JENNY LEWIS on tue 22 oct 96
At all the classes and workshops I have been to we were taught to
mix glazes by hand.
I think it is a lousy idea, and not only for my own personal reason,
namely allergies to I don't know what, which gives me itchy flaky
skin, usually in the hot weather and not serious enough, have
learned to live with it. BUT - those glazes really burn the sensitive
areas, and when my hands are going through an itchy phase, I
can't even stand the feeling of a sponge that has glaze on it. All
glazing nowadays done with household gloves on, which was a bit
awkward at first, but I got used to them fairly quickly.
They are also a great help in a freezing cold workshop in winter -
those glaze slops can certainly numb the senses!
So, considering what goes into the mixtures, I can't help thinking
they are not terrifically good news for skin.
Toni Martens on tue 22 oct 96
Jenny,
I had the same problem with my hands.Someone suggested a vitamen E
cream. I did not see how it could help but eventually got desperate
enough to try it and voila! Now when those nasty little flaky itches
rear their ugly heads I make a bee line for the vit.E!
It worked for me. I hope it works for you.
Toni M.
Rebecca Huston on tue 22 oct 96
Not only can it make hands itchy, but there are sometimes harmeful
chemicals in those glazes that are absorbed through the skin. Take for
consideration: Barium, Vanadium, and Manganese.
I have alwayse been told to use stir sticks because glaze chemicals are
potentialy toxic. Someone told me to look up Monona Rossol's book on
pottery and studio hazards to see just what was really hazardous when I
recently asked about toxic Materials.
Rebecca Huston
Karen Gringhuis on tue 22 oct 96
Agree glazes definitely not good for skin. I use elbow length turquoise
rubber (neoprene?) gloves for stirring from Dunn
Elca Branman on wed 23 oct 96
Whenever I glaze I use those inexpensive disposable latex gloves, about
..10 each if not bought in bulk..They are terrific because you can wash
off one glaze and dry your rubbered hand and immediately work with
another...also, no more chapping ..and they allow you to feel things
better than household rubber gloves.Elca
Branman Potters elcab1@juno.com
in Stone Ridge ,N.Y.
in the Hudson Valley
Leslie Ihde on wed 23 oct 96
That glazes SHOULD be stirred by hand sounds like a symbolical notion.
The glaze doesn't know if it's been stirred by a hand or a toilet bowl
brush. As long as it's well stirred, WHY use your hand?
Leslie
Vestal NY
Maggy Anfinson on wed 23 oct 96
Dear hands,
I also have a reaction to glaze on my skin. I started using surgical gloves
about a year ago and they work great for me. They also let me have more
sensitivity with what I'm working on as opposed to kitchen gloves. Maggy
Jeremy/Bonnie Hellman on thu 24 oct 96
Hello Clayarters- I second Elca's recommendation about those disposable
latex gloves for glazing, and would add that I discovered (out of
necessity) that it is even possible to throw pots on the wheel while one
hand is gloved. By accident I skewered my left hand at a time when I
expected to spend a lot of time throwing. In the emergency room, the
physician who stiched the cut suggested trying to throw wearing the gloves.
In fact, he even provided me with a supply! You do lose a small amount of
tacile sensation, but the reality is that it is certainly possible. BTW,
you can also wash off gloved hands and dry them before removing the gloves,
and re use them. Since the purpose of wearing the gloves in ceramics is NOT
to avoid bacterial/viral contamination, there certainly is no reason NOT to
re use them! If it is difficult to re insert your hand, you can add a
little baby powder, or corn starch. Bonnie in Pittsburgh
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Whenever I glaze I use those inexpensive disposable latex gloves, about
>.10 each if not bought in bulk..They are terrific because you can wash
>off one glaze and dry your rubbered hand and immediately work with
>another...also, no more chapping ..and they allow you to feel things
>better than household rubber gloves.Elca
>Branman Potters elcab1@juno.com
>in Stone Ridge ,N.Y.
>in the Hudson Valley
Ron Roy on thu 24 oct 96
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>That glazes SHOULD be stirred by hand sounds like a symbolical notion.
>The glaze doesn't know if it's been stirred by a hand or a toilet bowl
>brush. As long as it's well stirred, WHY use your hand?
>
>Leslie
>Vestal NY
Three reasons, you can tell when there is no more unmixed, you can feel if
there are lumps, and you get a sense of how thick the batch is. Works for
me.
Ron Roy
Toronto, Canada
Evenings, call 416 439 2621
Fax, 416 438 7849
Bill Seeley on sun 27 oct 96
I use an industrial cooking whisk (about 18" long) to resuspend
glazes before use. It's constructed of heavy duty galvanized steel
wire and has held up well over the years. I only have one so I have
to wash it between glazes. I got it at a surplus store and have
been on the lookout for additional ones for years.
They're used to mix batters and sauces wherever food is served in
volume. You should be able to pick them up at wholesale restaurant
supply houses or surplus stores.
Bill
--
Theresa and William Seeley 410 486-3171 (voice)
Villa Nova Pottery 410 484-6273 (fax)
4015 Buckingham Rd. Baltimore, MD 21207
"186,000 miles/second is not just a good idea - its the law!"
SolvejgMa@aol.com on mon 28 oct 96
Hi folks -
I've recently had trouble with dry, cracking, bleeding hands (combination
pottery, gardening and heavy-duty housework). What helped me was getting
some Bag Balm, such as the dairy farmers use, and putting it on my hands
before putting on the rubber (or garden) gloves. It seemed not only to
protect my hands from further damage, but helped heal them. The stuff smells
a bit medicinal (which is what it is, basically), but it works. I didn't
have to go to a farm store to get it; it was in my grocery store near the
hand lotions. A little balm goes a long way.
Hope this helps!
Kat in Salem, Oregon enjoying the crisp fall evening.
| |
|
