another pot melt question

Edythe Halliday · Post by **Edythe Halliday** » Sun May 04, 2003 7:36 pm

After seeing all the pot melt pictures I thought I would try one. Guess I used too much glass because it filled my shelf and ran into the Kiln posts. When I saw that I turned off the kiln as I knew it would break anyway.

How do you know how much glass to use? The piece was a beautiful color and a good 1/4" thick. My shelf is about 16" round and I was hoping for 12" circle. Do you ever use anything to control the flow to the size you want? Like using fiber paper?
Can you use irid glass in the melt? I don't have a scale to weigh the glass.

Thanks so much for helping.
Edythe

Ron Coleman · Post by **Ron Coleman** » Sun May 04, 2003 8:11 pm

For a 12 inch diameter it takes about 2-1/2 pounds of glass to make a 1/4 inch thick piece.

Most glass weighs about 3.2 pounds per square foot for 1/4 inch thick.

Ron

charlie holden · Post by **charlie holden** » Sun May 04, 2003 10:25 pm

If you don't have a scale, lay out your cut pieces in a square about 11"x 11", and two pieces of standard 3mm thick. It will translate to a roughly 12" diameter disc. Some glass will be left in the pot.

I don't pour directly onto a shelf. I've had the kiln wash fail and had to trash the shelf to break off all the glass. So I pour into shallow plaster/silica molds. You can use fiber paper in front of a dam for the edges. But don't pour on top of fiber paper unless you can grind off the bottom 1/16" of the disc, as the glass will consume most of the fiber paper and will have inclusions in it that will crack the glass.

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Mon May 05, 2003 1:18 pm

use a balance scale.

piece of wood, two screw eyes, some cord and 2 identical containers. screw the eyes into the wood, measure to find the middle between the eyes, use cord to suspend the containers. balance wood on a knife blade. add 16 oz can of beans to one side, add glass to the other side. keep adding glass until it balances out.

Edythe Halliday · Post by **Edythe Halliday** » Tue May 06, 2003 1:05 am

Thanks so much for your help to my Questions Ron and the Charlies.

I would like to ask Charlie Holden about "lay out cut pieces in a square 11"x11", and two pieces of standared 3mm thick" Are they also 11"x11" so you have three layers of glass?

Also the plaster/silica molds can be used only once? Can you use the ceramic molds that you slump into? Do you have problems with the kiln wash in the molds? like you did on the shelf?

Hope you can understand my ramblings, it's time for bed.
Edythe

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