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Only saw this now. I wouldn't use graphite in a kiln. Yes, you can shape glass without it taking on the texture of the mold. About 1200 degrees F, it should not take on the texture since it is float glass.

There is a woman on Youtube, Fired Glass. She paints and uses a Unique Glass Colors product called Layering Mix. She can do a number of layers of paint before she has to fire. You might look into that to see if that would work for your situation.

Seems like a lot of work when you could just pick up some old windows and use those for float glass. I use old windows all the time. I give mirrors to gardeners to make fun reflective illusions to make little paths look like they go on and on.

It usually isn't too difficult to rig up a counterweight so your lid isn't so heavy that it bangs down if you accidentally let it drop.

I would first call Paragon and ask them the question since they know the kiln the best.

Just a guess since I only use window glass. The color looks like it was darker on one side. The darker glass absorbs heat faster than the clear side so you would have to slow down your drop to make sure it heats evenly. You might want to do a test to see how even your kiln heats with strips of glass...

Bert, the kiln was on 480 3 phase but now it is on 208 3 phase. It would have been easier if I had 240 v but I had to refigure the wiring and I shorten the kiln by unhooking one loop of elements and filled that end with fiber. Now I can still do a 3 foot x 8 foot piece. Once the kiln pays me back fo...

To answer myself in case anyone cares: I will have to change the elements at some point so I will have the place I buy the elements from calculate what I need. It works but the kiln is only 8 inches deep so when I am bending glass on a form I am placing two layers of firebrick around the perimeter t...

I wrote a post a couple of days ago but I must have forgotten to hit the submit button. You need to get hold of a kiln and try firing some glass. It doesn't behave the way you think it will. If I were you, I would cut some rounds, stack them and fire them for the first experiment. If you use old win...

I still don't understand. Are you going to cut out rounds out of thin float glass (windows) and then stack it and fuse it, hopefully without bubbles? What thickness of glass are you starting with? Why do you want to cast it and not just fuse it? Heating window glass that hot to make it more liquid i...

I would look at the MSDS to see what fumes might be coming off the very high temp powder coating material. Also, if you have a glass kiln with elements only on the top, will that be a problem for the parts? Won't the top be hotter than the sides or bottom? I might be looking for someone with a potte...

You need to tell us what your final outcome is meant to be. If you are looking to make a telescope, it won't work with float glass.

use a cheap magnet, won't stick to Stainless Steel

I bought a large used kiln but it heats up slowly. Can I shorten the lengths of all the elements to make it heat more quickly. The elements don't ever get red even at full power for an hour. Shorter elements would reduce the ohms which would increase the amps which should make it hotter. Does this m...

I don't consider any glass dust to be safe for exposure to my lungs so I certainly wouldn't consider leaded glass to be safe. If it were me, I would use the same precautions as for any grinding of glass and then I would buy a lead testing kit -the EPA has some recommendation on which kits are best- ...

I stopped making glass objects because the market dropped out with the Great Recession. I moved into my studio and rented out my house and went back to doing remodel work. Now people are asking for glass again and my kiln has been running almost daily for a month. So I understand Spectrum having to ...

I live in a small town and I have gotten to know some of the local contractors. I have a small trailer and an A frame that I can put in it to carry glass. The contractor calls me when they are taking out a bunch of windows and I park my trailer where they want it. They call me when they are done loa...

You will want the type of screw that has deep threads and a narrow shaft and not a 'wood screw'. You don't need strength so the shaft can be skinny. There are lots of these screws out there now, they used to be referred to as not needing to predrill.

Depending on your style of kiln, you will lose heat when you open it so it will take time to get back up to heat so the glass can slump some more. It will be tricky to learn that through trial and error. You could just make a peephole in your kiln. Just get a plug from a pottery supply or from the p...

Epoxy doesn't do well with UV light so make sure the product you use can tolerate sunlight.