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wrong scale?

updated thu 9 dec 10

 

Kathy Forer on mon 6 dec 10


Just make sure they don't get confused!

On Dec 6, 2010, at 5:54 PM, bill lee wrote:

> And the weights that came with it are mixed, both pounds and grams.

Edouard Bastarache on mon 6 dec 10


Hello,

I have always worked in grams.
2,000 grams or 2 kilograms of dry materials
give about 1 gallon of liquid glaze base depending.
on the amount of clay used.

Gis,

Edouard Bastarache
Spertesperantisto

Sorel-Tracy
Quebec

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30058682@N00/
http://edouardbastarache.blogspot.com/
http://blogsalbertbastarache.blogspot.com/
http://cerampeintures.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/edouard.bastarache



----- Original Message -----
From: "James Freeman"
To:
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: wrong scale?


On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 5:54 PM, bill lee wrote:

> After years of using commercial low fire glazes, I finally decided to tak=
e
> the plunge to mix my own glazes. I ordered Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and
> successfully bid on a scale on E-bay. The scale just arrived, and I
> realized it measures pounds, not grams. And the weights that came with it
> are mixed, both pounds and grams. Beside verbally kicking myself for not
> paying attention, can I use this thing or am I screwed




Bill...

You certainly don't have to work in grams, and the quantities given in
UMF recipes do not imply any specific units. For example, if a recipe
calls for "Custer Feldspar-----50", the 50 units can be any unit of
weight you wish, be they grams, ounces, drams, pennyweight,
doppelzentner, shekels, whatever. You don't even need to stick with
the 50 (or whatever) specified. One can divide or multiply the number
by anything, so long as the same operation is performed on all of the
quantities. For example, you could divide all of the numbers by 4, or
multiply every number by 10, and the formula is still the same.

If you wish to work in even more obscure units of measure, this site
will prove useful: http://www.weirdconverter.com/weight.php . For
example, one pound is equal to 16 human eyeballs, and one kilogram is
equal to .004 baby grand pianos.

The reason grams are used is because they make the math very simple.
You have made life a tad more complex for yourself, but it is
certainly no disaster. Let's say you wish to make a 1000 gram batch
of glaze, a quart or so, which is a good quantity for a small scale
potter. 1000 grams is about 35 ounces. Since your UMF totals 100,
you could just divide every quantity by 3, then call the units
"ounces". This will give you a 33 ounce batch, which is within
spitting distance of your 1000 gram target. Your 50 units of Custer
spar called for in the recipe is now 50/3, or 16 2/3 ounces. Your 6
units of RIO is now 6/3, or 2 ounces. Not so tough, and as Douglas
Adams so generously advised, DON"T PANIC!

Good luck with your glaze project.

...James

James Freeman

"...outsider artists, caught in the bog of their own consciousness,
too preciously idiosyncratic to be taken seriously."

"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I
should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne

http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources

bill lee on mon 6 dec 10


Hi
After years of using commercial low fire glazes, I finally decided to take =
=3D
the plunge to mix my own glazes. I ordered Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and succ=
=3D
essfully bid on a scale on E-bay.=3DA0 The scale just arrived, and I realiz=
ed=3D
it measures pounds, not grams. And the weights that came with it are mixed=
=3D
, both pounds and grams. Beside verbally kicking myself for not paying atte=
=3D
ntion, can I use this thing or am I screwed? I really can't afford mistakes=
=3D
like this blunder. Anxiously awaiting advice from the wiser than me clayar=
=3D
t community.

Bill Lee, Clay Artist=3D20
111 Lynnview Dr
Knoxville, TN 37918
(865) 566 2710www.billleeclay.com
www.southernhighlandguild.org/billlee=3DA0workshops available=3D0A=3D0A=3D0=
A

William & Susan Schran User on mon 6 dec 10


On 12/6/10 5:54 PM, "bill lee" wrote:

> After years of using commercial low fire glazes, I finally decided to tak=
=3D
e the
> plunge to mix my own glazes. I ordered Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and
> successfully bid on a scale on E-bay.=3DA0 The scale just arrived, and I =
real=3D
ized
> it measures pounds, not grams. And the weights that came with it are mixe=
=3D
d,
> both pounds and grams. Beside verbally kicking myself for not paying
> attention, can I use this thing or am I screwed? I really can't afford
> mistakes like this blunder. Anxiously awaiting advice from the wiser than=
=3D
me
> clayart community.

Don't know what kind of scale or what mix of gram and pound weights you hav=
=3D
e
or even how large of batches you want to mix, but you can probably weigh
chemicals out with what you have. Just remember: 454 grams equal 1 pound.
If you don't have enough of smaller gram weights, perhaps you can find the
other gram weights on ebay also.

Bill
--=3D20
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com

James Freeman on mon 6 dec 10


On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 5:54 PM, bill lee wrote:

> After years of using commercial low fire glazes, I finally decided to tak=
=3D
e the plunge to mix my own glazes. I ordered Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and su=
=3D
ccessfully bid on a scale on E-bay. The scale just arrived, and I realized=
=3D
it measures pounds, not grams. And the weights that came with it are mixed=
=3D
, both pounds and grams. Beside verbally kicking myself for not paying atte=
=3D
ntion, can I use this thing or am I screwed




Bill...

You certainly don't have to work in grams, and the quantities given in
UMF recipes do not imply any specific units. For example, if a recipe
calls for "Custer Feldspar-----50", the 50 units can be any unit of
weight you wish, be they grams, ounces, drams, pennyweight,
doppelzentner, shekels, whatever. You don't even need to stick with
the 50 (or whatever) specified. One can divide or multiply the number
by anything, so long as the same operation is performed on all of the
quantities. For example, you could divide all of the numbers by 4, or
multiply every number by 10, and the formula is still the same.

If you wish to work in even more obscure units of measure, this site
will prove useful: http://www.weirdconverter.com/weight.php . For
example, one pound is equal to 16 human eyeballs, and one kilogram is
equal to .004 baby grand pianos.

The reason grams are used is because they make the math very simple.
You have made life a tad more complex for yourself, but it is
certainly no disaster. Let's say you wish to make a 1000 gram batch
of glaze, a quart or so, which is a good quantity for a small scale
potter. 1000 grams is about 35 ounces. Since your UMF totals 100,
you could just divide every quantity by 3, then call the units
"ounces". This will give you a 33 ounce batch, which is within
spitting distance of your 1000 gram target. Your 50 units of Custer
spar called for in the recipe is now 50/3, or 16 2/3 ounces. Your 6
units of RIO is now 6/3, or 2 ounces. Not so tough, and as Douglas
Adams so generously advised, DON"T PANIC!

Good luck with your glaze project.

...James

James Freeman

"...outsider artists, caught in the bog of their own consciousness,
too preciously idiosyncratic to be taken seriously."

"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice.=3DA0 I
should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne

http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources

May Luk on tue 7 dec 10


1 gram =3D3D 0.0352739619 oz. Can you make an Excel spreadsheet with this?

You can send me the recipe and I can make a spreadsheet for you.

Regards
May

On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 5:54 PM, bill lee wrote:
> Hi
> After years of using commercial low fire glazes, I finally decided to tak=
=3D
e the plunge to mix my own glazes. I ordered Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and su=
=3D
ccessfully bid on a scale on E-bay.=3DA0 The scale just arrived, and I real=
iz=3D
ed it measures pounds, not grams. And the weights that came with it are mix=
=3D
ed, both pounds and grams. Beside verbally kicking myself for not paying at=
=3D
tention, can I use this thing or am I screwed? I really can't afford mistak=
=3D
es like this blunder. Anxiously awaiting advice from the wiser than me clay=
=3D
art community.
>

>
>
>



--=3D20
http://twitter.com/MayLuk
http://www.ceramicsbrooklyn.com/

Alice DeLisle on wed 8 dec 10


You could re-sell the pound scale on eBay or Craig's List, keep the gram
weights, and buy another scale that is metric.

billleeart@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi
> After years of usin=
g
commercial low fire glazes, I finally decided to take the plunge to mix my=
own
glazes. I ordered Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and successfully bid on a scale =
on
E-bay. The scale just arrived, and I realized it measures pounds, not gra=
ms.
And the weights that came with it are mixed, both pounds and grams. Beside
verbally kicking myself for not paying attention, can I use this thing or =
am I
screwed? I really can't afford mistakes like this blunder. Anxiously await=
ing
advice from the wiser than me clayart community.
Alice DeLisle

wanderland@att.net
http://www.etsy.com/shop/IslandTextures

Randall Moody on wed 8 dec 10


James is correct. There really isn't a need to convert grams to pounds
or pounds to grams in most cases. If your scale is pounds/ounces
simply and the glaze calls for something like 50% ball clay then you
would simply use 50% of the total batch size in pounds or ounces. If
you make a 10 pound (160 ounces) batch of the following glaze (a white
crackle raku)

Gerstley Borate 65%
Neph Sye 20%
EPK 5%
Silica 10%

You come up with, in ounces:

GB 104
NS 32
EPK 8
S 16
No need to convert to grams at all.

For a rough guide a 10000 gram batch or full 5 gallon bucket would be
about 22 pounds of material. 22 x 16 =3D3D 352 ounces

--=3D20
Randall in Atlanta
http://wrandallmoody.com

On Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 9:10 PM, May Luk wrote:
> 1 gram =3D3D 0.0352739619 oz. Can you make an Excel spreadsheet with this=
?
>
> You can send me the recipe and I can make a spreadsheet for you.
>
> Regards
> May
>
> On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 5:54 PM, bill lee wrote:
>> Hi
>> After years of using commercial low fire glazes, I finally decided to ta=
=3D
ke the plunge to mix my own glazes. I ordered Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and s=
=3D
uccessfully bid on a scale on E-bay.=3DA0 The scale just arrived, and I rea=
li=3D
zed it measures pounds, not grams. And the weights that came with it are mi=
=3D
xed, both pounds and grams. Beside verbally kicking myself for not paying a=
=3D
ttention, can I use this thing or am I screwed? I really can't afford mista=
=3D
kes like this blunder. Anxiously awaiting advice from the wiser than me cla=
=3D
yart community.
>>
>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> http://twitter.com/MayLuk
> http://www.ceramicsbrooklyn.com/
>