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For my next casting I want to build a ceramic saggar for reinforcement. I've got the Fenton/Kervin book, but I'm still not clear on how it's made. Do you build the ceramic saggar, bisque fire it, then use the saggar as the mold box for the investment casting? If so, will the investment release from ...

My glass was firing perfectly until 1700 when I opened the kiln. (This is a kiln that I had the manufacturer make deeper for me so I could make taller vases. Just raising the lid actually turned my one arm red. I had a welder's glove on the other hand and was ready to reach into the kiln but the ex...

Here are a few points to consider: -If your kiln comes with an electric vent, you'll be connecting it a duct that will go to the outside, so be sure you're kiln is within reasonable proximity to an outside wall. -The entire floor doesn't need to be concrete, but it might be advisable to have tile or...

My brother was audited once, and when they asked e.g. for him to resubmit certain forms, which he had already submitted, he told the auditor "No, I've submitted these forms, you go and look for them!". Being from Canada, tax rules are different, of course, but I think we assume these audit...

Can you be more specific about the problems you are having in drying them? Are they warping, cracking? Why do you keep them sealed in plastic for weeks? In general, you keep clay objects sealed in plastic only while you intend to continue working on them. When a piece is completed, you may wish to c...

Or try firing one slice as a test. My pattern bar slices often come out uneven from the tile saw, but when full fused again, either as part of a larger design, or alone as a pendant, they've come up nice and glossy. Just be sure to clean them very well.

Cheers,
Suzan

Hi Elizabeth! Have you actually tried this yourself? The reason I ask is, I was looking into using Art Clay Silver for the same purpose, to form it as a bezel and backing mount around a glass pendant and put the glass and clay silver back into the kiln. However, I looked through two different books ...

That's odd! What is your mold made out of, Charlie?

Cheers,
Suzan

Well, I tried slumping an oval shaped blank into the mold I built with a rim, and strangely, the mold broke into 2 pieces, while the glass remained in tact. I fired at 300 dph to 1225, hold 45. The mold must have broken during the first segment, since the glass was barely formed. It shows a slight o...

As for didymium eye protection, nope, wasn't wearing them when I was peaking. I have a pair in the shop, just haven't taken the time to locate 'em. I don't stare at the molten mass, but I do take long glances. You're right tho. I should be more cautious. I was given to understand that didymium glas...

I recently completed a mold of an oval shaped platter in which I carved out a rim for the bottom. I'll be firing and then slumping with this mold within the next week, so I'll post how it works out, with greater details if it's successful. I hope it is, because the procedure for making the clay mold...

What does "volume control" refer to?

I've seen work where geometric shapes like squares, diamonds and rectangles maintain their "perfect" corners or points. Whenever I fuse such shapes in my work, the corners or points always round over some; the only way I've been able to retain the perfect shape is to take it only to a tack...

Barbara:

What is LD board and where do you get it?

Cheers,
Suzan

I did another batch of fifteen ornaments on three shelves, using only diluted glue & wax paper, and one test piece where I slathered on the glue. The test piece came out fine, and three of the fifteen ornaments were distorted. But then I suspected my Orton Vent. I noticed that it vibrates the sh...

Low-fire earthenware clay is suitable for making molds; this clay fires at cone 04, around 1900F. Any local pottery supplier will carry it. High fire clay is not necessary, in fact, a lower fired clay mold is less rigid than a high fired one, and can better withstand expansion in the kiln. You can a...

That seems possible. I had made up 3 shelves of ornaments, and in some cases, I was using undiluted glue, and fairly thickly, on others I used a small amount of straight glue, and again on others, the glue was diluted, since I was also applying frit on some ornaments. I'll try a few tests and report...

Hi folks! I've been making a lot of ornaments recently and some of them distort significantly. E.g., on a 15" shelf, I had one large snowflake (6 triangles, 3 on bottom, 3 overlapped on top) in the centre, and six smaller ones around the perimeter of the shelf. 3 were perfect, the other 3 were ...

I have a big studio that is not heated and has cement floors (which keeps it cool in summer and unfortunately in winter) so the heat they create is a bonus. Amy Amy, At Home Depot I bought a set of rubber floor mats; these consist of four 2 foot square rubber mats about 1 inch thick, and fit togeth...

Velvet Etch works well to etch away devit as well as kiln wash that won't come off the back on Spectrum 96 glass. I usually full fuse again to get back the polish, but recently I was in a hurry and went straight to the slump at 1350F. It was enough to return the glass back its glossy state. Of cours...