices are worthy of NASA. I wish I was as thorough and careful.I am very careful about contamination but I do not wash sample spoons or sifters between uses nor do I discard the printer paper. I buy most powders in 5 pound jars but I transfer the powder into 1 pound jar...

Nice composition Sharol.

Cheers,

Bob

Love them Carol. The white spontaneous line work in Brave guides my attention and interest over the entire piece.

Cheers,

Bob

Love the fish and the presentation. I'm hooked (pardon the pun)

Cheers,

Bob

Dee and Cynthia, Your suggestions are definitely a viable way of working around the problem. If I had my druthers I would rather buy a new shelf and save approximately 2 hours of fusing during the ramp through the brittle zone room temp to 1000F (I fire as much as possible at 600F/hr in this temp ra...

Yes the quest for flat kiln shelves is our version of the holy grail. However once you find a good shelf they are true for years. So it pays off to be fussy. The fitrst time I went to the local ceramics supply store with a straight edge they scoffed. They still snicker but at least they acknowledge ...

Dear Skin,

Those are my observations as well. BE powders are more consistent in grain size.

Cheers,

Bob

If you want really cheap bead mandrels go to your local welding shop and get stainless steel rod used for TIG welding. Same product ... different name...way cheaper. I get it for about $Can8 per pound... which is a whole lot of 3 foot rods. Thin ones can be cut with pliers. For thicker ones use an a...

Hi Gail, I live in Calgary and use a blaster set up in an unheated, detached garage. My cutoff is -5 deg C. Colder than that is just no fun. Remember that as a compressed gas expands it cools (that is how your refrigerator works). The same happens in the blasting cabinet. Makes for cold hands. I bun...

An experienced artist once said when I was fretting over a flaw was "If people want perfection they should go to KMart".

Cheers,

Bob

Hi Marty,

"Recommended Rates" were from the Bullseye firing guide. For the most part they are faster than the cooling rate of the kiln so propping the lid open shouldn't really be a problem. Obviously size and thickness do matter.

Cheers,

Bob

Tony,

Why don't you want to slow the cooling down by propping the lid with a small kiln post? When I do this the kiln still cools at a rate way slower than what the recommended cooling rates in various charts (assuming projects are less than 3/8" thick).

Cheers,

Bob

Hi Marty, I rigged my Orton Kiln vent to a dimmer switch and keep the fan speed low enough that vibrations are not a problem. Hi Tony, I only vent on initial heating, not during cooling. I turn it off at 850F ish. Orton says that the vent can be turned on during cooling to speed up cooling. I notice...

Hi Rich, A point to consider is whether you want to do predomantly individual/one-of-a-kind "gallery" pieces , or production work. If it is the former then go for a kiln about the size of the larger pieces you are planning. If you are planning production work then you will want the size ne...