Search found 1077 matches

by Morganica
Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:31 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: dalle de verre - Wiesenthalhütte
Replies: 5
Views: 7414

Re: dalle de verre - Wiesenthalhütte

Can you post some pictures, and possibly a small inventory of colors/types?

Thanks
by Morganica
Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:02 pm
Forum: Newcomer Forum
Topic: Tack fusing frit balls
Replies: 3
Views: 8500

Re: Tack fusing frit balls

Basically, if they can't stick in the spot you want without adhesive, they're going to move when the adhesive burns off. And if the schedule runs too fast, causing the glass to move, they are also more likely to slide around. So...gentle schedule, perfectly level position, and a layup that secures t...
by Morganica
Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:46 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: low tech screening
Replies: 17
Views: 20774

Re: low tech screening

Vonon, check the size of your pictures (in kilobytes, not the dimensions or resolution). Usually when my pictures are rejected it's because they are too large. The attachment utility (Upload attachment, below the message box) has a limit of only 400K. If your image is more than 400K (or, actually, i...
by Morganica
Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:37 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Over Annealling
Replies: 4
Views: 6422

Re: Over Annealling

You're a WHOLE LOT better off than if you'd programmed in a 9-minute anneal soak... ;-) Seriously, you're at 4x your planned anneal soak. Unless your kiln is way off on temps and full of hotspots, so that the air around one side of that pattern bar was maybe 20 degrees cooler than the air around the...
by Morganica
Wed Mar 04, 2015 11:58 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Path of least resistance...
Replies: 5
Views: 8941

Re: Path of least resistance...

That's one of those "how long is a piece of rope" questions, anyway... A 15-pound casting might be a piece of glass about 10x48 inches and a half-inch thick, or a cube about 5 inches or so on a side. How long you'll need to soak it depends on the thickness of the glass, the type of glass y...
by Morganica
Mon Mar 02, 2015 4:06 pm
Forum: Photos and Stuff
Topic: Shades of Gray III
Replies: 14
Views: 20677

Re: Shades of Gray III

Lovely work, Tim. I really enjoy seeing both the work and the process shots. (well...I'm a process shot fanatic... ;-) )
by Morganica
Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:46 am
Forum: Newcomer Forum
Topic: Adding a blank ring question
Replies: 2
Views: 5333

Re: Adding a blank ring question

It would make a difference in that you're increasing the amount of air being heated. Your kiln is currently 8x8x4.5 inches, or about 288 cubic inches. If you add a 2" ring, you'll increase that to 416 cubic inches. Add a 4" ring, and you'll increase the air you're heating to 544 cubic inch...
by Morganica
Sun Feb 22, 2015 5:02 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Best COE red glass for high fire melts
Replies: 8
Views: 11384

Re: Best COE red glass for high fire melts

You have to move to casting glasses to find a red that will work in high fire melts. Look at Burnt Scarlet Striker--it holds up very well to the heat. It is not a pure fire-engine red, however--it's got a bit of an orangey cast and is a little dark in thick castings. In thinner applications, such as...
by Morganica
Sun Feb 22, 2015 4:54 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: damaged kiln shelf
Replies: 7
Views: 11088

Re: damaged kiln shelf

You might try putting refractory cement into the holes, packing it in and firing according to the manufacturer's directions. I don't think it's a permanent fix--if I'm not mistaken the cement and mullite have different expansion rates so eventually the cement will pop out--but it should last awhile....
by Morganica
Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:05 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: How can I figure out ...
Replies: 11
Views: 14080

Re: How can I figure out ...

Patty, probably the saddest words I ever hear a fuser say are "but that schedule always worked before..." especially because they usually say it right after it stops working... ;-) So...you've got a 14" Skutt firebrick kiln (The Firebox?) with a 13" black glass disk on a vermicul...
by Morganica
Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:27 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: source for float glass
Replies: 6
Views: 9459

Re: source for float glass

Cullet would be interesting in a tack-fuse; haven't tried it but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Thing to remember is that cullet is thickish, so two pieces of cullet together are going to make for a fairly long anneal schedule. My best sources for float are usually salvage or commercial resale pl...
by Morganica
Fri Feb 06, 2015 10:05 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Soft sandblasting media
Replies: 1
Views: 3268

Re: Soft sandblasting media

Peter's had luck with soda blasters and at some point I'll try one. Right now, though, I've got a plain old power washer that's doing a wonderful job of removing all mold residue, so I haven't needed to change anything.
by Morganica
Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:01 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: fire polish both sides
Replies: 4
Views: 6323

Re: fire polish both sides

I take a slightly different approach. Vibratory tumbler.
by Morganica
Mon Feb 02, 2015 4:18 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: quality glass cutter
Replies: 20
Views: 29231

Re: quality glass cutter

It's one of those things where an expert can make a horrible tool look great, and a newcomer can make a great tool... ;-) When I started out cutting glass, I had so much trouble I bought a Taurus glass saw just to avoid it.* I pretty quickly discovered that I could make much cleaner cuts in about 1/...
by Morganica
Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:57 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: using a torch
Replies: 4
Views: 5942

Re: using a torch

I don't guess it'd be a problem as long as you didn't let the glass get down past the strain point, i.e., no part of the glass got cold enough to thermal shock. But it'd be a lot of work and probably not all that much faster than just closing the kiln back up, having a cool drink and letting it come...
by Morganica
Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:16 pm
Forum: Jewelry Making
Topic: How to make perfect oval cabochons like from Etsy
Replies: 4
Views: 25287

Re: How to make perfect oval cabochons like from Etsy

Are you sure you want cabochons? Cabochons, almost by definition, are pretty domed. Are you just looking for flat ovals of glass? If you can post pictures of what you want, top and profile views, it'll be easier to tell you how to achieve it. Basically, cold shaping trades off with hot in glasswork:...
by Morganica
Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:59 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Removing Plaster from Mold
Replies: 16
Views: 26766

Re: Removing Plaster from Mold

I got it on eBay a few years back, a DTE piezo ultrasonic dental scaler is I think the proper name. You can get them for somewhere between $110-$175. If you want the fancier models with built-in water reservoirs and more settings/features, they're about 3-4 times that much.
by Morganica
Sat Jan 17, 2015 10:02 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Removing Plaster from Mold
Replies: 16
Views: 26766

Re: Removing Plaster from Mold

Hi, Debbie; Yep, familiar with (and like) your flameworked paperweights, saw many at Corning (do you live near there?). You're right, a power washer is pretty much a 3-season tool if you live in areas with sustained freezes. When it's frozen here (not that often, fortunately), I tend to use the soni...
by Morganica
Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:16 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Removing Plaster from Mold
Replies: 16
Views: 26766

Re: Removing Plaster from Mold

Well...I spent years and years trying to figure out how to get spent mold material to release cleanly from a mold, discovered a lot of tricks (one is eliminate as much silica as possible from your mold mix, and a dollop of kilnwash in the face coat is another). But I also learned that there's defini...
by Morganica
Sun Jan 11, 2015 6:43 pm
Forum: Kiln Casting
Topic: Mold bits in my casting
Replies: 4
Views: 8696

Re: Mold bits in my casting

LOL...maybe when MY glass comes out of the mold completely schmutz-free, Sharon. ;-)