I love having no seam in My JenKen oval 9 but the fiberboard is stymying me. I originally used hardener on it before my first firing but when I went to sand it , it scratched and marred like crazy. To smooth it out I resorted to kiln wash (Just what I was trying to get away from!!!)
Now, obviously ,every now and then it gets nicked or starts to flake the kiln wash off. I do use thinfire on top of it.
Ok, am I really such a dummy ( I can take It)
I need to "resurface ' it again .Should I grin & bear the scratches and kiln wash or just start all over again?
Jeri- the smoothest I ever got fiberboard was with a coat of stovepipe cement, thinned with water to a demi-glace consistency. No guarantees there either- I was using 1" board and it warped and cracked after a few firings. Maybe if I'd coated both sides?
I suggest sanding it to get rid of the most egregious flaws and using a thicker paper with thinfire on top of that. And just be careful what you drop on the surface. Marty
Greg- I'm talking about kiln shelves, I haven't a clue what Jeri's talking about (LOL!).
This is the elusive quest for a smooth durable surface (that doesn't include mullite) for fusing. Jeri?
Come on, now you expect me to know what i'm talking about!!!
Greg, I replaced evil kiln shelves with this material called fiberboard that you can cut to make your own mold froms or kiln shelf(that reats on bottom of kiln) I also did not like having two shelves, and the seam, in my kiln, finding it limiting for larger pieces. One of these days I will join the big kids and have my own kiln built for me.(Marty, you want to experiment on me witha vermiculite kiln?)
Well, the stuff is very fragile and not cheap, so I am looking for help on how to maitain it and prolong it's use
cheap girl Jeri
I am experimenting with fiberboard using 2x3 [1" and 2"] that I cut large holes in that allow me to slump through and over my creations. I mention this detail since I try to reuse the forms 3 or 4 times or even longer if I am very careful not to break them when they are being refurbished between firings. The only smoothing I do is with very thin kiln washing with 3 coats and lite sanding with a soft cloth leaving the powder. I bought my board from Mcgillswarehouse.com and the price is pretty good, but I think there is better product around and would like info on who is using what and why. Hope this helps as it is my first post reply and I am hoping to participate again. Herb
When I make larger pieces that would span my 20" shelves, and leave the dreaded and socially embarrassing "seam mark", I use stainless. It takes wash nicely if you heat it, or you can use paper. Either way you get a relatively smooth and seamless fuse. Eventually it warps, but thats after many dozens(or more), firings.
I use 1/2" LD board a LOT. I have never rigidized or sanded them. The only time I lose them is when I break them from misuse. Then I just use the pieces-parts. Just my input. - Barbara
Tony, with your stainless steel shelves I was curious as to how thick the plate was and if you had strips of angle welded to the back to help keep it rigid/flat. - Haydo.
Life is like a raft, so be like a rat!...Challenging being a captain type rat though, going down with each ship and all!!
Would slip-casting the appropriate material be an alternative?(I believe crucibles are made this way commercially). I have heaps of recipes for crucible pots which would take slumping temperatures easily.
Flat shelves could probably be hand-built. (I do understand that warping during bisqueing is a problem but your clay friends could help with that)
Sanding these "tiles" would be relatively simple.
Greg
Haydo-It's about a sixteenth of an inch thick, and I use it without any stiffeners. Warping happens from uneven heating, and if you cover the sheet as completely as possible with glass, it will last much longer. I have used sheets that were quite warped with good success, as when I slump after fuse, it doesn't matter.
Unifrax LD or HD (low density and High Density) boards. You have a local distributor somewhere in Ottawa, most likely. You can go to unifrax.com, fine a number and inquire about who sells it locally.
Otherwise look in the yellow pages under refractory products or insulation or pottery supply.
I originally used hardener on it before my first firing but when I went to sand it , it scratched and marred like crazy. To smooth it out I resorted to kiln wash (Just what I was trying to get away from!!!)
