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Post by amandap on Mar 9, 2017 22:38:10 GMT -8
Hey everyone, I was just wondering if anyone knew of a good supplier for silica sand for kilns? At the moment I'm using batting but I find it insulates the doll too much. I've tried to find silica sand on the net but I've only come across the stuff that gets used in gardens. From what I've read you're not supposed to use the garden stuff in your kiln because it damages the elements over time. Any help would be greatly appreciated  |
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fawkes
Senior Member
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Post by fawkes on Mar 10, 2017 3:00:03 GMT -8
I wouldn't advise using sand in the kiln because I've had bad experiences with this material, the sand stuck to the porcelain after the firing and it was impossible to rub it off. I use fireproof fiber sheets that you can cut to the right size. It tears like cotton and you can stuff the hollow parts with it to avoid warping. You can have a look here for more: www.porcelaindollsbyme.com.au/assets/applets/Firing_Instructions.pdf |
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Post by amandap on Mar 10, 2017 3:04:27 GMT -8
Yes that's what I'm using at the moment but I don't really like it because it's throwing my curing off. I'm surprised the sand is problematic since so many people use it? Did you use the stuff for kilns or the garden supply stuff?
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fawkes
Senior Member
Posts: 297
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Post by fawkes on Mar 10, 2017 3:06:44 GMT -8
I used real firing sand. I got it from a German company www.shop.dollpoint.de/rund-ums-brennen_brennhilfen.htmlWell, maybe the sand I used was not good quality , all I know is it got so sticky it made my pieces useless. I used it twice at most because the result was terrible. I haven't had any problems with the firing sheets...so far ;-) |
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Post by amandap on Mar 10, 2017 3:26:03 GMT -8
Thanks so much for the input fawkes! I'd be interested in hearing from others if they have similar problems or if not where they get their sand from  |
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Post by elenareiner on Mar 10, 2017 4:38:29 GMT -8
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Post by amandap on Mar 10, 2017 5:54:06 GMT -8
Thank you for your response elena!
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Post by EarthShine Doll on Mar 10, 2017 21:59:11 GMT -8
I honestly use play sand(from the garden section)...I couldn't get a hold of silica sand at the time so I experimented with that, and never had any problems. The porcelain I use is a cone 6 though, not 10 like some...I don't know if the sand would fuse at higher temps? Also, I don't know about the garden variety messing with the elements..I always assumed it was just any sand in general you had to be careful with and not accidently dust about. I vacuum out the inside of my kiln every now and then to make sure no sand is floating around. I'm curious though, I hope my elements don't go out after saying that, hehe!
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Post by EarthShine Doll on Mar 10, 2017 22:01:05 GMT -8
Oh also! Axner.com sells silica sand |
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