Low Tech - Low Cost Frit Crusher

Want to share a photo of your work? Or get feedback on a new piece? Post it here. (Note: items in this forum are deleted periodically, generally after several months.)

Moderator: Brad Walker

Post Reply
Gale aka artistefem
Posts: 184
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 8:14 pm
Location: MO-on the banks of the Mississippi
Contact:

Low Tech - Low Cost Frit Crusher

Post by Gale aka artistefem »

Working on it - :roll:

Not a directly posted image, but the next best thing:

http://community.webshots.com/user/artistefemgale
Tony Smith
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 5:59 pm
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Contact:

Post by Tony Smith »

Thanks Gale,

But what is it? Part of an axle?

Tony
The tightrope between being strange and being creative is too narrow to walk without occasionally landing on both sides..." Scott Berkun
Lisa Allen
Posts: 212
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 3:23 pm
Location: Memphis, TN
Contact:

Post by Lisa Allen »

Well, if that thing is as heavy as it looks, you will have arms like Schwarzenegger by mid summer! Thanks for the link.

Lisa
Lisa Allen
http://www.lisa-allen.com
Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
Glenda Kronke
Posts: 64
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2003 11:44 am
Location: Austin, TX
Contact:

Post by Glenda Kronke »

Hey, that looks almost just like mine. 4" dia. steel tube with 8x8 steel plate welded on bottom. Handle is something like 3 7/8" steel rod with handle welded to it. One fits very neatly inside the other. Took the welder about 10 min. to make, and costs me nuthin'....yeah, that's the ticket.
ET
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2003 6:34 pm

Post by ET »

Gale, Do you use a magnet after you crush in an attempt to eliminate any tiny bits of metal?
Gale aka artistefem
Posts: 184
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 8:14 pm
Location: MO-on the banks of the Mississippi
Contact:

Post by Gale aka artistefem »

Tony.......you can check out my frit crusher description in the kiln-forming discussion under Elaine's 'morter & pestle for frit crushing' post.

Yup - working on arms (and buns) of steel! Hasn't helped :shock::shock:

ET, I wash/rinse my frit several times, stirring it each time to release the very small amount of metal flakes that are mixed in with the frit and then carefully pour the water off the glass. The metal tends to float away.

I spread the frit out on paper towels, and visually check it for any remaining metal. If I find some, I get out my magnet.

Takes some time to make your own frit, but it's worth it, especially if you want to mix unusual colors combinations.

But, when I'm short on time and long on a project, I use BE's ready-to-go frit which I keep on hand. Thank you Lani & Dan.
Elaine Pieters
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2003 8:16 am
Location: South Africa

Post by Elaine Pieters »

Gale,

Thanks for the picture, this was exactly what I had in mind. I'll show it to the forge who is making this baby for me. I'm glad to see that many others have had similar ones made, and that it usually cost very little ... the forge was beginning to say that they'd have to charge me a lot for the job so now I can set them straight on that one!!

Elaine
Colin & Helen

Post by Colin & Helen »

Hi Gale ....It looks like my Mk one model ..this was home made from scraps pipe and the head of a old sledge hammer all welded together... the Mk two was a professional job in stainless steel..cost me all of $80 and works a dream....Colin
Kevin Midgley
Posts: 773
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:36 am
Location: Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

Post by Kevin Midgley »

Put glass inside multiple plastic bags. Place a scrap of plywood on a concrete surface. Put bag of glass on top of plywood. Smash glass in bag with sledge hammer. Cheaper still and no metal at all. Kevin
Bev Brandt
Posts: 50
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:35 am
Location: St. Louis, MO
Contact:

Post by Bev Brandt »

Kevin Midgley wrote:Put glass inside multiple plastic bags. Place a scrap of plywood on a concrete surface. Put bag of glass on top of plywood. Smash glass in bag with sledge hammer. Cheaper still and no metal at all. Kevin
Hmm...this gave me an idea. The biggest concrete surface I have is my driveway. Can I replace the sledge hammer with a Ford F150 XLT?

I'm fortunate in that my neighbors are as eccentric as I am...
Bev Brandt
bkfoltz
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2003 12:38 pm
Location: Minnesota

Post by bkfoltz »

I put the glass in a metal 9x13 pan, put into my kitchen oven. Turn on the oven and set for 500 degrees. When the oven get to 500 I take out the pan and dump the glass into a 5 gallon bucket with cold water. This cracks the glass, but it still stay in one piece. . Take the glass out and let it dry on paper towel, I then break into pcs with my pipe frit crusher. It only takes a very small amount of pressure to break it up - one or two hits. the breaking in the frit crusher took less than an hour for me to do 20#.
Post Reply