drip lines - how hot?
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
drip lines - how hot?
I've been trying to do a poor substitute for vitreograph (gotta get a setup!) by heating flowerpots full of glass shards to about 1750, holding for a while, and then removing the pots from the kiln to pour out the glass. Only the glass...doesn't pour. It cools way too fast. How hot do I need to go? Will I kill my kiln?
-
PDXBarbara
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 4:09 pm
- Location: Portland, OR
Hi Cheryl... do you have a li'l kiln? like a hotbox? If so, you can set up your own vitrograph.
You'll need:
2 stepladders, same height.
2 bars to rest across the two ladders.
thick fiberboard (same dimension as the bottom of the kiln)
piece of fiber paper (not thinfire)
flowerpot crucible
tongs to grab glass
hotgloves & perhaps sleeves.
Cut a hole in the fiberboard. Cut a hole in the fiber paper the same size. Put the fiber paper over the fiber board (to protect the board & get many uses from it). Place this on the bars spanning the ladders. Place the Hotboxmiddle section (with the elements) on the fiberpaper/fiberboard.
Place loaded crucible with the hole, perhaps enlarged, aligned with the holes in the fiber paper/board. Place the hotbox lid on top. Ramp fast to high temp. When the glass is molten, it will start to plop out.
You can mess with the heat to get slower or faster glass pours. You can manipulate it with tongs, or make designs on a tray, or whatever.
Start with the lighter colors & move toward the darker colors as you recharge.
What could be more fun?
Hope this helps & ain't more than you wanna know.
Benificent Barbara
You'll need:
2 stepladders, same height.
2 bars to rest across the two ladders.
thick fiberboard (same dimension as the bottom of the kiln)
piece of fiber paper (not thinfire)
flowerpot crucible
tongs to grab glass
hotgloves & perhaps sleeves.
Cut a hole in the fiberboard. Cut a hole in the fiber paper the same size. Put the fiber paper over the fiber board (to protect the board & get many uses from it). Place this on the bars spanning the ladders. Place the Hotboxmiddle section (with the elements) on the fiberpaper/fiberboard.
Place loaded crucible with the hole, perhaps enlarged, aligned with the holes in the fiber paper/board. Place the hotbox lid on top. Ramp fast to high temp. When the glass is molten, it will start to plop out.
You can mess with the heat to get slower or faster glass pours. You can manipulate it with tongs, or make designs on a tray, or whatever.
Start with the lighter colors & move toward the darker colors as you recharge.
What could be more fun?
Hope this helps & ain't more than you wanna know.
Benificent Barbara
Barbara Bader
You could try bending stringers over a candle flame to get a more expressive line.
Also, if you have a torch ( the Hot Head is a good inexpensive starter model) you can pull your own stringers by heating up strips of sheet glass and using tweezers or pliers. Takes a little practice to get consistent strings, but it's lots of fun.
Also, if you have a torch ( the Hot Head is a good inexpensive starter model) you can pull your own stringers by heating up strips of sheet glass and using tweezers or pliers. Takes a little practice to get consistent strings, but it's lots of fun.
vitreograph with only 1 hotbox?
I always thought I needed 2 hotboxes (hotboxii?) so have been waiting. And, for the record, Kevin at Vitrum developed a way cool bracket method of putting the vit. kiln on the wall - cheaper than stepladders and easier on the back & knees!! And cement board on the floor works great too.
off to Home Depot for brackets! hi ho, hi ho,...
off to Home Depot for brackets! hi ho, hi ho,...
and...
wonder if I could use vermiculite board??? a bit sturdier....
I just bought a Paragon Caldera, partly because thats what Bullseye shows on the new Technotes 2 flyer. An older copy of Technotes 2 does show 3 Hot Box kilns stacked. I went up to 1750 degrees, and the glass started to bulge out the bottom of the pot, but the new controller has "issues" and Paragon wanted it back.
TamiC
TamiC
Hi Cyndi
Follow this link, then open the TechNotes2 file near the bottom of the page. That should help explain things.
http://www.bullseyeconnection.com/getsmart/index.html
Yes, its fun!
TamiC
Follow this link, then open the TechNotes2 file near the bottom of the page. That should help explain things.
http://www.bullseyeconnection.com/getsmart/index.html
Yes, its fun!
TamiC
-
PDXBarbara
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 4:09 pm
- Location: Portland, OR
As far as I can see (specs on, yep), the only reason for more than one hotbox is if you require a deeper crucible. It's easy to recharge your flowerpot, though, so I see no point.
I believe that Bullseye sells a setup that they've labeled a vitrograph kiln. Pricey & not necessary. Any small kiln with a removable bottom'll do fine.
Too much fun to wait!
Barbara
I believe that Bullseye sells a setup that they've labeled a vitrograph kiln. Pricey & not necessary. Any small kiln with a removable bottom'll do fine.
Too much fun to wait!
Barbara
Barbara Bader
-
Lauri Levanto
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2003 7:33 am
- Location: Halikko, Finland
When I ordered my first kiln I was a TOTAL neophyte.
I gabbed all kind of information here and draw the specs.
It was built by a local ceramic kiln manufacturer.
I ordered holes on top and in the middle of the bottom.
In the vitrigraph experiment I had a flowerpot in the kiln.
The glass cooled too fast and the stream was so thin
and annealed before hitting the water bucket.
Yes, I tried to make frit.
Rereading the tech notes ( or waas it in Lunstroms)
the flow is best controlled by adjusting the heat just under the pot. That is why they used two small kilns with
eternity switches.
Now I only do kiln casting inside the kiln. The mould and flowerpot are in the kiln. The flowerpot as near the roof as possible without touching elements.
MOLTEN glass is an CONDUCTOR!!
The roof hole I have enlarged so I can add frit without opening the kiln.
-lauri
I gabbed all kind of information here and draw the specs.
It was built by a local ceramic kiln manufacturer.
I ordered holes on top and in the middle of the bottom.
In the vitrigraph experiment I had a flowerpot in the kiln.
The glass cooled too fast and the stream was so thin
and annealed before hitting the water bucket.
Yes, I tried to make frit.
Rereading the tech notes ( or waas it in Lunstroms)
the flow is best controlled by adjusting the heat just under the pot. That is why they used two small kilns with
eternity switches.
Now I only do kiln casting inside the kiln. The mould and flowerpot are in the kiln. The flowerpot as near the roof as possible without touching elements.
MOLTEN glass is an CONDUCTOR!!
The roof hole I have enlarged so I can add frit without opening the kiln.
-lauri
Is This discussion really from 2003 and not 2004??
If so, I'm sure you already figured it out- but it's been so long that I've seen you Cheryl, thought I'd jump in and say hey! I got a Caldera for the express purpose of being able to do pick-ups from my glory hole, but when Kevin showed me his set up, I put mine up on Z wall and have been having a blast with pulling (and dropping, and twirling- etc) I put my flower pot on stilts so the bottom elements are below the pot, and keep the flow going- my base for the kiln is HD board, with a hole cut out.
Hope this isn't hopelessly late!
Liz
PS Loved your pic in the new calendar!
If so, I'm sure you already figured it out- but it's been so long that I've seen you Cheryl, thought I'd jump in and say hey! I got a Caldera for the express purpose of being able to do pick-ups from my glory hole, but when Kevin showed me his set up, I put mine up on Z wall and have been having a blast with pulling (and dropping, and twirling- etc) I put my flower pot on stilts so the bottom elements are below the pot, and keep the flow going- my base for the kiln is HD board, with a hole cut out.
Hope this isn't hopelessly late!
Liz
PS Loved your pic in the new calendar!