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Brick kiln walls suck heat on the heatup and release heat during the cool down. Consequently, this creates uneven heat inside the kiln. I work in large kilns, and I leave 3" between where I put glass and the kiln walls. I know there are people who get away with placing glass very close to kiln ...

In general, fiber is far superior to bricks. You have to pay to heat bricks up, and wait for them to cool down. The reason we use bricks on the floor is because they don't warp. I took a chance and made a floor with 3 - 3" thick cast panels with ship lapped joints. The boards were made a bit de...

The interface I like is steel to brick. The steel frame of the bell (or clamshell) sits on brick. I don't like the idea of steel to steel. In that case, both pieces of steel will warp in opposite directions. One piece of steel warping is not a problem. I just built a kiln with cast fiber floor surro...

If you don't clean off the marks and then fire the glass, the marks will disappear except for some place where it really ruins the design...

Thanks Cynthia and Bert. Bert, can you give me the proportions of Plaster:Silica:Alumina I might start experimenting with? A starting point. Pete If your mix is 40% plaster - 60% silica, try 40/50/10 plaster/silica/alumina or something... EPK is good, that is a high alumina clay. diatomaceous earth...

I agree Brad. I think that with proper handling procedures, kilns are pretty safe. The failure of SSR's is for me the only main concern. I wish there was a kill switch of some sort that would shutdown power to the kiln when the temp reached 1800 degrees or so. In the past the only device like this ...

I have known at least a couple of potters who have lost their studios to fire. In all my years I've never heard of a kiln fire that was started by a kiln malfunction. The only ones I'm aware of are from faulty wiring in the wall or an overloaded circuit. Would be interested in learning the details ...

Alumina hydrate is pretty neat stuff as it has a good tendency to coat materials it comes in contact with. Since alumina is the best separator, this coating works. Alumina is not the same weight as silica, by volume, but essentially you are replacing some silica with alumina. So, if you are devising...

How so ? Jim Fire can be very hot, which is hard on elements. Back in the early 80's my girlfriend was a beginning jeweler. She cast a silver moose, using the lost plastic toy moose method. She burned out the little plastic moose in a kiln. It caught fire and almost ruined the kiln, but it survived...

Bert, For my education. Are you saying that compressing the tin layer in a stack of glass will not cause the tin bloom except on the outer layers? Thanks. I'm thinking. I always start with tin side down. I used to do some painting with a top layer air side down. If I slump that, the top layer, a ti...

You could destroy the inside of your kiln if you get a big fire inside.

I think most people try and complicate lighting way too much. If you mount it on standoffs, and wash the wall with light, it will pop through. It is best to have uneven lighting with hot spots and cool spots.

All I know is that 20 mule team borax works. I never tried anything else. Some will crystalize at the bottom of the bottle, just pour the liquid off and it works. This stuff is cheap.

Hang your glass is a board sponsor. They sell a system designed to do exactly what you want. http://www.hangyourglass.com/

The pressure washer at the carwash is the least expensive tool rental out there. You put a few quarters in the machine, and you have a pressure washer in your hand. Bring some foam, to cushion your glass, and shoot away. They even give you the soap.

Joe Mother of pearl lustre is a good way to add an iridescent coating. The chemicals used on hot glass during manufacture are deadly toxic. The chemicals used in the lustre are not. Choose ceramic or glass based on what temperature you want to work at. You probably want ceramic. The glass ones are d...

An hour very well spent. I loved it when he pulled out his glass cutter and trimmed off the excess casting.

does anybody have experience kiln carving with 2 way mirror?

Bloom only happens on the surface. You need the tin side to be down when you fuse, and air side up when you slump, for best results.

Linn Thank you for your follow up. I had thought about doing a drop ring, however my fiberboard is not large enough. I live in rural Ontario Canada so I am some what limited in resources. I never realized there were so many types of woks available.. especially Teflon coated and electric. I will do ...