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| NEW PRICE LISTS, 02-2009 |
| MOIST CLAYS |
Current Moist Clay Menu |
| DRY CLAYS AND CHEMS |
Current Dry Clays and Chemicals prices |
| COYOTE GLAZES |
Coyote Cone 6 Glazes (includes printed color chips) |
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| BRACKERS HANDOUTS |
| FIRING SCHEDULE WITHOUT A VENT |
When firing with a manual electric kiln and no commercial downdraft vent system. |
| FIRING SCHEDULE WITH A VENT |
When firing a manual electric kiln with a commercial downdraft vent system installed. |
| GLAZE DEFECTS & CORRECTIONS |
Identifying and solving common glaze defects; from James Chappell's "The Potter's Complete Book of Clay And Glazes," reprinted with permission |
| KILN REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE |
Bracker's repair tech, David Sturm, identifies some kiln maintenance tips you can (and should) perform yourself, and what to do when the problem is too big for you to solve on your own. |
| FIRING LOG |
Suggested chart to keep track of your firings. |
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| MATERIAL DATA SAFETY SHEETS (MSDS) |
| MSDS SECTION |
Moist and dry clays, chemicals, etc. - section constantly under construction as new MSDS are added. |
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| ORTON FIRING TIPS |
| All Orton Firing
Tips |
Download 17 of the firing tips in one file. Each tip prints
on 2 pages. HINT: If possible, select the option to print
two per page - it's still very easy to read and takes up a lot
less paper. |
| Loading A Kiln
for Best Results |
Addresses ware and shelf placement, size of load, stilts, and
heat distribution. |
| Understanding
Heat Transfer |
To get the best out of each firing, it is important to understand
how heat is transfered from hotter to cooler zones. Heat moves
through the kiln by convection, conduction, and radiation. |
| Cracking
and Thermal Shock |
Cracks in pottery may be caused by uneven drying or during
the firing as a result of thermal shock - the rapid change of
temperature, especially during critical moments in the firing. |
| Cracking
and Warping Caused by Drying and Casting |
Uneven drying is one of the biggest causes of cracking and
warping. There are several methods to reduce or eliminate these
problems. |
| Using
the Three Cone System |
Checking the heatwork of your firing is critical, regardless
of if you have a computer controlled automatic kiln or a manual
kiln with switches. Witness cones provide an abundance of information
to ensure consistant firing results and prevent potential firing
problems. |
| Cones
and Controllers |
Automatic controllers and witness cone use. |
| Avoiding
Carbon Burnout Problems |
How Carbon burns out and why it's important in firing ceramic
ware. |
| Firing
Handbuilt or Thick Cast Ware |
Firing tips to prevent many common problems when firing thick/dense
ware. |
| Firing
Ceramic Bodies |
What happens when clay is fired and what types of clay bodies
are common. |
| Firing
Lead Free Glazes |
Glazes without lead are typically more sensitive to firing
issues. Most commercial glazes available have no lead in them. |
| Firing Red
Glazes |
Firing "old" red glazes (lead-bearing) can often
cause problems such as color loss, crazing, improper color development,
and black or gray marks in the glaze. |
| Understanding
Crazing |
Crazing is the spider-web of crackles in glaze. Application
and firing recommendation help to avoid this very common problem. |
| Solving
Glaze Defects: Blisters, Craters, and Pinholes |
Common glaze defects explained and solutions to preventing
them. |
| Successful
Glass Fusing |
Tips and tricks on glass fusing, which is becoming a very popular
sideline or experiment for potters. |
| Success
With Golds |
Golds - the expensive little bottles of it from Hanovia that
fire at a Cone 022 to 017 range - need some special care for
application and firing. |
| Success
With Decals |
Adding a little excitement to your ware can be as easy as a
decal. This tip sheet helps prevent common problems. Bracker's
doesn't sell decals, but you can find a wide variety at (in
no particular order):
Bel Inc. or Harbon Ceramics or National
Artcraft or Olympic
Enterprises or Phylum or Urban
Clay or Art
Decal Corp or Instar (not a complete list of decal suppliers) |
| Making
Foodsafe Ware |
Important considerations for making foodsafe ware. |
| Success
With Lusters |
NOT INCLUDED IN FULL LIST Tips and tricks for
working with lusters at Cone 022 to 017. |
| Improving
Kiln Uniformity |
NOT INCLUDED IN FULL LIST Tips for improving
temperature uniformity when firing your kiln. |
| Success
With China Paints |
NOT INCLUDED IN FULL LIST Applying and firing
china paints (also called Overglazes). |
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| OTHER ORTON LITERATURE |
| Orton Cone Chart |
Paper-sized format cone chart with Farenheit and Celcius conversions |
| Simple Orton
Cone Chart |
No-frills black-n-white cone to degrees conversion |
| What Cone
Numbers Mean |
...and Why should I care? This is a GREAT handout for classroom
settings and VERY IMPORTANT for all beginners. |
| Cones And Firing |
Another Must-Read brochure. HINT: If possible, select
the option to print two per page - it's still very easy to read
and takes up a lot less paper. |
| Guide To Cones |
11"x17" format with somewhat technical information
- great for beginners and more advanced potters. |
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| DAWSON KILN SITTER INFORMATION |
| How to adjust your
kiln sitter |
These are the two most frequently used pages from the Dawson
Operating Manual. It describes how to adjust your kiln sitter
on manual kilns. This is extremely important to do on a regular
basis! |
| Identify the kiln sitter
parts |
This shows an illustration of the four most popular Dawson
Kiln Sitter models and identifies the parts by name - very important
when talking to us about problems you might be having with your
manual kiln and/or kiln sitter. Includes Model P, Model K, Model
LT-3, and Model LT-3K. |
| Dawson Operating Manual
for Model P and Model K Kiln Sitters |
The full operating manual, including pages I have extracted
and listed separately above. For Kiln Sitter Models P and K
only. |
| Dawson Operating Manual
for Model LT-3 and Model LT-3K Kiln Sitters |
The full operating manual, including pages I've extracted and
listed separately above. For Kiln Sitter Models LT-3 and LT-3K
only. |
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| PRODUCT INFORMATION |
| Pure & Simple SlumpHump Molds |
Informational brochure about the SlumpHump molds from Pure & Simple Pottery Products. |
| Pure & Simple Bat Molds |
Informational brochure about the bat molds from Pure & Simple Pottery Products. |
| Pure & Simple Instructions for using SlumpHump and Bat Molds |
Instructions and tips for using SlumpHump and Bat Molds from Pure & Simple Pottery Products. |
| The Gleco Trap |
Information, tips, and hints on The Gleco Trap. |
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