Testing a New Design, FX1

The first attempt with this new fixture was very interesting,,,, there was a fish and a few leaves in an all natural clay matrix. They actually turned out pretty amazing. But as you can see, as soon as the temperature got to about 450 F the “High Temperature” O-rings just blew out. If you look close you can also see that the “High Temperature” lubrication had turned to what looked like burnt varnish. Its quite possible that the grease also interacted with the red silicone O-rings and caused further degradation. I was hoping that the O-rings, rated at 400F, would have a healthy factor of safety but as you can see, they just blew out. The fixture was very strong but I found it was difficult to work with so I will probably redesign it.