 Tony Hansen's Thousand-Post TimeLineI am the creator of Digitalfire Insight, the Digitalfire Reference Database and Insight-live.com. ... more 
Here's how we used to record test results before we got insight-live.comA potter is testing glazes on a new clay body. But this generates a lot of data, how is a person to keep track of it all? This is how we used to do it. An account at Insight-live.com is the new place to organize this. There is room for thousands, even millions of recipes, pictures, notes, firing ... more Context: Code Numbering, Digitalfire Insight-Live Saturday 8th December 2018 
Never do body or glaze testing without code numbersThat is how you know what it is. The recipe. The firing schedule. The notes. The project it was in, information about what came before it and what developed from it. These mugs and that test bar are the same clay, I am doing a preliminary test on a new material from our quarry, it is called "Battle Clay". Context: Is this your record keeping system?, How many simultaneous testing projects can you manage at once?, Digitalfire Insight-Live, Insight-Live Help for the Recipe Manager, Code Numbering Saturday 8th December 2018 
Six layers, 85% Alberta Slip in the glaze, yet no cracking. How?Six layers of any normal dipping glaze would be impossible, flaking usually starts with the second layer. Yet this one is 85% clay, it shrinks so much that it would be like a "dried up lake bed" on the first layer. How was it possible to dip it on in six layers here? 1% CMC gum (via a gum solution). ... more Context: CMC Gum, Base-Coat Dipping Glazes Friday 7th December 2018 
Get a variable speed lab mixer at Amazon.comYou need variable speed (not constant speed). Many of these have timers also. The prices range from $100 to thousands of dollars. Spend a little more and you will not regret it. A table-top device would normally be rated at 10L or 20L capacity. However, it is obviously easier to stir a thin liquid ... more Context: Propeller Mixer Friday 7th December 2018 
Every studio, lab, classroom needs a good label printerThis is an Epson LP-600. It generates durable water-proof labels that are perfect for identifying buckets and jars of materials and glazes. Apps are available for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac. You can insert a QRCode (perfect for taking someone to an SDS or information page). Insight-live ... more Context: This is a key to organizing your studio, lab or teaching facility, Code Numbering Friday 7th December 2018 
Identifying throwing tests of clay bodiesIf you are doing testing, and everyone should be testing body and glaze variations, then your ware needs to be identified. Do that with a code number that cross references into your documentation in your account at Insight-live.com. Context: Digitalfire Insight-Live, Physical Testing, Code Numbering Friday 7th December 2018 
This is a key to organizing your studio, lab or teaching facilityThe new ceramics is about data! Everything here has a code number (in the form x1234) that members of our team can search in our group account at insight-live.com. We write the numbers on the bottoms of pots, plastic bags of powders/liquids/pugged, buckets, glaze balls, mix tickets, test bars, ... more Context: Every studio, lab, classroom needs a good label printer, Digitalfire Insight-Live, Digitalfire Insight-Live, Code Numbering Friday 7th December 2018 
Liquify of a pint of brushing glaze. It's easy!I counter-balanced the measuring cup and weighed out 250g of water. Then I added 100g of Laguna gum solution and stirred it. I put that into the blender and added 500g of powdered glaze (you can use any glaze recipe). I started the blender on slow then increased it one-at-a-time to full speed. After ... more Context: Brushing Glazes Thursday 6th December 2018 
Plainsman P700 vs. Coleman PorcelainThese are porcelains are made using Grolleg kaolin. P700 has 19% G200 Feldspar and Coleman (popular among potters in the US) has 31% (P700 switches the 12% to kaolin). Although the Coleman porcelain is more vitreous (top right) it is not more translucent. But it is a lot more problematic in fired ... more Context: Grolleg Kaolin, The translucency of Polar Ice porcelain Thursday 6th December 2018 
Kiln Firing Curve Recorder - Coming SoonSo many glazes appear as they do because of the firing schedule (especially the cooling curve). Imagine getting an awesome result out of a kiln and not knowing (or being able to replicate) the exact firing schedule that produced it. This device reads and records the temperature once per minute. It ... more Context: Firing Schedule Tuesday 4th December 2018 | Contact Us:Use the contact pages within or outside your account at Insight-Live.com 
Login to your online account Chemistry plus physics. The on-line successor to desktop Insight. Get an account for as little as $15. It does so much more. 
Still available for Mac, PC, Linux Interactive glaze chemistry calculations (legacy, no longer supported) What people have said about digitalfire• if I am unable to find an answer, I can most always depend on this site !!!!! I appreciate your efforts greatly. • You are so good for me. Find a stumbling stone and in a moment the path is easier. • I'll be reading and studying for a while, but what is so great is that the information is now right at my finger tips anytime that I need it - its all so very interesting - I never thought that chemistry would ever be interesting, - and I know now very soon I too will be able to slay the glaze dragon! • I think Glaze chemistry is an extremely under-appreciated and under-estimated field of science. • Thank you for all the great work you have done and the tremendous contributions you have made to the ceramics community. • LOVE your site! You have saved me a whole lot of work and research time with your materials data base and comments. I haven't gotten to explore your software yet because I'm in the middle of resolving another mess involving raw materials from a certain large company with sloppy production. We are a small company that is developing a low expansion, thermal shock resistant porcelain for industrial use ... Between our acquired data and some clues contained in your comments we were able to pin point the problem. • I have thoroughly enjoyed the articles on your web site. Click here to see all 191 What people have said about Insight-Live• First I want to thank you for the service you're providing the ceramics community at large. • You have done more for the advancement of ceramic knowledge than anyone I can think of. Thanks again! The information you provide and the work you have done is invaluable. I can't tell you how many problems I have solved because of insight and the reference library! Thanks again for all of the help you have provided. • I am a big fan of your work. I want to thank you for being there when I have needed and hopefully I will be able to carry on without much input from you. I will be renewing my subsrciption soon and I extol the virtues of the program (and now the Cloud version) to everyone that will listen. • I have had your wonderful software for a long time. Do not know what I would do without it. Have close to 200 glazes on it that I have test tiles for. It is wonderful. Happy firing. • Hello Mr. Hansen. Your digitalfire.com site is AMAZING! I use it considerably. Thank you so much for all the information you offer! I tell all my students and friends in clay to come here to learn. • Thank you so much for this wonderful resource you have created! I have found all of the information in the Digital Fire database as well as Insight to be incredibly helpful tools in the ceramic world. • Yet again, you provide a quick answer not easily found elsewhere (a bowl was befuddling me with wall cracks that never made it to any edges.) Click here to see all 104 |
