[Jewelry making - Article 00181] - [Orchid] Substitute for vermiculite and alumina hydrate?

[Claire Padelford]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Hello, Orchid People.

    This is my first post to this forum and I hope someone here can help
    me as I am thoroughly frustrated and nearly blind from reading
    through archives all over the Internet, trying to find a snippet of
    information I read who-knows-where, a while back. 

    Someone posted in a forum or wrote in an article that they used a
    common household alternative to alumina hydrate or vermiculite to
    support PMC pieces and keep them from slumping in the kiln. It was
    either baking soda or baking powder, I think, but I can't remember
    for sure and don't want to cause any damage to my new programmable
    kiln or my PMC pieces in my ignorance. Has anyone here used or heard
    anything about the use of any kitchen-cupboard substances for this
    purpose? 

    For the record, this is more a matter of availability than a re-hash
    of the safety issues. I know that asbestos-free vermiculite is
    available these days. I just don't know where. So, if there is no
    readily-available household alternative to be had, then can anyone
    tell me where, exactly, I can procure either vermiculite or alumina
    hydrate in small quantities (5 lbs or less), either locally in the
    Phoenix, AZ metro area or on the Internet? I am googled out and any
    help would be sincerely appreciated! 

Thanks,
Claire
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________