PeterH

You may be interested in this thread & its references

Another old thread I was interested in the use of a rod

1. Far more detail on carbon-nanotube based black paints than any of us can handle. https://www.paint.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Carbon-Nanotube-based-Black-Coatings_Mar-2021.pdf I think it clearly indicates that this class of material is in a different league from anything you will be able to achieve with a glassy glaze. 2. Although it won't be very robust, it might be fun to glaze a teacup with a black glaze and then paint the outside with Black 4.0. - there are several options for handling the outside of the cup -- leave unglazed then paint with 4.0 (maybe over an acrylic undercoat) -- paint the 4.0 on top of the glaze (maybe over an acrylic undercoat, perhaps one sold for acrylic-on-glass work) -- maybe leave a lip-ring of untreated glaze (H&S, wear, etc) - Looking at how stained my tea mug gets (and how difficult it is to clean) I don't think it's sensible to try and paint the inside of the cup. 3. In some ways Black 4.0 is reminding me of day-glow colours. Both are, I suggest, so dramatically eye-catching because the human visual system has difficulty assessing the reflectance of the surfaces (almost zero for 4.0 and "greater than 1" for day-glow colours). The day-glow phosphors convert UV light to a narrow visible band, so more light is emitted by the object in that waveband than hits it.

Old threads on ITC

Which clay are you using? A quick glance at Seattle suggests that they are giving absorption at mid-range rather than at cone 6, with the odd one <1% at cone 5. Digitalfire gives information on doing your own shrinkage tests. Maybe worth trying at cone 6 and "extended" firing schedules. https://digitalfire.com/test/shab PS https://seattlepotterysupply.com/pages/water-absorption-in-pottery-clay When you are making dinnerware (plates, cups, bowls) that will come in contact with food you would want a clay with the lowest absorption rate possible(<.5%) This is because clays with a low absorption rate will not absorb water even if there is a bad fit between the clay and glaze (cracks in the glaze). When making work that will hold liquids but not necessarily food (vases, bird baths, fountains) an absorption rate can be slightly higher (.5-3%). While the clays have a higher absorption rate they should not absorb enough water to seep through the piece onto the table. Might be worth asking them which bodies -- when fired to cone 6 -- meet their recommendations for dinnerware.

I expect that the UPS charge could be prohibitive, but 1/8" * 1/4" Molduct is available from https://www.axner.com/search.aspx?find=molduct

Firstly, I don't doubt Bill's advice that a clear glaze over a black glaze may make it appear blacker. However IMHO it emphasizes the real differences in the physics of Black 4.0 and glazes (pedantically the surface of the Black 4.0 pigment and the surface of glasses/glazes). Because covering Black 4.0 with a varnish seems to loose the magic †. Black 4.0 claims to reflect about 0.05% of the incident light (this varies with the incidence angle of the light ‡). For window glass (and presumably glazes, which are glasses) the figure is a lot bigger (even with an anti-reactant coating). † https://help.culturehustle.com/en-US/articles/black-40-faqs-121873 No, sadly this paint is not waterproof and may get damaged outdoors. There is no clear varnish as matte as this paint to protect it and attempting to use any top coat over BLACK 4.0 will likely ruin the finish. ‡ https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4739693 Black 4.0 - deeper into the Dark Side? PS If pressed I'd be inclined to try these options. 1) A clear base glaze containing lots of black stain. Maybe looking at the difference in appearance a matte base-glaze gives. 2) A deeply matte copper oxide surface (based on a copper matte raku but without the color-forming reduction). Wildly non-functional, but the optics might be interesting. I haven't tried it but Hasselle Copper Matte is a frit/glass less copper matte recipe in https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/docs/default-source/uploadedfiles/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/15rakuglazes.pdf

As in "Black 4.0 is the blackest paint you can buy"? https://boingboing.net/2023/11/01/black-4-0-is-the-blackest-paint-you-can-buy.html

https://digitalfire.com/article/super-refined terra sigillata Firing Ranges and Natural Clay Colors Achieved with Terra Sig A true burnished surface cannot be fired above cone 012. Beyond that, as described earlier, the compressed surface crinkles on a microscopic level, and you loose your shine. On the other hand, highly polished (not burnished) terra sig surfaces can be fired as high as cone 02 with the polish intact. At higher temperatures, terra sigs will give an appealing satin finish, but the high shine will disappear. I have applied very thin coats of terra sig to bisqueware with adequate results, but it never produces the level of shine or durability of surface achieved with a sig applied to bone dry clay. Terra sig applied too thickly on bisqueware will almost always crack and peel. At cone 012, Redart sig gives a bright brick-red-orange color. At cone 08 it gives a classic brick red, and cone 02 it gives a red brown. At midrange and highfire temperatures, a Redart (or other earthenware clay) terra sig will fuse and become a glaze.

On second thoughts. It might be worth measuring the elements resistance before trying to pin the element. If you are going to need to replace it ASAP you may not want to pin the replacement element in an area that you have previously pinned. (Or at least ask for advice from the experts on this point.)

To emphasis the point: I have zero expertise or experience in this area, unlike the experts in this group. So all I'm doing is trying to find items on the net that might be useful. Buyer beware! Remembering Niel's comment: The elements cannot touch like that. You'll need to separate them and pin the upper one into place so that it can't sag. The element is probably pretty brittle, so you'll want to heat it with a torch and use pliers to manipulate it. At some point you'll want to replace that brick, because pins can only do so much. An initial YouTube search finds quite a lot of plausible-looking videos when searching for How to Repair a Bulging Element: The Paragon Kiln. Some apparently relevant items (ignoring element resistance checks and element replacement for now) ... PS Min, any memories? Was it a video or text? Do you use other names posting on other sites (e.g. YouTube)?

Getting to be a question for the experts. However two points. 1) Don't try to power-up the kiln again until you have removed the apparent short-circuit where the element crosses itself. It could damage something. (How to bend aged elements is outside my experience, they may be brittle.) 2) Can you: -- Confirm that you still have power to the socket (i.e. your test didn't trip the breaker). -- That you started the test by activating the kiln sitter (with a cone in place), otherwise power wouldn't get to the kiln proper. (If you don't have any cones the experts probably know how to improvise without a cone for the test.) -- Say if the pilot light came on during your test. 3) For now only look at the wiring when the kiln is unplugged. Do you have a meter that measures AC volts & ohms, and what is the lowest scale you can measure ohms on? Possible circuit diagram https://corp.paragonweb.com/wp-content/uploads/WS1193.pdf ... note that one element is shown running off a relay. - It would be nice to confirm the presence of the relay. (If it's not there it's the wrong diagram.) - Does the relay feed the good element or the damaged one?

https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/using-a-grid-to-transfer-patterns-to-round-pottery https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/How-to-Paint-Convincing-Patterns-on-Round-Pottery-Without-Trigonometry Which are a couple of hits from a search for round pot pattern https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/search-dailies?Keywords=round pot pattern PS Foam transfer look an interesting way to transfer details rather than patterns https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/From-Flat-to-Round-Screen-Printing-Glaze-Patterns-onto-Pottery

Weakly related, if you cannot find a manual.

If that is for your kiln it gives the model number a S1193 rather than 1193D. In which case the manual might be at https://corp.paragonweb.com/wp-content/uploads/IM104_S_SnF_TnF_Inst-Service-Manual.pdf ... although there is very little on the S models. This might be relevant. PS Test kilns, being smaller, tend to cool faster than full-size kilns. Which can influence the appearance of some glazes. My impression is that people with both a test and full-size kiln try to ensure that the test kiln cools at a similar rate to their full-size kiln. Which is a lot easier if the test-kiln has a controller fitted!