Category Archives: Uncategorized

Enamelling Experiments

I’ve been having a busy time in general recently, but I’ve finally got back to making things. I’ve been meaning to play with enamelling for a while. I ordered some WG Ball transparent enamelling powders (clear+red+blue) a while back to play with. The firing process is pretty quick: 800-810C for about 3 minutes. Of course,Continue reading “Enamelling Experiments”

Home Made Holograms!

I somehow stumbled onto this website; they sell DIY hologram kits! So I ordered one. I’d always assumed making a hologram would be quite complicated, but it turns out it really isn’t. You basically need a laser and a photographic plate sensitive to the light from the laser. It is hard to master and getContinue reading “Home Made Holograms!”

Useful Kiln Tools + Beeper Upgrade

Kiln Beeper I installed a mini beeper in my kiln and adjusted the software to beep letters in Morse code depending on the stage of the program. I just used the same transistor+resistor+5v supply design as for the SSD control line to prevent damage to the pi. Kiln Tools Roll of cake making acetate: useContinue reading “Useful Kiln Tools + Beeper Upgrade”

Identifying a thermocouple

Next up in the riveting Thermocouple series is how to identify an unknown thermocouple as a Type K. There are loads of videos on Youtube on this, but I didn’t find them completely conclusive. Many of them advise “checking the colours of the leads”. Surprise! There are at least six different standards for colour codingContinue reading “Identifying a thermocouple”

The Perils of cheap Ebay stuff, or, why doesn’t my MAX31855 thermocouple board work?

I’ve been playing around with Type K thermocouples for a project. These are cheap, commonly available, and can read a temperature range from –270C to 1260C (though it depends on the exact thermocouple). It looks similar to this (you stick the metal pointy end in the hot thing): The above is a Type K thermocouple,Continue reading “The Perils of cheap Ebay stuff, or, why doesn’t my MAX31855 thermocouple board work?”

What’s eating my Cotyledon Orbiculata?

It’s not been looking well for a while, poor thing….. Then I spotted the underside of the leaves were covered in little black things…. to the microscope! Aphids! Bastards! Well, getting rid of them is relatively easy: blasting it in the shower removes them. I could try some isopropyl alcohol, but I’m worried it’ll harmContinue reading “What’s eating my Cotyledon Orbiculata?”

Moles, Avogadro’s Number, and Atomic Mass Units

I quite enjoyed Chemistry in Secondary School: I think I even did a CSYS course in it. However, I remember always having problems with the concept of a Mole and the calculations surrounding it. I’m not sure if I was being particularly dim, or just didn’t have enough context be able to relate to itContinue reading “Moles, Avogadro’s Number, and Atomic Mass Units”