I need a plate that can be easily drilled,
and can withstand high temperature
(annealing iron in a kiln). Are there gotchas
I need to know about drilling lava?
Do I need special tools (there could be
up to about 100 holes in the piece)?
Does it crack easily?
Here's a web page on a lava I'm considering:
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The same company offers a partially fired
alumina bisque that might work, but it shrinks
15 to 18% on firing. That seems like a lot
to me, and I'd be worried it would distort.
If anyone has experience with another favorite
material that takes high temperature (at this
point, I can't say exactly how high -- dull red
heat, maybe, for a few hours), I'd like to hear
any recommendations. Must be electrically
non-conductive. Must be non-magnetic (in
the usual sense -- i.e. weakly diamagnetic).
Cost is not a big deal (it's a one-of-a-kind
prototype -- labor cost will be high, so saving
a few bucks on material won't matter). Must
be available in small quantity (like one, plus a
few extras to break, if it cracks easily).
I'd like it to be as thin as possible, which would
imply high strength, but I wouldn't want to use
a ceramic if it's going to distort when fired.
If it shrinks very uniformly and predictably,
maybe I could use it, but I can't afford to go
through several rounds of redesign and learning
curve to understand how to work with the material.
It's got to be cut it, fire it, and it works.