[Jewelry making - Article 00261] - Re: [Orchid] Substitute for vermiculite and alumina hydrate?

[Claire Padelford]

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    Elaine, thanks for the heads-up on wholelottawhimsy.com. I'm
    familiar with them but I wasn't aware that they sold vermiculite.
    I'll check that out. And I thought about perlite, too, since it's
    already been exposed to high temps to expand it. But I had never
    heard of anyone using it in the kiln, and wasn't sure why. 

    Noel, I am curious about the use of silica sand in the kiln. What is
    the highest temperature it can withstand without melting? Somewhere
    in the back of my mind, there is a vague 'silica sand=glass'
    reference and I know that some jewelry artists slump (melt) glass in
    their kilns to create dichroic cabs, so I'm wondering about using it
    at PMC firing temps of 1200 - 1650 degrees. 

    And, Thomas, you said that you considered silica a bad alternative
    choice. Can you elaborate on that? 

    Thanks to all who responded to my question. 

Claire
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