how to flatten and fp pot melt
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
-
Linda Blackburn
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:48 pm
- Location: Georgia
how to flatten and fp pot melt
Is there any way to flatten and fire polish the edges of a rectangular pot melt and still maintain crisp corners?
Linda Blackburn
"Art flourishes where there is a sense of adventure." - Alfred North Whitehead
"Art flourishes where there is a sense of adventure." - Alfred North Whitehead
-
The Hobbyist
- Posts: 309
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 7:09 pm
- Location: Sun City West (NW Phoenix), AZ
- Contact:
Re: how to flatten and fp pot melt
Trying to do both at the same time, IMO, is difficult to impossible.
It's best to get the melt flat in the first place. If you review Doc Immerman's tutorial you'll see he has a hold at 1500. I use the same hold. It flattens out the top of the melt. Leaving off the hold can result in spikes and bumps from the dropping melt.
The only way I know to get crisp, polished edges/corners is A) dam* and cold work (all the way to a cork belt) the edges after the last firing, B) cold work the edges to the shape desired and refire enough to polish unless C) you're going to slump next. Then just coldwork the edges as smooth as possible and they will shine when you slump.
*Without damming the edge on 1/4" and thicker will round over.
Happy Fourth..................Jim
It's best to get the melt flat in the first place. If you review Doc Immerman's tutorial you'll see he has a hold at 1500. I use the same hold. It flattens out the top of the melt. Leaving off the hold can result in spikes and bumps from the dropping melt.
The only way I know to get crisp, polished edges/corners is A) dam* and cold work (all the way to a cork belt) the edges after the last firing, B) cold work the edges to the shape desired and refire enough to polish unless C) you're going to slump next. Then just coldwork the edges as smooth as possible and they will shine when you slump.
*Without damming the edge on 1/4" and thicker will round over.
Happy Fourth..................Jim
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion. " Steven Weinberg
Re: how to flatten and fp pot melt
Flattening takes a much hotter temperature than firepolishing. If you want to flatten and not lose the rectangular shape, use a dam. If you do that, the top will be firepolished but not the sides (where they're touching the dam.
"Every artist was first an amateur."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
--Ralph Waldo Emerson