jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jan 2, 2024 7:46:23 GMT -5
This has "clear striker red" - the fucsia stripes(on left). To right, the thick red band is "opal red". Well the opal red did not like the higher heat of the small kiln, it has heating coils just 1 inch from the stainless steel brick mold. This made the red opal get too hot and suffer cracks after cooling which makes the brick trash grrr. Note how striker red flows at ends of stacked plates. It is a "high flow" glass which can be good or bad depending on intent. Test for cracks is done by wetting. As drying the residual moisture reveals the deadly cracks and fractures. Glass is funny, cracks anywhere in brick often propagate into rest of brick. Useless for arrowheads, makes for cab killers, OK for tumble fodder.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jan 2, 2024 7:28:29 GMT -5
Sorta botched this one. The flesh color was supposed to be blood red for red(blood)tipped spearheads. The light tan glass looks just like the "striker red" before heating. Striker red changes from clear tan to blood red go figure, easy to confuse.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jan 2, 2024 7:18:14 GMT -5
Its just so....nice to look at. kudos and thank you! And a very very merry christmas Thanks for the well wishes wargrafix. I hope your Christmas was merry as well. Not too much to the glass. Most of it just stacked into a mold and melted ot stacked in a bowl and melted thru a hole in the bowl down into a mold. This is a tray of glass blower's scraps. Blowers use very little colored glass(costly), just enough to get job done. After molded into a 6x6" brick. sawn slab
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 24, 2023 7:19:38 GMT -5
It is easy to do wargrafix. It just takes a lot of glass colors and electricity.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 21, 2023 14:56:11 GMT -5
I was thinking that the air bubbles were a problem, but I can't see how it would be possible to avoid them. Kiln in a vacuum ? Patty Holding at max temp. often allows the bubbles to rise out of the molten glass Patty. Stacking method plays a big role in catching air too(like plates stacked horizontally trapping air). In some cases the rising bubbles rising thru mixed colored plates laying flat make crazy patterns as the bubbles rise mixing the colors. Sorta makes upside down funnels if ya know what i mean. I hadn't reached that level of sophistication but may one day . I have seen hundreds of small bubbles rise thru a stack of glass making some very interesting results.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 21, 2023 14:47:59 GMT -5
So is the mold just a welded box of mild steel, lined with 1/8" fiber paper and set atop other paper? No problems with glass oozing out the bottom? seems like you had some stainless? molds that bolted together.
The mold is 11x6 and bottomless oregon. 1/8" welded stainless. Steel sheds oxides at 1500F making a mess in kiln and in molten glass. The mold just lays on a 3/4" ceramic plate covered with kiln paper. The mold is lined with 1/8" kiln felt which gives enough clearance to remove mold from brick. If thinner kiln paper/felt is used a split-able mold is required to remove brick. A bad problem. A split mold is no problem. The viscosity of the glass is thick enough not to leak at bottom of mold, rarely an issue. The process is real simple/user friendly. A taller kiln is nice when melting glass over baffles or pouring thru a bowl, the taller kiln assists such options above the brick mold. The brick molds have a saddle cut in them to accept a bowl for a (11") bowl melt(thru a 1.25" hole in bottom of bowl). Or whatever hole size and height for various results.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 21, 2023 14:32:38 GMT -5
Today, Dec. 21. Looks ominous as it spews. Varying reports on duration and quantity. Concerns about flow direction towards town. Time will tell Son Of Beach.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 16, 2023 13:40:14 GMT -5
This one about all transparent glass; boring in brick form, let the light in things change. A thin arrowhead lets more light thru. Note how fold-over caught air bubble, grrr.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 16, 2023 13:32:14 GMT -5
a few new man made obsidians out of the bakery Victor saw this at angles for slabs and get some interesting results. Sawyer has all the fun... Much of what looks black on this brick is transparent colors, see backlit below. Note varying saw angle effects. Above backlit, lighting change does color changes(digital cameras) That's pretty eye candy James.
Been a few years since making glass Rick. Hope to get groove back. The re-start is certainly easier than starting out. Having to buy some supplement colors like popular opaque red and yellow. Testing new brands to see if they are copesthetic with the China made stuff.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 16, 2023 13:28:21 GMT -5
Thanks Jason. The old stock is becoming vintage stock; it has been a long time since doing any melting. Trying to remember old techniques is a problem due to a vintage brain these days. Both you and I are like wine. At one point we had "aged to perfection"...now we're just turning to vinegar! Man is that the truth. Thought we were tough when young Jason, this aging is the true test of tough !
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 14, 2023 10:57:58 GMT -5
Wow! Those are seriously psychedelic and cool! Pretty neat how you can take slabs from different sides and have completely different patterns. Is that what you would typically do now is slab them? Thanks rockbrain. The sawyer can have a lot of fun cross sawing at various angles to get crazier patterns no doubt. Because glass pours with distinct color boundaries and mixes well one can make some unique patterns. These will be sold to arrowhead makers(knappers) in the block sizes seen in the photos; they will saw them to their whims usually 5/16" slabs to make spearpoints. I fuse them in 6x6x2 inch or 11x6x2 inch bricks and saw/sell them in basically 6x3x2 inch bricks. I used to sell sawn slabs but got lazy and tired of sawing long hours.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 14, 2023 10:48:54 GMT -5
How cool is that !! Patty
Enjoy Patty. It has been a while since fusing glass. Thought I would give it a go again just using the small kiln for quicker experiments.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 14, 2023 10:46:35 GMT -5
Holy Crap jamesp! Those came out fantastic!! I still have some chunks of your "old stock"! Thanks Jason. The old stock is becoming vintage stock; it has been a long time since doing any melting. Trying to remember old techniques is a problem due to a vintage brain these days.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 13, 2023 12:11:31 GMT -5
Jamesp, what a kaleidoscope of color you work with for your product. There is definitely enough selection that everyone can find multiple pieces they like. a few new man made obsidians out of the bakery Victor saw this at angles for slabs and get some interesting results. Sawyer has all the fun... Much of what looks black on this brick is transparent colors, see backlit below. Note varying saw angle effects. Above backlit, lighting change does color changes(digital cameras)
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 8, 2023 8:24:53 GMT -5
The big kiln has an error code, must fix. Doing a half brick in the small kiln to get groove back. This stack should collapse and have some wiggles in the bands. The small kiln. Had to re-program. This one runs hotter than the big unit, lots of heat coils close to the mold. May have to shorten the dwell cycles. Peak is 1475F for 3 hours. 2.4 hours at 1200F going up, and 1000F for 2.5 hours for anneal. Most art glass would require 24 to 48 hour anneal for such a thick chunk. This China made glass is great for making stable bricks, about useless for other projects.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 7, 2023 9:27:30 GMT -5
Curious if a glass melt can be performed after a 3 year break. Problem is remembering the kiln program settings for thin melts and brick melts. The brick melts require a longer dwell at full temp, bricks being about 2" x 6" x 12" in size. The guys that make arrowheads like the brick melts. They have been fusing glass in small microwave kilns, been there done that, OK for small projects. Still got several tons of art glass in many colors. Art glass has gotten so expensive. The large load I found was in a warehouse and the owner basically gave it to me if I would haul it off. Winter is here, the kiln helps heat the house lol. The new work area is all set up and rather inviting. Go review some of your old glass posts. I know you mentioned more than once what your programs were for the bricks and for the blobs. Maybe it will refresh your memory. Getting old sucks, doesn't it? The good news Robin and thanks for the refreshment ideas - Eureka, the programs were still stored(6 steps, each step has it's own unique 1) time 2) rate and 3) temp(21 settings). The bad news is what appears to be an error code preventing the kiln to run. Certain that Paragon Ind. will have a fix. It is a 7200 watt kiln, 240 VAC. The main energy cost is maintaining 1225F for 2.4 hours and 1475F for 3 hours, and anneal at 950F for 2.5 hours. These are long melt/stabilizing times due to the size of the brick. It took over a year to cool the 16 foot diameter 2 foot thick chunk of glass for the Mt. Palomar telescope lens to avoid glass de-stabilization. This China made glass is user friendly when cast into thicker 'stable' bricks but it is terrible at cooling with a polished surface required by the majority of hobbyists making vases/plates/bowls. I have had zero complaints about spearheads cracking and fracturing years later. Even the whole bricks left outside never displayed freeze/heat/moisture fracturing. Man made obsidian looking good in the stability department. The US art glass is more challenging to pour into bricks and maintain stability, but it cools with a killer polish.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 7, 2023 8:44:43 GMT -5
jamesp. It is always a pleasure to see your glass creations, and your wife’s creations. I’m currently working on some of your glass for pendants and earrings. Beautiful pieces! Got more, let me know if you want them Pat. The Madam has been bugging me to crank the kilns up. She loves to compose with glass.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 7, 2023 8:42:15 GMT -5
Curious if a glass melt can be performed after a 3 year break. Problem is remembering the kiln program settings for thin melts and brick melts. The brick melts require a longer dwell at full temp, bricks being about 2" x 6" x 12" in size. The guys that make arrowheads like the brick melts. They have been fusing glass in small microwave kilns, been there done that, OK for small projects. Still got several tons of art glass in many colors. Art glass has gotten so expensive. The large load I found was in a warehouse and the owner basically gave it to me if I would haul it off. Winter is here, the kiln helps heat the house lol. The new work area is all set up and rather inviting. What a coincidence, I made a trip up to visit snuffy yesterday and he asked me if you were still working with the glass. Great minds must think alike!! He sent me home with a large bag of Broad Leaf Mustard, will cook it up later today for supper. Henry Good to hear Snuffy is still gardening Henry. He was all about his garden. The mustards will empower you , look what they do to the SEC !
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 6, 2023 13:56:29 GMT -5
Curious if a glass melt can be performed after a 3 year break. Problem is remembering the kiln program settings for thin melts and brick melts. The brick melts require a longer dwell at full temp, bricks being about 2" x 6" x 12" in size. The guys that make arrowheads like the brick melts. They have been fusing glass in small microwave kilns, been there done that, OK for small projects.
Still got several tons of art glass in many colors. Art glass has gotten so expensive. The large load I found was in a warehouse and the owner basically gave it to me if I would haul it off. Winter is here, the kiln helps heat the house lol. The new work area is all set up and rather inviting.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2023 6:58:39 GMT -5
Are there other fossils and particularly fossil sauropod bones in the the area where the coprolites are found ? It would seem likely. An article described how vertebrae were the most common bones found which makes sense considering how incredibly long their tails and giraffe like necks are. Considering horsetail must have grown at least 50 feet tall they needed a long reach for reaching tree foliage. Some of them are massive creatures. There had to be a serious food source and serious loads of large diameter waste.
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