PeterH

https://www.bookfinder.com/ is a good source for harder-to-find books. When you get to the list of matching books I find the or view all matches combined option useful.

@neilestrick As this is for enamelling would there be any merit in a minimalist solution based on a pyrometer and an infinite switch? I vaguely remember pictures of old glass/enamel/jewellery kilns which appeared to have this sort of arrangement.

A hybrid technology: stainless steel ring with inlay (here polymer clay). Video using Fimo Soft (maybe not the best polymer for jewellery) One source for suitable stainless steel "inlay" rings https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09N6XQ1LG/ref=twister_B091KYY4B1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 PS This may be relevant Best Polymer Clay for Earrings and Jewellery https://sarahmaker.com/best-polymer-clay-for-earrings-and-jewelry/

This thread may be of some help.

Sort of, but ... - The SG of water varies with temperature. - Dissolved solids will increase the SG (mainly thinking of hard water). Size of the effects on SG seem small enough to ignore "for government work" https://www.hillcrestplumbingandheating.com/b/hard-water-vs-soft-water-debate-finally-solved The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality Hardness rank hard to soft by CaCO3 levels. Here are their guidelines: Soft Less than 60 mg/L Medium Hard 60 to 119 mg/L Hard 120 to 179 mg/L Very Hard 180 mg/L or greater

Can you confirm that you are using CMC, not the Ceradel label gum.

Few materials can provide the truly remarkable durability of a metal ring. So would it be an idea to produce a set of three, to provide a backup in the event of wear/accident.

What started me looking at how you carved/machined rings. https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/815905438/set-of-almond-wood-resin-couple-rings En masse https://tinyurl.com/2p9y83sy

I stumbled across "ring" drills. Posting the info in case anybody is interested. video: https://youtu.be/8QWjEqZUa3g?t=155 adverts: https://tinyurl.com/5yev7etz https://tinyurl.com/2jd32fye

oops, don't know how to delete.

I've not heard about firing "craft" ceramics directly in a microwave, though I would be interested to hear about it. I have heard about mini-kilns that you can heat in a microwave, and hence fire things inside them. Goodness knows how you control the firing profile. They seem to be really tiny and <£100, sometimes <<£100. Things To Consider Before Buying A Microwave Kiln https://www.soulceramics.com/pages/microwave-kiln-things-to-consider As mentioned above, not all firing projects are suitable to be processed in a microwave kiln. Most ceramics, for example, require a much higher heat than a microwave kiln can generate. Generally, microwave kilns can reach a maximum temperature of around 900°C, which is most suited to glass and jewellery projects. ... that's about cone 010. Microwave Kilns: Great Tools for Testing Low-Fire Lusters, Enamels, and China Paints https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Microwave-Kilns-Great-Tools-for-Testing-Low-Fire-Lusters-Enamels-and-China-Paints While the kilns don't fire high enough to test higher temperature glazes or clay bodies, they can really help out if you are interested in low-fire decorative applications such as china paints, lusters, Egyptian paste, overglaze enamels and many commercial decals. In this post, Jessica Knapp tells you all about this alternate use for old microwaves! A microwave kiln is a container kiln consisting of a base and hood made for use in a household microwave oven. The kiln is made of a white insulating fiber and lined on the inside of the chamber with a black compound that absorbs the microwave radiation and heats up to 1650°F or approximately cone 010 (figure A). The heat from this compound is then transferred to the chamber and to the piece being fired. It takes between 5 to 10 minutes to reach peak temperature ranges depending on the size of the microwave kiln, the work being fired, and the microwave’s wattage. After the firing, the kiln needs to cool for at least 20 minutes before being opened. Are you certain you cannot find somebody to fire it for you in a normal kiln, perhaps one of those paint-a-plate shops. PS I certainly wouldn't use the microwave for heating food afterwards. Some people recommend buying a 2nd-hand microwave for this. Some people claim to have some success (but cone 010?).

Considerably surpasses it in ingenuity.

I'm confused, the plate seems inconsistent, saying: 127/220 volts, single phase, 9 amps, 3300 watts. But 220v*9a = 1980w not 3300w. If there is a single infinite switch I guess it will need to be rated for at least 3300w/220v=15a rather than 9a -- unless you are sure that the plate wattage is incorrect.

Valuable experience. To emphasise the obvious: if @kawaiidumpling wanted to follow this approach they would need to make a casting-slip version of a commercial "sculptural" body. (As you cannot remove the deflocculant from a slip-casting body.)

Congratulations, some very ethereal results. Could you give a few more details of your process? I'm assuming it's something like: - Inkjet printing onto paper? - Sprinkling oxide/stain powder onto damped paper? - Press clay onto image? PS Vague memories at the back of my mind ( probably from reading about laser-printed transfer plates) suggest that pre-treating your digital image before printing it might change the nature of your final images. For example, digitally process your image to produce either a "halftone" B&W image or a low-resolution one. (Perhaps try 100dpi to see the effect, then maybe 300dpi in practice.) Print them at whatever resolution your printer has. You might get a more accurate greyscale.

You could also make/buy texture sheets/rollers to provide a low-relief background for your sculptures. e.g. https://www.etsy.com/uk/market/polymer_clay_texture_sheet

Posted the plate for the record

Still arguing for using the same body for mug and sculptures. If you want/need to attach hand-build sculptures, why not hand-build the mug. 101 on making a slab mug, with tips on rolling out the clay if you are unaccustomed to hand-building https://thepotterywheel.com/slab-built-mugs/ Personally I prefer to join round a tube of some sort, as in https://clairepalmerphotography.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/how-to-create-a-cylinder-vase-slab-building/

FYI tried to find the voltages I see you are in the US, a US page https://www.hot-clay.com/nabertherm-top-190-pottery-kiln-free-uk-delivery.html?gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjcH8s4HA_gIVMYBQBh3gDAqeEAQYAyABEgIKX_D_BwE gives On p46 of the English catalogue https://nabertherm.com/sites/default/files/2023-02/artscrafts_english.pdf

Do you have any porcelain clays in mind? What cone do they need to be fired at, and can you reach those temperatures? Mugs need to be waterproof, so you would probably need to fire to maturity. If you made moulds from your sculptures you could slip-cast them in the same casting slip and apply them to the freshly cast mug, largely avoiding compatibility/shrinkage issues. Easier if you restrict yourself to low-ish relief with no undercuts, but you could go the full multipart figurine route.

From http://www.potters.org/subject03706.htm my emphasis Vince Pitelka on thu 21 nov 96 I have been putting holes on the foot(s) of my platters for hanging, and they keep >filling up with glaze. I also place holes (1/8"-dia.) through the foot of my platters. I have eliminated the problem of glaze flowing into the holes by threading a damp pipe-cleaner through the holes and leaving it there while I glaze the wares. I then remove the pipe cleaner, re-moisten it, and run it in and out of the hole a few times. This seems to remove enough glaze from around the openings that the glaze does not flow into them. Of course, I tend to apply my glazes thinly, which certainly makes them less likely to flow. - Vince Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@Dekalb.Net Phone - home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801 Appalachian Center for Crafts, Smithville TN 37166

If so this thread may be of interest This thread referenced a paper, but the link provided is dead. The_Combination_of_Glass_and_Ceramics_as_a_means_of_artistic_expression_in_studio_practice_Jessamy_Kelly This paper can still be found at several places, including https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/3656/1/The_Combination_of_Glass_and_Ceramics_as_a_means_of_artistic.pdf

Details at https://picworkspottery.blogspot.com/2016/11/trimming-chalice-stems.html

... although in this case you could reduce the cost by casting a thin coloured layer backed by a thicker white one. (But might have issues where the white shows.) e.g. https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Slip-Casting-Ceramics-Using-Colored-Casting-Slip Wet the mold with a sponge. Pour the colored casting slip into the mold and let it set up for approximately ten minutes (figure 5). Then pour the colored slip out of the mold and let it drain figure 6). Once the slip has stopped dripping from the mold, immediately pour in the white casting slip. Leave the white slip in the mold for about 30 minutes before draining. The longer you leave the slip in the mold the thicker the piece will be. I prefer to make my pots just a little on the thicker side.

What defloculant(s) are you using? If there are other dispersants/rheological-modifiers about there may be interactions. I've no idea how the various sorts of deflocculants interact, so speculation follows. > Antiprex 461 is an aqueous solution of low molecular weight polyacrylic acid > Alcosperse® 149 is a pale amber liquid acrylate-based dispersant BTW https://digitalfire.com/material/sodium+polyacrylate Sodium polyacrylate dispersants like Allied Colloids 311 and Darvan #7 are used as an alternative to sodium silicate in casting bodies used in ceramics. If you are currently using a polyacrylate defloculant it might be worth trying to something else/in-addition as there are already polyacrylates about. https://digitalfire.com/article/deflocculants%3A+a+detailed+overview PS Just for the record, a back-to-basics "lab-technician" guide to optimising the level of deflocculant in a slip https://static1.squarespace.com/static/527ac372e4b0d4e47bb0e554/t/527fd7f1e4b0c046bfa9b90d/1384110065234/Dispersant+Addition+Procedures.pdf ... and a longer presentation with some pictures https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/34584429/slip-casting-alfreds-clay-store ... I've no idea how this sort of clay interaction would react with the more ionic deflocculants IIRC neither discuss the use of multiple deflocculants (except soda ash + sodium silicate)