a few weeks ago somebody here wondered if you could put dichroic glass in a pot melt with a successful result. i did a pot melt last night using glass from a wrecked plate that had quite a bit of dichro frit on it. i can now report that this isn't a good idea -- nothing shows up, which is kind of what i suspected would happen.
the other thing i wondered about and tried, without success, is adding mica. i happen to have some cans of different bronze colors, so i thought i'd try some of that and see what happens. i added a few teaspoons of it, thinking it would distribute thru the glass as the melt was coming out of the pot and being pushed across the shelf. well, it glops. the bronze color was undisturbed, but the stuff didn't blend like i had hoped. the resulting pot melt looks like the Universe with Bronze Matter distributed around Creation. it's kinda interesting to look at for a few minutes, but it's not a good idea.
these gems have been sent to the Museum of Rejected Ideas. thought i'd spare you the trouble of creating your own exhibit.
Interesting Things to NOT do in a pot melt.
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
Hey Kitty,
The next time try putting some of the mica or dicro on the shelf for the melt to fall on to. I did it once with frit, but the colors were ucky, (that is a technical term.) Nice pattern though. There is someone, I don't know who, that opens the kiln and throws on frit. You might want to wear some sun block, maybe SPF 1000.
Looks like we will be on the Big Island just after the WGW. I hope we can get together for a beer or two.
Later,
Rob
The next time try putting some of the mica or dicro on the shelf for the melt to fall on to. I did it once with frit, but the colors were ucky, (that is a technical term.) Nice pattern though. There is someone, I don't know who, that opens the kiln and throws on frit. You might want to wear some sun block, maybe SPF 1000.
Looks like we will be on the Big Island just after the WGW. I hope we can get together for a beer or two.
Later,
Rob
i've heard about adding frit at high temp ... i'm kinda afraid. maybe it'll spit and scare me. i do like the idea of trying the mica on the shelf. will do a mini-melt and report.
no kidding, on the Big Eye, eh? i know just da place fo' beers, pupus, local music -- it'll be fun to talk story with you. let me know if i can do anything. got a few good snorkel tips 4 U, too. kitty.
no kidding, on the Big Eye, eh? i know just da place fo' beers, pupus, local music -- it'll be fun to talk story with you. let me know if i can do anything. got a few good snorkel tips 4 U, too. kitty.
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Cynthia
It might depend on the dichroic glass you used as to wether it works or not. I have put in dichro in both pot melts and shelf pours (both with processing temps of 1700) with success. It ends up looking like a galaxie of strardust.
The unfortunate thing about this post though is that I buy scrap dichro since I use it rarely, and can't tell you what dichroic glasses worked. I can tell you that Savoy dichro doesn't and will burn off in the process. Could be the scrap that worked was with CBS dichro.
Because the mica acts as as separator, it will create some icky results. If it's sprinkled on the shelf first, as suggested, you might get some results you like. Lots will scrub off, but enough remains adhered to the glass to give a nice effect.
The unfortunate thing about this post though is that I buy scrap dichro since I use it rarely, and can't tell you what dichroic glasses worked. I can tell you that Savoy dichro doesn't and will burn off in the process. Could be the scrap that worked was with CBS dichro.
Because the mica acts as as separator, it will create some icky results. If it's sprinkled on the shelf first, as suggested, you might get some results you like. Lots will scrub off, but enough remains adhered to the glass to give a nice effect.
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Jerry
Rejected Ideas?
Kitty,
I don't think so. You are onto something but haven't pushed it hard enough to make it work. Don't give up yet.
The mica seems to have the most promise. It WILL work if you put down a base sheet with the mica sprinkled under it. Have some doubts about dripping onto a mica sift, but under a base sheet is a walk in the park. You'll need to experiment first to see what color glass works best with your mica. Then drip away while you sip a Mai-Tai.
The dicro is a problem for all the reasons you and Cynthia stated. One way out of all that, and the mica as well, would be to flat fuse some of them and use that sheet as your material. In other words, flat fuse some mica onto a piece of glass and use that in your pot. That will aid the distribution. I've done a couple of those that worked well but wasn't smart enough to figure out how much glass I needed to get to the size I wanted.
So, you have one of those museums too? I put mine along the lower edge of my front window, along with the spiny cactus and venus fly traps.
Keep at it, kid, you're doing fine.
Jerry
I don't think so. You are onto something but haven't pushed it hard enough to make it work. Don't give up yet.
The mica seems to have the most promise. It WILL work if you put down a base sheet with the mica sprinkled under it. Have some doubts about dripping onto a mica sift, but under a base sheet is a walk in the park. You'll need to experiment first to see what color glass works best with your mica. Then drip away while you sip a Mai-Tai.
The dicro is a problem for all the reasons you and Cynthia stated. One way out of all that, and the mica as well, would be to flat fuse some of them and use that sheet as your material. In other words, flat fuse some mica onto a piece of glass and use that in your pot. That will aid the distribution. I've done a couple of those that worked well but wasn't smart enough to figure out how much glass I needed to get to the size I wanted.
So, you have one of those museums too? I put mine along the lower edge of my front window, along with the spiny cactus and venus fly traps.
Keep at it, kid, you're doing fine.
Jerry
the dichro in the pot melt was dichro frit of varying chunk sizes which had been fused onto BE light aquamarine, but the project was a failure. i had the tile shop cut up the sheet for me, and that's what i used in the melt. because of the presence of some opals in the melt, and maybe the high heat, it didnt work for me. i guess if i wanted to use the dichro frit on a pot melt, i'd probably opt for putting it on top in a second firing. i'm not really enamored of the idea ... just wanted to try it and see if something good came of it.
i'm a beginner at things other than jewelry, still building up that log of experiences, both good and bad, to see what happens. the things i do with plates that come out well are controlled, and the result is usually what i expected. my destination is to have successes with things that are much more free-form, in the hope of an successful yet unexpected result. it'll be cool if i ever get there.
i'm a beginner at things other than jewelry, still building up that log of experiences, both good and bad, to see what happens. the things i do with plates that come out well are controlled, and the result is usually what i expected. my destination is to have successes with things that are much more free-form, in the hope of an successful yet unexpected result. it'll be cool if i ever get there.
Re: Rejected Ideas?
One of my brilliant product mailings went out to hundreds of galleries across the country. Not one response. In a fit of disgust, I sent the color postcard to the Museum of Bad Art (it's an actual place). Never heard from them either.Jerry wrote:So, you have one of those museums too? I put mine along the lower edge of my front window, along with the spiny cactus and venus fly traps.
I'll just make my own Windowsill Museum, too. Would that be wmglass? 
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Joanne Owsley
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2003 4:27 pm
- Location: Arlington, WA
- Contact:
Here's what I'm thinking about trying when I get home...(I'm just about 2000 mile away from my kiln in lovely Knoxville, TN, right now)
I want to take a piece of clear and dust it with mica powder then let the pot drip on to that (while I'm sipping a cold mica...uh, I mean micro-brew, because that's what works in the great NW).
Do you think it would work? Or would I be wasting my time and mica?
Joanne
I want to take a piece of clear and dust it with mica powder then let the pot drip on to that (while I'm sipping a cold mica...uh, I mean micro-brew, because that's what works in the great NW).
Do you think it would work? Or would I be wasting my time and mica?
Joanne
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Jerry
Mica
Joanne,
I've tried using thin fire under a pot melt and I can tell you that was one huge mess. The weight of the glass and it's movement was too much for the thin fire.
I mention that because I think the same thing will happen if you drip onto sifted mica. If you can get the mica to adhere to the base glass BEFORE the pot drips you'd have a chance. Otherwise, I'm not too sure, but, like Kitty, I'm waiting for you to tell us what happened when you tried it.
Jerry
I've tried using thin fire under a pot melt and I can tell you that was one huge mess. The weight of the glass and it's movement was too much for the thin fire.
I mention that because I think the same thing will happen if you drip onto sifted mica. If you can get the mica to adhere to the base glass BEFORE the pot drips you'd have a chance. Otherwise, I'm not too sure, but, like Kitty, I'm waiting for you to tell us what happened when you tried it.
Jerry
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Joanne Owsley
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2003 4:27 pm
- Location: Arlington, WA
- Contact: