Ric Swenson on sat 9 aug 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>group- several have said, effect "forget using pounds" and I'll bet more
>have thought it.
>
>But- Lisa has made, to me, a very valid point--
>
>If grams and kilos are so great-- why dont the vendors sell it that way???
>(My wording, not hers)
>
>To do a valid estimate of your purchase needs- you MUST be able to work
>from use, in grams, to acquisition, in pounds.
snip-------------------
>
>Bill on Hill
-----------reply------------------------
Bill, Lisa, et al.. Greetings!
This is probably WAY to simplistic....so flame away...I will adjust the
Fiberfrax trousers......
I fell into doing this method when I was alone in my own studio and trying
to make things easy on myself....
FOR GLAZE INGREDIENTS...........
I have a scale that measures grams...and kilograms...old triple beam
balance (newer electronic cell scale ...would be
wonderful...maybe...?)..........
When I want to do a test batch of a glaze, I make the 100% equal 1000
grams of dry ingredients. (Hey, even I can do 'that' math! ) I have an
old blender that holds 1000 grams dry and I blend in H 2 O to "taste" dip
(or brush) shards with glaze and test fire, enough left to do thicker in
next test... if needed...or in case fire is "off- spec." (ie. under- or
over-fired or ? ) There is enough glaze with 1000 grams to do quite a bit
of testing.
These tests are then stored away in plastic containers (that cottage
cheese, ice cream and the like comes in)....lid fits well. Labeled on lid
with permanent marker on a "press apply" paper label.
then....
When I mix a "large white bucket" (Approx. 5 gallons) of glaze, I use
10,000 grams (a.k.a. 10 kilograms or about 22 pounds of dry
ingredients.....but let's not confuse the issue by trying to convert to
something else....it matters little) as the magic 100%.......again the
math is pretty simple...decimal points are cool.
When ordering materials I could care less if the bag weighs out in pounds
and ounces or in Kilos and grams or in any other measure. ( I do like to
know that I got what I paid for..especially if it's cobalt!) I have to
weigh it out in grams and Kilos anyway so I just order enough to last me
about 6-8 months or longer. (unless the material is affected adversely by
absorbtion of humidity...or other bad studio-karma.)
Am I missing something here.? It can be pretty easy to do. No matter what
the formula is, it will equal 100 % when done..so you can just use the
decimal point to formulate and weigh out batches.
Flame away folks...I'm braced.
Ric
Ric Swenson, Bennington College, Route 67 -A, Bennington, Vermont 05201-6001
802 442-5401 x 262 vox x 237 fax or dedicated fax 802 442-6164
email: rswenson@bennington.edu
Bill Aycock on sun 10 aug 97
Ric- yes- you missed something- The point has nothing to do with making
batches, or tests, or changing sizes of batches---
Most of us use grams- kilos, etc, and adjust quantities to fit our needs.
However- when we buy, and try to plan to buy- the guys who sell the stuff
put it up in pounds- fractions of pounds, and- once in a while- in ounces-
If we want to plan ahead- we need to know how to calculate from the
quantities we expect to make, to the quantities we need to buy. We use it
in grams and kilos- they sell it in pounds.
There is a need to be able to calculate the relationship between
avoirdupois and metric, unless we have someone else paying for it, in which
case we just buy much more than enough.
Bill- soaking up much needed rain, on Persimmon Hill
Ric said--> (in part)
>Am I missing something here.? It can be pretty easy to do. No matter what
>the formula is, it will equal 100 % when done..so you can just use the
>decimal point to formulate and weigh out batches.
>
>Flame away folks...I'm braced.
>
>Ric
>
Bill Aycock --- Persimmon Hill --- Woodville, Alabama, US 35776
--- (in the N.E. corner of the State) ---
also -- W4BSG -- Grid EM64vr
baycock@hiwaay.net
Ric Swenson on mon 11 aug 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Ric- yes-
snip
>Most of us use grams- kilos, etc, and adjust quantities to fit our needs.
>
>However- when we buy, and try to plan to buy- the guys who sell the stuff
>put it up in pounds- fractions of pounds, and- once in a while- in ounces-
>If we want to plan ahead- we need to know how to calculate from the
>quantities we expect to make, to the quantities we need to buy. We use it
>in grams and kilos- they sell it in pounds.
-----------reply----------
Okay, okay....BUT what if we TRICK the vendors...and start a revolt...of
sorts..... (G) and ONLY order it in metric units, ie. grams/kilos....then
THEY have to do the math!!
HA!
If the vendors want to sell to us.....(and we know that deep in their
hearts and pocketbooks they really do want to sell us raw
materials.......and we are not buying "whole" units (pounds, ounces or in
25 , 50 or 100 lb. bags) then I have a feeling they would sell us 339.75
grams of cobalt carb. (let's see...that's about 3/4 lb.?)
I do get your point, of course. I guess I've been ordering for so many
years I didn't realize that I have internalized the conversions and don't
have to even think about them anymore. All this math and thinking is
giving me a headache, so I am going to go throw pots.
Thanks for your continuing thoughtful postings. I look forward to hearing
more from Bill on Persimmon Hill
Regards,
Ric
Ric Swenson, Bennington College, Route 67 -A, Bennington, Vermont 05201-6001
802 442-5401 x 262 vox x 237 fax or dedicated fax 802 442-6164
email: rswenson@bennington.edu
Carole Rishel on sat 16 aug 97
Ric
When I mix glazes I just change the 100% to 100# and divide each ingredient
by 4 to make enough for a 5 gallon bucket. So far it's been working!
Carole Rishel
Bastrop, TX
CaroleER@aol.com
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