Eric Lindgren on fri 16 aug 96
A glazing question please: I've been spraying large bowls (19 inch dia.,
8 inches high) because they're too big or heavy to dip or to pour evenly. I
want an even coat.
Does anyone have a suggestion for how I might get away from spraying?
Many years ago I saw an ad for a fountain glazer, a foot-operated pump that
spurted upwards, that may be what would work in this case. If anyone has
had experience with these, I'd be interested to hear about it.
Thanks for any tips,
Eric Lindgren
lindgren@muskoka.com
____________________
Cobalt1994@aol.com on sat 17 aug 96
Hi Eric,
I have said fountain glazer and vacuum hand and they are some of my favorite
studio tools. However I'm not sure they could handle your big bowls. They are
great for small stuff, but when it comes to anything over about 14 inches in
diameter the flow of glaze tends to get more uneven. That's because it's not
possible to glaze the whole inside of the bowl in one pump of the pedal, and
second pump can go on unevenly. Also with a very heavy pot the vacuum hand
tends to let go. They do make bigger suction heads that might prevent this. I
only use the smaller size. Come to think of it, I should order the bigger
one!. The outside glazing (of the bowl) is another story: You have to push
the bowl straight down into a bucket of glaze, which can lead to big BURPS
and some splashing up inside the bowl.
Still, for overall studio use, especially if you don't use alot of different
glazes the fountain glazer is a big time saver.
Hope this helps.
Jennifer in Vermont
Marcia Selsor on sun 18 aug 96
I have two large "sausgae mixing" bowls 3ft in diameter. They are stainless
steel and were donated to the shop. We fill the bowl with glaze a dip large
pieces both sides at once. Touch required on the finger prints. Because
of the round shape, it doesn't take as much glaze as a flat bottom
container and round shapes pass thru quite nicely.
Marcia in Montana
Teri and Bill Seeley on mon 19 aug 96
Eric Lindgren wrote:
> Does anyone have a suggestion for how I might get away from spraying [... 19"
>
I pour my large bowls starting with the inside. This is fairly
easy, as long as you start with enough glaze to reach around the
entire piece as you pour it out. Also, having a healthy-sized foot
ring helps to control the bowl as you turn it (it also makes the
bowl easier for the user to handle and clean).
I pour the outside of the bowl inverted over a child's circular
plastic sled. The latter are about 2' in diameter and resemble a
large frisbee. Use the following procedure:
1. Set a banding wheel on a stool and place a large plastic bucket
on it.
2. Center the plastic sled on top of the bucket concave side up.
3. Invert a smaller plastic bucket in the center of the sled.
The depth of the bucket should be about 1/3 or so more than the
inside depth of your bowl.
4. Invert the bowl over the small plastic container. If the inside
glaze is fragile you may want to cushion the top of the bucket
with a folded towel.
5. Slowly turn the banding wheel pouring the glaze aimed just below
the foot of the bowl until you've gone around at least once.
The only problem with this approach is that it tends to cause large
droplets of glaze to form at the rim. The safest, most reliable
solution to this is to apply wax resist to the rim with a brush and
allow it to dry thoroughly before glazing. After glazing the rim
can be sponged lightly to remove any remaining droplets of outside
glaze (although the reaction of the inside and outside glazes at the
rim might be a desired effect).
Alternatively, if the bowl has a healthy-sized foot ring and is not
too heavy the droplets can be spun off before the glaze sets up by
grabbing the bowl by the foot and quickly rotating/counter rotating
it. This can also be done by spinning the banding wheel, although
care must be taken not to spin the bowl off of the inverted plastic
container (or the scrap glaze out of the sled!).
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!"
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