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The brick dust suggestion was for small hairline cracks although I have put a thick layer on the bottom of a kiln which had seem some serious damage. You have to find someone with kiln bricks such as a kiln builder for a source of the dust. I caution people that I have found that some refractory cem...

Saws waste material. Ceramic tile nippers can work as can scoring and using a pair of grozing or regular pliers if you are cheap. Kevin

The 4 foot long flourescent tubes always are cheaper. Buy a shop light fixture that comes with a built in switch or pull cord and all you have to do is plug it in. You can leave the reflector on or remove it for generalized lighting. Follow other suggestions for building the table. Bigger is better....

You could fill the cracks with some brick dust from ground up kiln bricks. Are you putting your shelves right on top of the elements or leaving an air space? If the shelves are right on top of the elements that could be your problem because it would be hard to evenly heat and cool the shelves withou...

Had a major chain start importing what would at first glance would be copies of my style of work and selling them cheaply. As luck would have it the copies were so cheap quality wise that after a phone call to the company informing them that everything was signed work that had been knocked off , and...

Right on Brock. You said it so well. If you have something that makes your work special then why give it away??? I have told inquiring minds in the past when my studio was completely closed to the public that I charged $100,000 for a tour because, and everyone's "secret" technique takes ti...

The one drag of being an artist is that you have no pension/thus can never quit working. Why would you want to quit? This is the best- obsession, hobby, job- all rolled into one! When I croak in the studio just put me in the kiln..... Marty, as an artist, you never want to quit but if health fails ...

It takes a while to get established. First figure out your monthly expenses and then figure out what you can cut. Earn your base amount that you absolutely need to survive and buy equipment etc. from a regular job and then do nothing else in your spare time than try to perfect your glass and make it...

COD is a pain. UPS once managed to cash a COD cheque that was made out to my company. That took months to sort out and eventually got the money. If you have a flaky customer they will take all the boxes without the COD tag and refuse it. You are really better off to say Pre Pay where you have the ch...

I started out with a cheap($150) 24" imported combination belt and disk machine which I converted to use with glass by standing it on end and with a bent plexiglas water shield that protected everything. Don't bother with the idea. The small, odd size belts were really hard to find/order and co...

I second Brock's opinion. Check out my posts on the Bee machine in the archives on the subject. Kevin in Tofino.

No deposit on my Scotia Bank machine but they are raising their charges all the time. Like from 15 cents a debit card transaction to 50 cents making it higher than visa transactions for small items. Any suggestions out there? The obvious one is only sell big stuff! Kevin in Tofino.

When I made gold decal sheets in the past and applied it to float that was stretched during the slump, the gold would sometimes tear. Combing could have the same effect I would expect but I have not tried it. Kevin

Just a caution. Enamels and paints contain nasty stuff to breathe. Sprayed particles will stay airborn and breathable for an hour, maybe more, and drift all over your studio unless you have EXTREMELY good air filtering and extracting systems. If you casually airbrush you might find yourself sick or ...

I fused bullseye frit to float in between layers. It was a tack fuse. Around each of the frit granules, there was a nice little fracture ring. Still pretty, but not recommended. When enamels or powders etc. don't match coe, then you will have fracturing. I have some nice enamel work that is cracked ...

CRLaurence lists two grades of cerium. Kevin

Perhaps you assume that the rinse aid is on full. Perhaps a new rinse aid bottle in a cleaned out rinse dispenser. I never trust detergents. I would make some inquiries and find out if your local water supply has changed water sources since your problem seems to be new. Run a load or two of water an...

It might be interesting to ask the gallery owners what sort of price points they are looking for. If they respond they were looking for items under $20 retail then you'd know you are looking at dealing with a low end gallery. If they respond with higher price points then you know different informati...

Lynne, Another whole different issue in obtaining consistent results is the voltage your kiln is receiving. Perhaps at night or on a weekend you are getting more or less full voltage from your power supplier than you would be during a weekday. Has a large factory/business near your studio begun summ...

If you want freedom from a running water supply hook up a little giant pump in a bucket of water and feed the output through the hose you are having trouble connecting. Kevin