Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ceramic

What graveyard bowl to buy my mother

omnigut — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:47:24 -0800

I need a bowl for the remains of eaten food. My late grandfather used the term "Camposanto," meaning "graveyard" (Italian?), for the bowl into which you'd throw the shells or bones of animals you've just eaten (mussels, ribs etc). I want to get his daughter, my mom, a bowl that would live up to the name; something with crosses, or graves, or "in loving memory," or even better something with skeletons (especially of fish) on it, something ghostly (ghastly) or something equally pithy on it. Big enough for about 30+ mussel shells on it, and preferably something not too earnest. Perhaps something like this or this (but preferably bigger). Absolutely perfect would be something made out of ceramics, something that didn't look hugely cheap. I'd like her to want to bring it out at dinner parties...

Can you help identify this ceramic cat?

Balonious Assault — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:01:04 -0800

LongShotFilter: Can you help identify this ceramic cat? It came in a set of four. Two were broken years ago, and a friend of mine is trying to complete the set for a Very Special Christmas Gift. There are no markings on the remaining two cats to indicate a manufacturer, or anything else that might be a clue. The other remaining cat has the same markings -- white face, belly, paws & tail, and black everywhere else -- and is in a sitting position. If anyone can track them down it's the amazing AskMe community. Thanks!

My penguino is chirping for help!

AtomicBee — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:59:20 -0800

My ceramic pitcher is making a clicking noise even when left alone. What is going on? I have a ceramic Penguino pitcher from Argentina that I was given as a present. I washed it and used it for the first time yesterday for Thanksgiving. Ever since then it has been making a clicking noise, every few minutes, even when sitting alone on the counter or shelf. The click sounds like someone is tapping the pitcher with a small pin; it is very sharp but faint.

I noticed that there are small cracks underneath the clear glaze, though the surface is still smooth and solid. I don't know if they were there before I used it.

I washed him by hand in the sink, though I may have used pretty hot water. I'm afraid that is the root of the problem, though I can't find anything online about it and I still don't know what to do.

Please help me solve this mystery. My penguino is chirping for help!

Help finding a certain type of bowl.

scarello — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:46:28 -0800

Help me find a certain type of bowl for my wife for Christmas. I hope I can describe the bowl properly here, as I do not have a photo. My wife absolutely loves the slanted bowls that some restaurants serve stir fry's in. They are plain white, ceramic or porcelain, sit flat on the table but are shaped at an angle and I cannot find them anywhere! Any chance someone out there would know where to find them?

Movin back in

raildr — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:41:32 -0800

Floor scrubber, or WHAT I am about move back into a house I built and was left AS is by divorce. It has 6x12 ceramic tile exceppt thr bathrooms which are 4x4. All grout is unsealed. Best, post divorce cleaning? NO mops please! Lots of pet urine (1.5 years), feces, etc...

Should I eat -- er, solder -- this? On the aging and toughness of ceramic disc capacitors.

Your Time Machine Sucks — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:30:01 -0800

Should I eat – er, solder – this? I'm building a preamp and I just discovered that I'm low on 0.1μF 50v ceramic disc capacitors. My question is about whether it's worth trying to salvage more from another (already disassembled) piece of equipment. I noticed that I have lots of green ceramic disc caps with happy little 104s on them (don't know the voltage, but it seems improbable that it's less than 50v) on the carcass of a portable CD player which I've already largely disassembled in order to liberate its DC motors. I don't think I have the means to accurately test the caps. They are old.

So, the question: how hardy are these things? When they have been put on the board, they will have been through two solderings and a desoldering, plus however many years of portable CD-playing service. Worth a try, or go to the damn store and get some new capacitors ffs? Thank you.

Where can I find Cerama Bryte pads?

acoutu — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:22:31 -0800

Where can I find Cerama Bryte pads for ceramic cooktops? I am looking for Cerama Bryte pads, the kind used to clean ceramic cooktops. I can't seem to find these in Canada and I can't find a US source that will ship to me. Any suggestions? I'd prefer to keep the cost reasonable, but I am having a heck of a time finding these pads. I might be willing to accept another brand, but I'm very paranoid about scratching the stove top. I'm in Vancouver, Canada. Thanks.

Please help me identify this object.

mpemulis — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:00:38 -0800

What is this figure? Where can I find another one? I received it as a gift a long time ago and want to get another one. It's about 3" tall and about as round. It's made of some kind of lightweight ceramic/clay material. If I remember correctly, the box it came in indicated that they were available in different colors, with each color indicating a different "function," i.e. financial success, luck, etc.

Thanks!

Harmlessly drinking glass unintentionally

Eiwalker — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:23:05 -0800

How much of my GLASS do I drink when I drink a glass of water? About how many fundamental particles make up a typical drinking glass, and about how many of them do I drink when I drink a glass of water?

I'm also curious what the figures are for plastic or ceramic.

I have one ceramic cup, in particular, that I can taste every time I drink out of it. I'm assuming it's eroding like crazy.

Best kind of bakeware material?

riffola — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:45:48 -0800

For a jack of all trades bakeware, what is the best material? Ceramic, Metal (aluminium), Glass (Pyrex), or Silicone?

Sticky when dry...slippery when wet. :(

Sallysings — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:42:37 -0800

How do I get self-adhesive velcro to stick to a pedestal sink? I'm trying to make my sink skirt stay.

After leaving it stuck on the sink for 24 hours, I added the sink skirt. The next morning, after my bf shaved at the sink, water seeped between the velcro and the sink and after about 30 minutes, the whole thing - skirt, velcro hook and loop - fell off. The back of the velcro tape (the sticky part) feels all slippery, from just water.

I've tried drying the tape and putting it back on, and it would stay until he shaves again. The shower's steam doesn't seem to affect it, just direct moisture that drips onto the tape.

There is no "lip" on the pedestal sink, so there's no way to prevent water from getting on it. Is there other ways for me to get it to stay? Gorilla glue? Caulking? (That would look ugly) Put hooks on the sides?

Who made this tile-picture?

misteraitch — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 06:11:51 -0800

Can anyone identify the picture shown in this photograph? It’s a framed group of six ceramic tiles, which collectively depict a group of colourful, elongated figures, in a boat. It was hanging on the wall of a Spanish villa where my wife and I spent a vacation in 2001. The villa was in Andalucía, between Estepona and Casares. Its owners were Belgian, I think. Here is a larger scan of my (regrettably off-centre) photograph. I hadn’t seen anything quite like it before (nor have I since), and I’m curious to know by whom, or where, it might have been made.

How to clean my ceramic water dispenser

atlatl — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 10:18:33 -0800

I have a ceramic water crock and have recently noted an odd taste in the water that it dispenses. I've tried pouring several kettles of boiling water through it, and running the water through the spout, with no results. I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for cleaning out the crock, getting rid of the strange mildew-ey taste..?

I want to paint ceramic coffee mugs.

saucy — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 04:23:32 -0800

I want to paint ceramic coffee mugs without going to one of those bake places (too expensive.) If I use acrylic paints and a gloss varnish, will they last a careful handwashing? (I'm not going to expect to make them dishwasher safe.) A lot of the people in my family specifically asked for gift cards for Christmas, and I want to hand them something other than an envelope, so I'm putting the cards in these mugs.

As I'm already at the spending limit, I need a fairly cheap solution. I searched local craft stores and was unable to find the bakeable ceramic paints. Tips or ideas to make them last? Or should I just tell everyone not to actually drink from them and use as decoration? BTW, the paint is only going on the outside, so no worries about it being toxic, etc.

As a side note, there is one male among the gift card askers who a) would think the coffee cup is too girly, and b) his gift card comes in a cd case (best buy,) so its too big anyway. Any ideas what I could put his card in?

Crock pot glue

louigi — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 13:07:02 -0800

Does ovensafe ceramic glue exist? I broke the lid to a nice ceramic crock pot and I'm hoping I haven't rendered it useless. Is there any sort of glue that can be used to mend the lid that won't turn my cooking into toxic waste, and also won't melt in the oven?

Solar kiln

Slothrop — Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:12:16 -0800

Alternative-energy junkies : help! Solar / kiln question... I would like to fire a kiln using solar energy. The kiln needs 240 volts, draws 60 amps and runs for 13 hours (approximately). The energy needs are not constant during a firing. Any suggestions? Is this possible? Thanks!

How to decorate a pink-tiled bathroom?

jfuller — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 05:15:14 -0800

DecoratorEyeFilter: what can I do about my bathroom? The pro is that the house is 50-ish years old and the wall and floor tiles are actual ceramic. The con is that they're PINK. Can anyone suggest some miraculous color for the non-tile walls above waist height that will reduce the atrociousness of PINK? I have considered grey, as one of the worst villains in the Rex Stout detective stories had an underground bunker/office with grey-stained wood panel walls and pink indirect lighting around the ceiling, but for all I know this color combo was chosen to show how warped and evil mr. villain was. Also, the way it's described, mr. villain's pink was a lot more subdued than the PINK I have to face each morning. Plaster and shower curtain are just white now. Should I just grit my teeth and live with it? The preferred solution (ripping everything out and re-doing it) is not a financial option. Hoping for a stroke of genius from of the many geniuses who hang out here. Thanks!
(PS, yes I also considered black, sorry, I'm chicken.)

Chicago Brick

GaelFC — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 09:46:07 -0800

What does the term "Chicago brick" mean? I Googled and found plenty of references, but no definition. I have heard that it refers to houses done in multi-colored brick, but it may also refer to a certain type of brick. Interested in photos, any info about derivation of the term. Thanks!