WarmGlass.com

You really want as many pins holding the coils as you can get. One thing you don't want is one falling on your glass. #-o Installing the pins can be a hassle when they won't stay in place so try bending the pins a little so the straight portions have a little curve in them. This will help them lock ...

For most round or oval top loading kilns, the lid bricks are cemented and held together with a tension band around the outside edge. The side bricks are just fitted and dry stacked together and the outside skin is stretched around and holds everything under tension. Badly cracked lids can be repaire...

If you only nee to drill a few holes, check with any hobby store that sells Dremel tools for the diamond bits. Sears Hardware sells individual diamond points of sets of 4. The diamond points dont' look like a real drill bit, more like a little grinding point. http://www.mytoolstore.com/dremel/dmdbit...

The pot melts are also terracotta and are not kiln-washed and don't stick, thus the question. I also fire in clay molds, albeit shallow, that are not kiln-washed and my glass doesn't stick. Of course, this is at low slumping temps. However, the pot melts are quite hot. Yet, the glass still doesn't ...

A little more about glass recycling from The Glass Packaging Institute.

http://www.gpi.org/Handling.html

This is all about container glass and how it's used.

Ron

Try this site.
http://www.pittsburghglasscenter.org/

I haven't beeen there yet but it looks like fun.

Brad has other classes listed here too. http://www.warmglass.com/courses.htm

Ron

I think the whole teaching process is about providing students with the necessary tools to learn. A short 1 or 2 day glass fusing glass isn't going to develop the artistic skills of a student to any measureable degree. To me the teaching process has to start with the mechanics of glass fusing. The b...

Interesting pictures Steve and good investigating too. Thanks to Nikki and Tony too. Looks like the silicon carbide grit is blasting deeper holes in the glass that seal over with firepolishing trapping air. I've seen the same problem if I blast with aluminum oxide and then coat with an overspray lik...

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

This should get you started.
http://www.museumofglass.org/s06_visitorinfo.jsp
Ron

Thanks so much for the additional information. If I understand you correctly the glass, in effect, sealed off the lower area hence a bubble where the steam couldn't escape. Thanks also regarding a different temp. D At fusing temps there won't be any water to generate steam, but trapped air will exp...

Sandpiper - In answer to your question, BE stands for Bullseye (as in the company that is one of the sponsors of this board). LOL. I forget that not everyone knows the abbreviations that some of us use. Their shelves are made in Europe (please correct me if I'm wrong, Lani) from some material other...

Looking at the 8651 mold and its size I think you are firing a little high. Black glass softens much lower than most other glass and the soft glass is probably sealing any path for the air to excape. I think you're getting a shelf bubble inside the mold. For a piece this big (15 inch) you shouldn't ...

CR loo sells frit for float glass. You must test it for compatibility to make sure it will work with your glass.

http://crloo.com/Products/Float_Glass/float_glass.html


Paradise Paints sells glass paints that seem to work with just about any glass.

http://www.paradise-co.com/paints/

Are you soaking the glass at about 1200-1225 f? To avoid getting shelf bubbles make sure you soak the glass in the 1200 range for a good 20-30 min. to let the air squeeze out between the glass and shelf. If that doesn't help get a new shelf. Ron If the glass is badly deformed refiring won't help much.

Try this link. You can order online.

http://hisglassworks.com/pages/hxtal.html

Ron

Kanthal is used in some nasty environments like ceramic kilns, and I wouldn't consider a glass kiln a nasty environment by any stretch. Unless you use a lot of nasty chemicals along with your glass there shouldn't be a problem with Kanthal. If your elements are in the lid, the main reason they sag i...

110J gives a nice texture when firing irid side down without any dry kiln wash applied. The only down side I find is firing glass against it without any dry kiln wash and then later changing your mind and want to flip the piece over. 110j leaves a coating on the glass that is impossible to remove wi...

If you want one to just plug in and go, check this link.

http://www.cdvkiln.com/menuccremo.htm

Ron