Fire pottery AND glass in Paragon’s multi-purpose cone 10 kilns
Janus-24
24” wide x 22 ½” deep 15” high interior
Janus-1613 16 ½” wide 13 ¼” deep 8-sided interior
Janus-23
22 ½” wide 20 ¼” deep 10-sided interior
P
aragon Janus-series kilns can fire both pottery and glass. Heating elements are mounted in the top and sidewalls. Imagine the exciting pieces you could make in a Janus kiln.
Selection switch
Select between glass and pottery with the flip of a switch. With the switch in the glass position, heat comes from the top elements and the middle sidewall element. With the switch in the pottery position, heat comes from only the sidewall elements. In the glass mode, fuse and sag large glass projects placed on a single shelf. In the pottery mode, fire to cone 10. You can also fire several shelves of smaller glass pieces using the pottery mode.
Pinless top elements
The elements in the lid/roof are mounted in a firebrick “ball” groove that eliminates element pins. The element coils are wider than the groove opening, so the elements stay in place without pins. The groove dissipates heat efficiently.
Janus-27
28” wide 22 ¼” deep 12-sided interior
The Janus-24 has elements in the top, sides, back, and door. The top elements use our pinless firebrick groove.
• Glass/pottery selection switch The lids on the Janus-23 and Janus-27 • 3” insulating refractory firebrick walls top-loading kilns are easy to lift with the • Janus-24: Operate the door latch with
Unique spring-assisted lid
exclusive, patented Paragon spring counter-balance. A truss permits the lid to float, allowing for expansion of the lid. This promotes the long life of the bricks. (Ask competitors if their lids have these features.) Lift the lid with only 13 pounds of pressure.
2” blank top bricks
For easier maintenance, we use 2” high blank wall bricks in the top row of the Janus-23 and Janus-27. Since the brick is without element grooves, it is less susceptible to damage during loading.
Easy-access control box
The patented control box on the Janus-23 and Janus-27 opens forward for easy maintenance. A folding support arm holds the box in the open position.
one hand.
• Sidewall elements in dropped, recessed brick grooves are easy to replace.
• Tapered peepholes for a wide view • A steel floor pan supports the entire brick bottom of each kiln.
• One year limited warranty • Available in 240, 200, 208, or 380 volt, 50 or 60 hertz, single or 3 phase.
• Since Janus kilns are designed for por-
celain, they also easily fire ceramics, china paint, decals, gold and, of course, glass. • The Sentry controller is mounted at the top of the switch box for comfortable operation. Ask about the AOP vent, which controls the KilnVent. Choose to automatically turn off the vent at firing maturity or at the end of cooling.
For more details, see your nearest Paragon dealer, or call for a free catalog.
Other Features
• Digital Sentry 2.0: Cone-Fire with programmed slow cooling and 20-Segment Ramp-Hold. Manufactured by the Orton Ceramic Foundation exclusively for Paragon.
Why buy two when one will do?
2011 South Town East Blvd. Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 Toll Free Fax 888-222-6450 www.paragonweb.com info@paragonweb.com
TAB LE OF
contents
Februa r y 2009
Volume 55 Issue 2
FE B R UAR Y 2 0 0 9
features
8
Lovely Lentil in P ure Silver By Alexandra Daini This pendant is sleek, simple and elegant with a touch of texture and accented with a contrasting brass bail.
20
12 Fa nta s tic Frits : Ca s ting Frit with a P urcha s ed M old By Karen Reed In her ongoing series, Karen demonstrates how to cast glass frit using a purchased mold.
17 Sta mp Your Hea r t Out By Mike Harbridge
FE B R UAR Y 2 0 0 9
departments
6
Editor’s Letter
6
Q&A
7
M a s thea d
22
R ea ders hip Sur vey
46
Ta lk ing Shop
48
Event Ca lenda r
49
Shopper’s Guide
50
Adver tis ing Index
44
Show your love for someone by creating one of these heartfelt projects for Valentine’s Day.
20 Snuggle W ea ther By Tammy Swords Spend a cozy night in drybrushing this cuddly moose couple.
31 Potter y on the W heel: Goblets —Off the H ump By Yosuke Koizumi and Cindy Gard- Koizumi Throwing off the hump allows the artist to create several pieces in quick succession. Yosuke and Cindy show you how by creating goblets.
37 Finis hing Touches : Sta mping It Up... on Cera mic Sur fa ces By Mike Harbridge Stamping is all the rage in the ceramics world these days! Mike gives a few tips and techniques for creatively using stamps in your clay and bisque projects.
40 The P ha ra oh By Duncan Staff Artist Ancient Egypt is the inspiration behind this art project with cross- curricular ties to literature and history.
44 Drea m Girl By Marcia Roullard With stamped hearts in shades of purple over princessthemed bisque, these pieces are as girly as they come! Fired Arts & Crafts, ( USPS 499-530, ISSN 0009-0190) is published monthly by Jones Publishing, Inc., N7450 Aanstad Rd, P.O. Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000, ( 715) 445-5000. Subscription rates: $39.95 per year ( Canada/Mexico $59.95; International $69.95 drawn on U.S. Bank) . Periodical postage is paid at Iola, WI 54945 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Jones
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Publishing, Inc., N7450 Aanstad Rd, P.O. Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000. Publications Agreement No. 40049720. Please allow eight weeks for address changes to become effective. Copyright © 2009, by Jones Publishing, Inc. This book, or any article, design illustration or part thereof, may not be reproduced commercially without the written permission of the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A.
S ta r lite M o ld Com pany NE W H O M E O F D O NA ’S / M A D E I N FI R E C E R A M I C P R O D U C TS For a distributor near you, go to www.duncanceramics.com and www.albertas.com
Duncan/Scioto Mold Catalog* Alberta Mold Catalog* Duncan Classics Mold Catalog* Scioto Classics Mold Catalog* Scioto Doll Mold Catalog* Dona’s/MadeinFire Mold Catalog*
$9. 50 $8. 50 $8. 50 $9. 50 $5. 00 $9. 50
*Plus Postage
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w w w . s t a r l i te m o l d s . c o m February 2009 • Fired Arts & Crafts 5
E DI T OR ’ S
letter Ke e p O n Ke e p ing O n We’re all feeling the effects of the economic downturn in one way or another. And according to economic forecasts, it will be a while before the end is in sight. So what does that mean to us who make our living in or enjoy fired art and crafts? Getting into the fired arts can be a little pricey, but as with anything, once some of those initial investments are made, by and by each project is a little less of an expense. For those of you who already have a kiln and all the tools and equipment needed for the craft, the initial investment has already been made, and continuing the craft in these hard economic times shouldn’t be too difficult. If you own a ceramics shop or fired arts studio, luckily, clay and slip are cheap, and many of the molds, new or old, are timeless in style. The same holds true for glass artists—although glass may be a little more expensive, one project’s scraps may be the inspiration behind your next project.
Surprisingly, the economic downturn may offer an opportunity to the owners of ceramic and fired arts studios. As I mentioned before, the initial investment in these shops has already been made, and in a slowing economy, there is potential for growth in these businesses. Think about it: What services do ceramics or fired arts studios offer? Most shops usually hold classes once or twice a week. These classes are generally an open studio where the attendee pays a small fee. The attendee chooses a piece off the shelf to create, and can purchase their own stains or glazes from the studio for a relatively small fee. Basically, it’s a cheap night out with friends. While chatting together, customers get a chance to be creative and make something they can keep for themselves, give away as a gift, or sell at a craft fair. It’s a justifiable weekly expense. For less than the cost of a movie, the customer spends a night with friends, makes Christmas gifts and is able to be relieve some stress. With a little creativity and word- of- mouth advertising, a shop owner can promote these great services provided at their studio. Who knows? Maybe ceramics and fired arts studios will have to expand their class offerings during this otherwise hard economic time—just a thought. Best,
Heidi Heideman, Editor
FI R E D AR T S
q&a
q
When I create clay tiles, I have trouble with them curling up on the edges and not staying flat. How can I prevent this from happening?
a
It’s best to place tiles on newspaper placed on top of drywall. Then place a few layers of newspaper on top with a piece of drywall over it all. Usually weighing it all down prevents the tiles from warping. During firing, place some kiln posts across the top of the tiles to also prevent warping.
6 Fired Arts & Crafts • www.firedartsandcrafts.com