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McMaster-Carr http://www.mcmaster.com carries the grading riddles (just put riddle in the search box and press "find"). They come in 3 or four different diameters and numerous screen meshes and stack on top of one another. The mixed material goes into the top riddle which has the coarsest ...

Cliff,

As long as the gold or platinum is dry when you handle the piece and put it into the mold (so you don't smudge it), the metallics will mature at the slumping temps, up or down.

Tony

Els is right. The biggest problem with that cabinet is the lack of airflow though the cabinet. The vacuum requires unimpeded airflow into the cabinet to remove the dust. Make sure the air inlet is not plugged or blocked. If there is no air inlet, then you need to make one with a hole saw or a nibble...

One of the big advantages of digital photography is the ability to obtain a very good white balance with almost any broad spectrum light source (quartz, fluorescent, daylight, tungsten, etc...). Quartz halogen lamps are inexpensive, readily available and easily positioned to minimize reflections. La...

Hi Aimee. Does that saw have a GFCI with a reset button? If so, press the reset and try it again. Does the blade rotate freely? Is there a reset button on the motor? They usually stick out the back of the motor if they are there. Let me know if it still doesn't work and I'll think of a few more thin...

I couldn't open it either Glenda. But now it's there.

From the look of it the crack initiates along the blue/red - blue/white joint. I stand by my original recommendation that you need to be more conservative with your annealing.

Tony

Tom, you didn't say what you did for annealing the plate after slumping. I would suggest that you take a more conservative route with three layers and stress concentrations caused by the tack-fused stars. Try a 960 degree soak for 45 minutes then 100 deg/hr to 750 then off. That will control the des...

The rule of thumb for compressors is to buy as large a compressor as you can afford.

Tony

Paul, One of the studios I recently worked in uses a hobby type lapidary tumbler to remove the sharp edges from their scrap glass. They teach a lot of children's classes and find that it reduces the number of boo-boos when the kids are handling the glass. I'm not sure what abrasive they are using, b...

There are a few really good resists on the market. The most readily available is probably the Venturetape 4 mil clear or white vinyl. It sells for about $1/ sq ft and you can buy it from your local stained glass supplier or Warner-Crivellaro, one of the board sponsors http://www.warner-criv.com. Ano...

Hi Susan, That little pressure pot can work really well. Fill your compressor before you start and set your regulator to 25 psi. The first valve is your air inlet valve (where the air hose connects) and that should be fully open. The second valve is a choke valve and that should start full open, but...

Both formulations work well over a range of temperatures from around 1150 to 1450. To use the gold, use a toothpick and dip it into the liquid lifting a small drop out with the toothpick. Touch the wet toothpick to the inside of the barrel of the Kemper gold pen. Two or three drops will go a long wa...

I'm sure I said get a big compressor, but 50 CFM??? I guess I'll have to qualify all of my comments from now on. 50 CFM???? I hope you're going to have 5 people working for you all blasting at the same time. 50 CFM???

You are right, they are quieter. 50 CFM???

Tony

While I agree that some people are afflicted with fungus on their skin, it is not that common and in fact, indiscriminate use of antifungals is not recommended as they are highly toxic.

Like Kevin said, if you have doubts, visit a dermatologist and get a qualified diagnosis.

still a Pharmacoboy

Cliff, sandblasted black has a tendency to haze over on the second firing and especially if it isn't cleaned well. Tim, I disagree with this statement emphatically. I sandblast black all the time and rarely have problems with hazing unless I use thinfire during the first firing after sandblasting. ...

Melissa, If you're stripping the diamonds off your bits, it's probably technique related. Are you drilling hand-held or in a drill press? The technique is to almost tap the bit into the glass and through a pool off water. Build a dam around our hole with the rope-style window caulk or with electrici...

Melissa,

As you get very close to the end of the cut, the glass becomes very thin and will snap with the slightest force. So, when you get close to the end of the cut, slow way down and don't push so hard. Let the blade grind its way through the last bit of glass.

Tony

Hi Suzan, A flat lap is a large wheel similar to a potters' wheel that has an abrasive disk or loose abrasive in a liquid slurry on it. As the wheel rotates, the edge, base, or other portion of a glass object is brought in contact with the wheel where the contacting surface is subsequently ground fl...

Spectrum has discontinued its red, orange and butterscotch opals for environmental reasons. Uroboros is making the new red and it looks nice after fusing, but looks somewhat transparent before fusing. I haven't noticed that it looks more orange.

Tony

Lani, Thank you for starting this thread. I think it's producing some valuable insight for those of us who aspire to be successful teachers. One thing that I have heard from many students is that they don't want to pay a lot of money for a class that is just a lecture and/or demonstration. They want...