PeterH

TNF-82 spec https://shop.clay-planet.com/Paragon-TNF-82.aspx Wiring for TNF-82 https://eadn-wc04-7751283.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/wtnf82.pdf I find it hard to see how it's only pulling 12 to 15A at full power. [With 240V measured across the elements and all elements conducting/glowing.] R=1/2*(10+6)=8 V/R=240/8=30

Possibly relevant: Outdoor Weather Resistant Ceramics https://digitalfire.com/article/outdoor+weather+resistant+ceramics This thread, especially

Sadly that looks like the knob, the switch appears to be sold out https://kruegerpottery.com/collections/rk-2-parts/products/tanac006232-rk2 It's also discontinued here https://www2.ceramics.nidec-shimpo.com/parts-list/ I found no immediate hits for the part-no SRH623-2 Wiring instructions here https://www2.ceramics.nidec-shimpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/RK-2-WIRING-Troubleshooting-Manual.pdf I would guess that the switch gives straight-through, crossed and no connections, although I've no idea which pin is which (or what this type of switch is called). Maybe you could find an "equivalent" switch that would physically fit? A UK search for "changeover switch" gives some ideas. A search for "shrimpo crossover switch" gives several hits, including https://www.theceramicshop.com/product/27976/fwd-rev-switch-vl-whisper/ This is a replacement forward and reverse switch for the Shimpo VL Whisper and RK Whisper pottery wheels. This item is the switch only, but for the switch assembly click here. Unsure if this is equivalent (or even 3-way) let alone a direct replacement. Good hunting!

Could the fact that "dried" coffee is deliquescent have anything to to with it? [Tending to absorb moisture from the air and dissolve in it.] Do molds stored where they are permanently damp have similar problems? Obviously multiple wet/dry cycles are not a problem.

A photo would help. But here is a manual for the LT-K & LT-3K kiln sitters. http://www.fireright.com/docs/kilnsitter/lt3andk.pdf

Thank you for your patience. Looking at the figure in the as-cast orientation: ... and assuming that the dotted line marks the intended parting-line, and is where the clay was positioned before casting. The current position of the plaster suggests that: - either the figure has moved away from the plaster after casting (perhaps as the embedding clay was pulled away) - or the embedding clay moved to enclose more of the figure during the casting (difficult to imagine, especially given the cleanly cast edge) Can you pull the figure out of the plaster and look at the cast. Is the cast "clean"? How far up the figure would the cast go? Can you push the figure back into the cast. How far does it go in? Obviously any undercuts will hinder the movement of the figure relative to the plaster.

I'm having trouble visualising your process. 1) Can you reference one of the tutorials you are basing your process on? 2) You print a hollow figure then "As a filler I used stoneware clay and fill exactly half the object". As I assume you are trying to take a mould of the outside of the figure why not just entirely fill it with clay? (Obviously I'm missing something here.) 3) You seem to be trying to take a casting of the lower side of the figure which is presumably resting on plywood. I'm far more familiar with first taking a casting of the upper half of the figure, with the lower half embedded in clay. As shown in : Mold Making and Plaster Mixing 101 http://www.davidwbolton.com/uploads/5/5/1/4/55145091/moldmaking_and_plaster.pdf Then flipping and casting the other side

Some eye-candy and tips on slip-cast multi-layer work - but for bone china rather than parian ware. Multi-Colored Casting in Tempting Transparency https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/pottery-making-illustrated/pottery-making-illustrated-article/Tempting-Transparency# Some examples of Sasha Wardell's work at http://www.strathearn-gallery.com/artists/435/sasha--wardell PS Can you use setters with parian ware? It might be useful if you could.

Any relevance? Lithium Carbonate 200CND/Kg (shipping $12.50?) https://psh.ca/products/lithium-carbonate-1

This Greenbarn? https://www.greenbarn.com/store/index.php?type=109&xyz=1

It might be worth trying excess hot vinegar first. Mechanism and kinetics of wollastonite fibre dissolution in the aqueous solution of acetic acid https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0032591010005267?via%3Dihub The dissolution of fibrous wollastonite (CaSiO3) in the aqueous solution of acetic acid (3 mol dm− 3) was investigated in the temperature interval from 25 to 50 °C using mixed batch-type reactor. I'm a bit uncertain, but I think that 3 mol dm− 3 is about 18% vinegar. The pickling vinegar I use for descaling my kettle is 6%, so it would be weaker than that used in the paper, but might still be strong enough to dissolve your crystals (if they are derived from Wollastonite). Perhaps worth trying before you buy the HCl. PS You might be wise to check my workings. Molar mass of acetic acid ~60g https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid 1dm = 10cm. 1 dm 3 = 1000ml = 1 litre So 3 mol dm− 3 = 3*60g/l = 180g/1000g = 0.18 = 18%

A few thoughts on your crystals - As you cannot dissolve them in hot water this might indicate that they aren't boron-based. - If you have dilute hydrochloric acid it will dissolve most calcium salts, including the silicate ... see A in http://www.pharmacopeia.cn/v29240/usp29nf24s0_m12120.html If you find a way of reproducibly creating the crystals it might be interesting to try: - Using a different deflocculant (Darvan?), which will probably change the pH of the slip which might change things. - Seeing if a small addition of sugar to the fresh slip influences the growth of the crystals [*] [*] Adding sugar would probably be very bad for the moulds, but just might form an interesting experiment. I mention it because sugar has a significant effect on the settling time of cement, apparently by its surface action on things like Wollastonite.

Just to mention the discussion of unwanted crystal growth in http://ceramicstoday.glazy.org/articles/flambe_magic.html ... it also makes me wonder if there could be a "pumping" action if the liquid is repeatedly warmed and cooled.

... and even if it's only "yellow" dextrin it would probably be a better starting point than cornstarch for your own processing.

Dextrin is readily available from small-scale pyrotechnic ingredient suppliers (if you can find them). My limited experience of these (looking for pottery ingredients) suggests that they are fairly cheap and very technically savvy. But I've no real idea how to assess the "quality" of the dextrin they supply (other than it's suitability as a firework ingredient). US example https://www.fireworkscookbook.com/product/dextrin/ I suppose that you could try asking them for advice.

>If anyone is aware of a small quantity source for the darker, more deeply pyrolyzed starch sizing/adhesive called "British gum" please let me know. May be of relevance. Pyrotechnics data for your hobby: Dextrin https://pyrodata.com/chemicals/Dextrin Sources: Dextrin is easily prepared from starch. Potato and cornstarch will both work fine. The starch is spread out on a sheet in a layer about 1 cm thick and placed in the oven. The oven is then heated to 220°C(400°F) for several hours. The dextrin will turn slightly yellowish brown. One way to check if all the starch has been converted is to dissolve a small sample in boiling hot water and add a drop of KI3 solution (Lugol's iodine solution). A blue colour indicates presence of starch, which means the conversion hasn't completed yet. KI3 solution is conveniently prepared by dissolving a crystal of elemental iodine in a potassium iodide solution. The complete removal of starch could be important in your application, so I would try the starch-iodine test. PS Dextrin and Making Dextrin http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/dextrin.html

If you are trying different brushes & handling techniques there is a Chinese calligraphy practice paper/cloth that you can draw on with a water filled brush. When wet it gives a dark image which slowly fades as it dries. Often called magic-paper/cloth. Sometimes it has guide-lines for calligraphy, but plain sheets are also available. PS another sort of specialised brush

More types of ruling pin nibs than I'd thought (my only experience is a little technical drawing 60 odd years ago). All About Ruling Pens https://sarahtypes.com/all-about-ruling-pens/ https://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/ruling-pen-basics

No experience, but might that have been done with a ruling pen? Although these are often used to make very uniform "ruled" lines I believe that shifting the angle of use can produce varying line widths. This example seems to have a similar blotch-iness in the thicker lines in your example. Are You Using Your Ruling Pen to its Full Potential? https://garnerwildlifeart.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/what-is-a-ruling-pen/

Just eye candy: glazes where slow cooling can have a dramatic effect. From Super Cool! Slow Cooling in an Electric Kiln https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Super-Cool-Slow-Cooling-in-an-Electric-Kiln ...and

Might have been this one, where the choice of terminology seemed to be a hindrance rather than a help. I'll freely admit that I'm not sure what temper means, and I'm pretty sure that it means different things to different people. One meaning is: Temper is non-plastic material that is added to clay to keep it from cracking when it dries. It is most often sand, ground stone or ground fired ceramics but historically a wide range of materials have been used for temper. e.g. see Tempering Pottery Clay https://ancientpottery.how/tempering-pottery-clay/ Temper (pottery) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temper_(pottery) Another meaning relates to the non-pottery specific definition of tempered as limited or controlled, or made less extreme https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tempered ... and I expect that there are others. OTOH you seem to want an additive to achieve a really smooth clay. So I don't think its currently cracking, and you are trying to make its smoothness more extreme. So I suppose I'm asking if something like "less gritty" or "more plastic" would capture your intentions better (and leave less room for misunderstandings). PS What mesh-size is your final sieve? Particle Size in How to Find and Test Your Own Native Clays https://digitalfire.com/article/how+to+find+and+test+your+own+native+clays But for fine functional ware, you will need a way to screen out +100 mesh sizes (see links below).

What position is your 3-position rocker switch in?

There's a brief thread on a Ceradel Socor kiln at Yours should have a plate on it giving some important details. It might look something like this

Perhaps it's worth glancing at this, which looks at the effects of different SiC mesh sizes in lava glazes. Testing Silicon Carbide Grits in Cone 6 Lava / Crater Glazes https://www.thestudiomanager.com/posts/testing-silicon-carbide-grits-in-cone-6-lava-glaze

Back up to his posting on this thread, and click on the big P. Then click on the Message icon, and you are messaging him -- by email so he doesn't even have to access the forum to see it. ... keep an eye on the icon at the top of the forum page to catch any personal messages addressed to you (it changes colour).