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kiln shelf smoothing

updated mon 24 jul 00

 

Brad Sondahl on tue 18 jul 00


A while ago someone posted about getting shelves sandblasted to remove th=
e
layers of kiln wash. =

Lacking that option, I finally tried using my Makita 3.5 inch grinder--on=
e of
those super high speed hand held jobs. It wore out the alum. oxide disks=
I
usually use on wood immediately. I switched to some of those fibrous one=
s
labeled for steel, and they lasted well and did a nice job of smoothing t=
hem
down for rewashing. I did about 10 23 inch round shelves in a half an h=
our.
Probably this is a well known procedure, but I had the grinder for 20 yea=
rs
before thinking of using it for this...
Caution--if you try this, use body, eye, and breathing protection--loose
silica dust and flying chips abound.

Brad Sondahl
Visit my web page for pottery tips and glazes, literature, wildflower
photography, and cooking
http://pages.about.com/bsondahl/index.html
For my pottery showroom visit
http://sondahl.safeshopper.com

____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webm=
ail.netscape.com.

Hank Murrow on wed 19 jul 00


>A while ago someone posted about getting shelves sandblasted to remove the
>layers of kiln wash.
>Lacking that option, I finally tried using my Makita 3.5 inch grinder--one of
>those super high speed hand held jobs. It wore out the alum. oxide disks I
>usually use on wood immediately. I switched to some of those fibrous ones
>labeled for steel, and they lasted well and did a nice job of smoothing them
>down for rewashing. I did about 10 23 inch round shelves in a half an hour.
>Probably this is a well known procedure, but I had the grinder for 20 years
>before thinking of using it for this...
>Caution--if you try this, use body, eye, and breathing protection--loose
>silica dust and flying chips abound.
>
>Brad Sondahl

Dear brad; Good tip. And just to broaden the choices a little more; Home
depot or your builders' emporium of choice will have the 4' or 4 and a 1/2"
Diamond studded grinding discs. Hiroshi Ogawa uses them to clean his
shelves after the long wood firing to great effect and with good economy,
tho the initial investment is high($24-$40 each). Hank in Eugene

CINDI ANDERSON on thu 20 jul 00


Hi Brad
Your glaze page says cone 8-10. I didn't notice specifics on each
glaze. Are they all ok over the whole range? Thanks
Cindi

Brad Sondahl wrote:
>
> A while ago someone posted about getting shelves sandblasted to remove the
> layers of kiln wash.
> Lacking that option, I finally tried using my Makita 3.5 inch grinder--one of
> those super high speed hand held jobs. It wore out the alum. oxide disks I
> usually use on wood immediately. I switched to some of those fibrous ones
> labeled for steel, and they lasted well and did a nice job of smoothing them
> down for rewashing. I did about 10 23 inch round shelves in a half an hour.
> Probably this is a well known procedure, but I had the grinder for 20 years
> before thinking of using it for this...
> Caution--if you try this, use body, eye, and breathing protection--loose
> silica dust and flying chips abound.
>
> Brad Sondahl
> Visit my web page for pottery tips and glazes, literature, wildflower
> photography, and cooking
> http://pages.about.com/bsondahl/index.html
> For my pottery showroom visit
> http://sondahl.safeshopper.com
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
> Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.
>
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Ron Roy on sun 23 jul 00


Just a warning about grinding shelves - Brad has included a warning but
there is some considerable danger in grinding ceramic material that have
been fired many times - like shelves and especially kiln wash. One way of
generating lots of cristobalite is to fire clay and silica many times -
especially refractory stuff like kiln wash. Cristobalite is a particularly
dangerous form of crystalline silica because it is so fine.

Wear a proper mask - the kind that filters out the fine silica that causes
silicosis and remember - you clothes, hair and the area you work in will
all have lots of this fine silica dust waiting to get stirred up - this
stuff can remain suspended in the air for days - if you have a forced air
heating system it is always up when you will breath it.

RR

>A while ago someone posted about getting shelves sandblasted to remove the
>layers of kiln wash.
>Lacking that option, I finally tried using my Makita 3.5 inch grinder--one of
>those super high speed hand held jobs. It wore out the alum. oxide disks I
>usually use on wood immediately. I switched to some of those fibrous ones
>labeled for steel, and they lasted well and did a nice job of smoothing them
>down for rewashing. I did about 10 23 inch round shelves in a half an hour.
>Probably this is a well known procedure, but I had the grinder for 20 years
>before thinking of using it for this...
>Caution--if you try this, use body, eye, and breathing protection--loose
>silica dust and flying chips abound.

Ron Roy
93 Pegasus Trail
Scarborough
Ontario, Canada
M1G 3N8
Evenings 416-439-2621
Fax 416-438-7849