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Jack

That seems to be an odd belt size. CRL belts are 4x64 and 4x106. Have you been able to find belts for the Wilt 6x48"?

Tony

Barbara,

If you have a real Shop Vac, you can buy the Clean Stream HEPA filters from them directly at http://www.shopvac.com/dev/catalog/detail.asp?id=320

Tony

You really only have two choices: Sommer and Maca (Somaca) and CR Laurence. They both sell workhorses that will last a lifetime. The question is how long it will take you to come up with $1500 USD to buy one. The other option is to buy a small unit made by Covington Engineering. They are good units,...

The cone method, while inexpensive, is a way of measuring heat work, or the combination of time and temperature as Colin so clearly stated. While it will get you in "the ball park" it's not an accurate way of knowing what the "real" temperature is in the kiln.

Tony

Carla, There are a number of factors that go into determining the "real" temperature in a kiln. Location of the pyrometer, distance of the pyrometer from the elements, volume of the kiln, distance of the pyrometer from the glass, etc... I think the best that you can do is to get a handheld...

I found installing a quartz halogen spotlight helped tremendously. I bought an electrical outlet box for a dollar, and bolted it to the top of the cabinet. An outdoor spotlight fixture that came with a gasket for the spotlight cost a few more dollars. I drilled through the top of the cabinet and the...

Hi Barbara, Yes, if you have the back plug out and a good filter, then you will probably need a larger shopvac, or bite the bullet and get a dust collector like the VAC-36 from TPTools http://www.tptools.com. It's pricey, but it has a HEPA filter and really moves the air. Sears Hardware carries a fu...

You can fuse them to each other, but without testing them, you have no way to know what type of glass they are made of or what the COE is. You may find that you can't find a compatible glass to fuse them to.

Tony

The thing to remember about ceramic molds is that ceramic doesn't expand and contract as fast as glass. So if the glass is on the outside of the ceramic, it will capture the ceramic and not let go. If the freezer doesn't do it, then you should try one of the earlier suggestions and slumping the glas...

Sorry, I must have missed that part of the thread.

Barbara, you could start with removing the exisiting filter in her shop vac and replacing it with a HEPA, or even a standard replacement filter. They do clog up, especially with glass dust.

Tony

If you don't have any airflow, it won't make a difference how much power you have... it'll just make your gloves stick out a little straighter...

Tony

I think using the 120, 220 and 400 grit pads progressively for smoothing edges works well. If you routinely clean up "needles" from fiber paper or overfiring, you should also consider the 70 grit pad.

Tony

There's a big difference between belts and handpads though. You can easily overheat a belt by not having sufficient water flowing over the surface or overstress it by the way it is stored. Handpads are pretty tough, but you're right, "forever" is a long time.

Tony

Jackie, It sounds like your rough surface may be initiating the formation of devit. The best thing to do is to reduce the surface roughness by using the diamond handpads. You should use the diamond handpads under running water or with a frequent water rinse. It's important to use water to keep the g...

The plated pads will last longer (read: forever), but you can only get the plated pads in the lower grit numbers.

Tony

The diamond handpads are from abrasive technology at http://ecprod.abrasive-tech.com/product.asp?ProdCat=34&ProdSubCat=83 They come in a variety of grits and are less expensive than the 3M pads available from other dealers. You didn't mention if you are firing on thinfire or some other fiber pap...

CRLoo http://www.crloo.com carries Glass Alchemy's Borosilicate rod in a number of different blacks.

Tony

When I made the decision to buy a "large" kiln, I asked my dealer to call the distributor to find out what they had in stock. They had the 23" Evenheat in stock so I had them put it on the next truck. I had it in a next week. The larger kilns were back-ordered more than two months. Tony

request 316 Stainless Steel. It has higher temperature resistance than other grades of stainless steel and the high levels of nickel and molybdenum make it less prone to pitting.

Tony

Not all float is compatible, so try to use glass from the same sheet or at least from the same case.

Tony