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Pres reacted to a post in a topic: Amaco Glazing - cone 5 or 6 and firing help!
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larathompson288 reacted to a post in a topic: Amaco Glazing - cone 5 or 6 and firing help!
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liambesaw reacted to a post in a topic: Best choice of clay for outside bird bath and Stand
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Best choice of clay for outside bird bath and Stand
Rockhopper replied to BobM's topic in Clay and Glaze Chemistry
I was pretty sure it was thrown - but then I've seem some pretty impressive hand-built stuff. I like the contrast between base & top... kind-of has a bronze bowl on a bamboo stand look. Been trying to work up the nerve to try making one myself. I actually have a base that came from one of the potteries around Zanesville, OH about 30yrs ago, that I've been wanting to make a top for. Now that I have a wider kiln (E23S), I think I can fire a top that would be big enough for the old base... just have to figure out how to throw it. -
Rockhopper started following Melt down, Best choice of clay for outside bird bath and Stand, colored clay/slip casting and 6 others
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Best choice of clay for outside bird bath and Stand
Rockhopper replied to BobM's topic in Clay and Glaze Chemistry
Looks great @liambesaw ! I'm curious - Is the base hand-built, or thrown ? (Looks like maybe thrown in three sections, but that could just be the texturing.) -
Amaco Glazing - cone 5 or 6 and firing help!
Rockhopper replied to larathompson288's topic in Clay and Glaze Chemistry
Your Light Sepia over Iron Lustre looks very much like the example here, which says it's two coats of each. I haven't tried the #34 - but have done a lot of combinations with # 33 - and Iron Lustre definitely needs to be thicker to get the blues to show up. Looking at the sample pic's you posted, and others on Amaco's site, it looks like the white in the Light Sepia tends to dominate whatever it is applied over. On your two pieces with #33 & #34, it looks like that white float is there - but the glaze just wasn't applied thick enough to really develop to the extent you see in th- 10 replies
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colored clay/slip casting
Rockhopper replied to Fialil ceramic's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
What clay are you using, and what cone are you firing to ? Sticking is usually not an issue with bisque firing, but the best way to be sure is to put a 'cookie' of un-tinted clay under each cup. Then, if anything sticks, it will stick to the cookie, rather than the shelf. -
Amaco Glazing - cone 5 or 6 and firing help!
Rockhopper replied to larathompson288's topic in Clay and Glaze Chemistry
This can be a factor with any glaze, especially when trying to replicate someone else's results with the same glaze. If your colors are under-developed, you may be applying too thin - even with the 'correct' number of coats. The recommendation of 3 coats brushed is based on the assumption you are applying each coat the same thickness they do. I've found that I sometimes need to apply four coats to get the total thickness needed, because some glazes flow more, and wind up going on thinner than others. Also - when brushing, make sure you apply each coat in a different direction from- 10 replies
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Bill Kielb reacted to a post in a topic: Replacing potentiometer inside Brent pedal
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Replacing potentiometer inside Brent pedal
Rockhopper replied to Brandon B's topic in Equipment Use and Repair
If you know the spec's for the pot, you might be able to find it at one of the following: Mouser Electronics Parts Express Potentiometers.com I've bought components for audio equipment from the first two, and been happy with the product and service. Mouser probably has a broader assortment. Don't know anything about the third one - just passing along a link that turned up in my search results. -
AlachuaArtist reacted to a post in a topic: Here Is How To Get Wax Resist Out Of A Brush
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Running a 28 Amp kiln on a 30 Amp breaker
Rockhopper replied to grumpykidstudio's topic in Equipment Use and Repair
As Neil suggested - running just slightly below the rated capacity for an extended time can do more than cause the breaker to 'wear out quickly'. The witness cones in your kiln are melted by the combination of heat and time - the same can happen with your outlet, and the wires that run from the breaker to the outlet (as well as whatever materials that wire is running through/along inside the walls, between the breaker and the outlet). Will the breaker eventually trip ? Probably. Will it trip before any damage is done ? Maybe. Depends a little bit on how old everything is, what -
Cone 5 plus hold = Cone 6 ?
Rockhopper replied to Rockhopper's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
Yeah the old one was really slow... My first glaze fire with my new L&L was about 8:20, and almost every piece in it (mostly coffee mugs, with various PC glazes) had pin holes - so I'm thinking either the bisque or the glaze went (or both) may have been a little too fast. Was considering doing the ^5 + soak, instead of a straight ^6 on the next one. -
Cone 5 plus hold = Cone 6 ?
Rockhopper replied to Rockhopper's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
Ahh... This sounds familiar - may be the context of the previous thread I saw. I think someone also told me that the sample pieces on Amaco's website are fired to ^5 + 15minutes I may just need to slow things down a bit. My old manual kiln took about 10hrs for ^04, and around 14 hrs to hit somewhere around ^5-1/2 - ^6. (Both fired at 2hrs all switches on low, 2hrs med, then high 'til the sitter drops.) No Pyrometer to check actual temp's reached - so may have been doing more of a ^4 or ^5 + extended hold without realizing it. -
I think I've read somewhere in the forum that firing to cone 5 and adding a hold would take it to cone 6. I think I also read that this can help reduce pin-holing with some glazes. I've tried to search for that thread - but I either get every thread that as 'cone 5' in it - or I get nothing that has 'cone 5 plus hold' or 'cone 5 with hold' , etc. Would like to know 1) How long would I need to hold for ^5 to become ^6 ? and 2) What are the pro's & con's of doing so ? Is this something that's only done to address issues with specific glazes, or are there potential benefits
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Bill Kielb reacted to a post in a topic: Intro/Porcelain question
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Mark_H reacted to a post in a topic: Intro/Porcelain question
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And there you have it.
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Min reacted to a post in a topic: Ok to glaze cone 6 pot and fire to cone 06?
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Just remember: You're sanding "glass" - so be sure to wear an appropriate respirator, and do your sanding outdoors or in a workshop with a good dust collection system. And.. most underglazes are darker and/or stronger color with a clear 'top-coat' than when fired by themselves. Were the test tiles you're comparing to finished exactly the same as the final work (same number of coats, of both underglaze and clear glaze) ?
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Ok to glaze cone 6 pot and fire to cone 06?
Rockhopper replied to Scott G's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
I'm guessing from your post that ^6 is the maturity point of your clay. You'll find several threads on here about the difficulties of applying glaze to clay that's already fired to maturity. (It can be done, but is often difficult, and could be pretty frustrating for kids.) Have you considered firing to maturity, and letting the kids decorate with acrylic paint instead of glaze ? That would eliminate the need for a second firing, which also means they could hang their ornaments as soon as the paint dries - and no pressure on you to deliver, pick up, fire, and re-deliver in time f -
Bill Kielb reacted to a post in a topic: Is it possible to glaze fire chemically sealed clay?
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I would definitely recommend burning off the sealant before applying glaze. 1) You'll likely have a hard time applying the glaze to the sealed surface. 2) If you apply glaze over the sealant, the sealant will likely bubble up through the glaze as it burns out - probably leaving pin-holes (or bigger) in the glaze. It could also cause large areas of glaze to flake off, or slide downward. Do you have a test tile, or other small un-glazed piece you could apply the sealant to, then bisque fire ? That would let you find out what's going to happen, but with smaller amounts of "combustion pro
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Did you have witness cones ? Are you certain the sitter cone was ^04 and not ^4 ?