Ceramic Coal

Ceramic Coal

If you are a barbecue aficionado, perhaps you have heard of the Kamado Cooker. Perhaps not. The Kamado type cooker is a heavy ceramic vessel used both as a smoker and and as a grill. The "Big Green Egg" is the name brand of one type of Kamado Cooker. there are other brands to choose from. They all work basically the same way, and are really just a certain style of a vertical smoker.

There are generally three types of smokers to choose from when cooking barbecue. One is the offset smoker, which has a fire box set off from the smoke chamber. the meat sits on top of racks in the smoke chamber. Smoke and heat enter the smoke chamber, flow around the meat, and exit through a chimney system.

The next style of barbecue smoker is a kettle grill/smoker. Think "Weber Kettle Grill". This type of grill can be set-up for use as an indirect smoker. To use as a smoker, charcoal is piled up to the sides of the kettle, and the meat is placed in the center of the grill, not directly over the hot coals. Smoke from the coals goes around the meat giving it that smokey good flavor before exiting the little vents in the top of the lid. This type of smoker, low tech as it is, will turn out fine tasting barbecue.

Finally, the last style of barbecue smoker is a vertical smoker. In a vertical smoker, the fire is built in the bottom of the single chamber, many times there is a water pan directly over the fire, and the meat is smoked on racks located vertically above the fire in the bottom of the chamber. The smoke and heat travels upwards, around the meat cooking it and giving it that smoked barbecue flavor before exiting through the vents on top of the unit. A Kamado smoker is simply a specialized type of a vertical smoker.

The Kamado smoker is made out of heavy ceramic material, about an inch thick. The benefits of the Kamado smoker is that the fire can easily be maintained at very low temperatures which is good for smoking meat "low and slow." Also, because of the insulation properties of the ceramic material, a small amount of charcoal fuel is used while cooking. If not used as a smoker, the Kamado makes an excellent grill, achieving temperatures as high as 725 degrees. It can be used for many types of cooking, including baking of pizza's.

Ceramic Fuel

Ceramic Fuel

As the world continues to look toward alternative energy sources to power homes, businesses, and vehicles, fuel-cells have obtained favor in many countries. Australia, though not as proficient as, say, Japan, Germany, or the United States in fuel-cell technology, has recently begun to explore the possibilities of these energy sources. Strictly speaking, fuel-cells may not be renewables in the truest sense of the word, but the only byproduct of many is simply water, and water certainly qualifies as renewable. Until recently, Ceramic Fuel Cells, Australia's largest fuel-cell developer and supplier, bemoaned the public's perception that renewable energy was the only alternative to carbon-based fuel. That was until Bloom Energy, based in California, developed a fuel-cell they dubbed the Bloom Box.

This fuel-cell outperforms most of those currently marketed by most companies worldwide. When asked if this would further diminish Australia's role in the world fuel market, Ceramic Fuel Cell's CEO Brendan Gow was actually thrilled about Bloom's accomplishment. He enjoys the idea that the Bloom Box will display the capabilities of fuel-cells and that consumers will see that there are other methods of generating clean energy outside of renewables. Gow further states that although Bloom's cell exceeds most other fuel-cells' performances, the growing demand for fuel-cells will surpass Bloom's supply, and that is where companies such as Ceramic Fuel Cells come in. As Australia continues to catch up in the fuel industry, Mr. Gow sees Ceramic Fuel Cells as a major leader in Australia's development of these power sources.

It may seem as though Australia is exceedingly behind the curve in fuel technology, but that is not the case. A late bloomer, yes, but several of the nation's universities have focused their efforts on creating cheaper and more efficient fuelcells, especially in vehicles. At Monash University, scientists have redesigned fuel-cells with help from an unexpected source; Goretex. Familiar to outdoorsmen, it is a breathable material designed to waterproof outerwear. When applied to an air electrode, the university's Dr. Bjorn Winther-Jensesn says Goretex creates a fuel-cell that is both an electrode and catalyst. The material allows oxygen to come in contact with the conductive plastic in the fuel-cell, a job usually performed by platinum. It is easy to guess that the fuelcells developed at Monash will not only make great strides in efficiency, but in reducing production costs as well.

Australia is gaining ground in the renewable energy market, and is bringing fuel-cell technology along for the ride.

European Ceramics

European Ceramics

European Ceramics

European Ceramics is one of Perth's largest importers of Ceramic Tiles.

Young, vibrant, hands-on owners with local and international market knowledge ensures European Ceramics will take your next project beyond your expectations.

Ceramic Work

Ceramic Work

Modern materials make interesting and instructive ceramic art education projects easy and fun. Polymer clay is a new material, invented during World War II, which lends itself to many ceramic applications. Not a mineral clay at all, polymer clay is a form of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) with plasticizing agents to make it soft and workable until it is baked at low temperatures, such as those of an ordinary kitchen oven. As a rule of thumb, polymer clay objects should be baked at between 265° - 275° F (129° - 135° C) for fifteen minutes per quarter-inch (6 mm) thickness. Polymer clays are naturally translucent but can be made more opaque by the addition of white china clay or kaolin. Metallic or pearlescent type effects can be obtained by adding mica. Thus the basic material lends itself to many ceramic art education techniques.

At primary school levels hand shaped sculptures can be created easily and fired in an oven for permanence. Younger children also enjoy making buttons, beads, and other jewelry items such as earrings, pendants, and barrettes. Not only can basic ceramic working skills be taught with these simple projects, but the children derive much satisfaction creating gift items for family members and friends with their own skills and imaginations. In addition to the traditional polymer clay which remains pliant until baked at low temperature, there are also polymer air dry clays which don't even require an oven to harden.

Ceramic Work

Middle and upper school students enjoy more advanced projects such as tile-making, and covering existing objects made of other materials, such as cardboard, metal, and glass. Polymer clay is easy to work with simple tools found around the house, such as knives, needles, rubber stamps, scissors; and the use of extruders makes it possible to create many interesting shapes. Some project ideas for making useful and gift items include vases, candy bowls, votive candle holders, cold drink holders, switch plates, jewelry boxes, knick-knack shelves, napkin holders, salt and pepper wells and shakers, chess and other game pieces, toy animals, picture frames, album covers, and many more. Small flat pieces of baked polymer clay can be used to make mosaics, collages, and basic reliefs as well as incorporated into paintings, since they can be decorated with paint, colored pencils, ink, chalk, glitter or foil, either applied either on the surface or as inclusion. Acrylic painting on the surface of polymer clay bonds with it upon baking. Polymer clay can pick up and preserve photographs and other images from magazine and newspaper pages. Pasta machines can be used in working with polymer clay to create unique color gradients in thin polymer clay sheets, which can be used in conjunction with slump, drape or hump molds to create serving platters, trays, bowls, and boxes.