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Source of small glass furnace in UK?



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 30th 04, 04:32 AM
Mike Firth
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Default Source of small glass furnace in UK?

Well, I tried to reply off line, but IE makes it so difficult to get rid
of your NO SPAM, I gave up.
You will have difficulty finding a way to work that small a quantity,
especially if you literally want to melt from a batch recipe rather than
cullet. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) is under half a liter volume. You might
wish to look at small foundry furnaces or small cone 10 pottery kilns.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/NTBowl.htm Now 5 places to drop off,
do it before Feb 10, Bowls in Dallas & Ft.Worth Feb 20, 11 am
"Lloyd" wrote in message
...

Anyone know where I can buy a small glass furnace in the
UK. I want to melt batches of about 1kg or so. Thanks.



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  #2  
Old January 30th 04, 04:12 PM
Terry Harper
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"Lloyd" wrote in message
...

Anyone know where I can buy a small glass furnace in the
UK. I want to melt batches of about 1kg or so. Thanks.


The melting technology group of British Glass in Sheffield used to have
small gas-fired furnaces that could hold up to four pots, each with about
1kg of batch. They moved recently to the outskirts of Chapeltown. Glass
Technology Services now handles that sort of thing. Their web site is
http://www.glass-ts.com/ and they may be able to point you in the right
direction.
--
Terry Harper
http://www.terry.harper.btinternet.co.uk/

  #3  
Old January 30th 04, 08:52 PM
Dennis Brady
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You might consider building one. It's a lot easier than most people
realize - and a LOT cheaper than buying one.

http://www.victorianartglass.biz/pro...os%2040lb.html

Dennis Brady
DeBrady Glass/Victorian Art Glass
http://www.debrady.com
  #4  
Old January 31st 04, 09:32 AM
Hans Paijmans
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Lloyd wrote:
Anyone know where I can buy a small glass furnace in the
UK. I want to melt batches of about 1kg or so. Thanks.


Build one yourself. My wife and I built a medium size
glory hole with a melting pot slung underneath from
an old oil drum. Fire up in the morning and start
working three hours later. When you ready turn off the
gas.

Admittedly our pot holds 7-10 kg, but just take a smaller
oil drum :-)
  #5  
Old January 31st 04, 06:05 PM
nJb
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Hans Paijmans wrote:

Lloyd wrote:
Anyone know where I can buy a small glass furnace in the
UK. I want to melt batches of about 1kg or so. Thanks.


Build one yourself. My wife and I built a medium size
glory hole with a melting pot slung underneath from
an old oil drum. Fire up in the morning and start
working three hours later. When you ready turn off the
gas.

Admittedly our pot holds 7-10 kg, but just take a smaller
oil drum :-)


Are you willing to share pictures/plans for that unit?
--
Jack


http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/xmissionbobo/
  #6  
Old January 31st 04, 09:09 PM
Hans Paijmans
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nJb wrote:
Hans Paijmans wrote:

Lloyd wrote:

Anyone know where I can buy a small glass furnace in the
UK. I want to melt batches of about 1kg or so. Thanks.


Build one yourself. My wife and I built a medium size
glory hole with a melting pot slung underneath from
an old oil drum. Fire up in the morning and start
working three hours later. When you ready turn off the
gas.

Admittedly our pot holds 7-10 kg, but just take a smaller
oil drum :-)



Are you willing to share pictures/plans for that unit?


Pictures on http://paijmans.net/Glas/ovenbouw.html although
the text is in dutch, I'm afraid.

Essentially you sling the drums in a frame, isolate them
with 10 cm fire-resistant fiber, pour some dito concrete
on the bottom and attach a heavy duty burner blasting through
a hole in the side (BENTONE STG-146). It is amazing how
straightforward everything is once you start. Mind you, we
expect from the start that we will have to change the pot
every few months. The fiber flakes a bit, but not
catastrophic (yet). We melt glass sherds, and there are
many small bubbles in the glass, as it never gets heated
long enough to completely get rid of them.

The door hangs from a single roller wheel (all-iron bearings!)
of the type you often see on sliding barn doors.

I may add that I am a typical white-collar worker, without
extensive training in welding and other skills. And as you
know, copper wire was invented by a scotchman and a dutchman
fighting over a penny, so I think we did not buy anything
else new but the burner, the fiber and the concrete. Everything
else we scrounged from neighbours or scrapyards.

We also heavily used:

D. Giberson "A Glassblower's Companion", The Joppa Press

H. Halem "Glass Notes, A reference for the glass artist", Franklin mill's press

Both good books, although much information is double. But it
is instructive to see two different views on glory hole and
furnace building.

  #7  
Old January 31st 04, 11:49 PM
nJb
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Hans,

The pics make it clear enough, thanks. I just wanted to see what you
meant by the pot in the bottom. Interesting concept. I helped build a
small pot furnace and glory hole last summer but had never heard of the
two combined into one.
--
Jack


http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/xmissionbobo/
  #8  
Old February 1st 04, 10:45 AM
Hans Paijmans
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nJb wrote:
Hans,

The pics make it clear enough, thanks. I just wanted to see what you
meant by the pot in the bottom. Interesting concept. I helped build a
small pot furnace and glory hole last summer but had never heard of the
two combined into one.


Neither did we :-)

A few minutes ago we opened the annealing oven for the latest
batch, and it is instructive to see how the quality of the
glass improves with the time that the pot was heated. The
last few pieces (after the furnace had been heated for five
or six hours, were of rather good quality, with bubbles so small
that they were almost invisible.

The flaking of the fiber causes my wife (who is the artist, I am
just the mechanic) some worries. We sprayed it with waterglass
before the first firing up of the oven, perhaps should not have
done that. Or perhaps it is an inevitable byproduct of the
rapid heating and cooling.

That would be a pity, because the pot (although broken) keeps
very well.
  #9  
Old February 1st 04, 08:33 PM
nJb
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Hans Paijmans wrote:

nJb wrote:
Hans,

The pics make it clear enough, thanks. I just wanted to see what you
meant by the pot in the bottom. Interesting concept. I helped build a
small pot furnace and glory hole last summer but had never heard of the
two combined into one.


Neither did we :-)

A few minutes ago we opened the annealing oven for the latest
batch, and it is instructive to see how the quality of the
glass improves with the time that the pot was heated. The
last few pieces (after the furnace had been heated for five
or six hours, were of rather good quality, with bubbles so small
that they were almost invisible.

The flaking of the fiber causes my wife (who is the artist, I am
just the mechanic) some worries. We sprayed it with waterglass
before the first firing up of the oven, perhaps should not have
done that. Or perhaps it is an inevitable byproduct of the
rapid heating and cooling.

That would be a pity, because the pot (although broken) keeps
very well.


I would suggest colloidal silica instead of waterglass. We had a thread
about that when I built my kiln last year. One trade name is Kaowool
Rigidizer, made just for what you're doing. Also, using the pleated
process for lining the glory hole reduces loose fiber.

Pot heat time is a definite factor for small bubbles. That is why many
small tanks are electric and kept on continuously. That way they have a
lag time between charging and blowing. At least this is the way I
understand it.
--
Jack


http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/xmissionbobo/
  #10  
Old February 1st 04, 08:55 PM
Hans Paijmans
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Default

nJb wrote:
....


I would suggest colloidal silica instead of waterglass.



Is that not just the same stuff by different names?


We had a thread
about that when I built my kiln last year. One trade name is Kaowool
Rigidizer, made just for what you're doing. Also, using the pleated
process for lining the glory hole reduces loose fiber.


I don't know that process or I may have difficulties translating
it. Can you elaborate on that?

Paai
 




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