Janice Strawder on sat 6 jul 96
I have been working in Majolica for the past 8 years and have been using the
same recipe, Arbuckle's most of time. Within the past year I have
experienced two episodes of " bad frit".
Ferro Frit 3124 makes up approx. 75% of this glaze. the problems I've
experienced are as follows:
a visible yellowish halo blush, especially around black decorating
lines
running of decorating colors, i.e. copper greens, mazerine blue
burning out/lightening of other mason stain colors
The quality of the glaze itself does not change significantly, but
on close
inspection it seems a bit grainer.
I called Ferro almost a year ago and their technician informed me that they
test
each batch before distributing, and they have not had problems or complaints.
He also said that their test fall within a range of acceptability for
industry, and that
they have no control over how artist use the material.
This scenerio is understandable since I am using it in combination with other
materials, and the significant difference shows up only after decorating with
mason
stains.
I have been keeping track of Frit Batch numbers, taken from individual bags,
and have identified "good" bags from "bad" bags. After the first episode, I
was
relieved to find successive good bags, but since the problem has reoccured,
I'm
finding it frustrating, and am considering switching to other manufacturers
of frit.
Specifically, Pemco 311, or O'Hommel 90, which are listed as equivelant.
Has anyone else had similar experiences with Ferro 3124, and if so, how are
you
dealing with it? Has anyone tried these other frits? And finally, does anyone
have
a recipe that doesn't include frit 3124, or includes it in a combination with
another
frit, which works consistent and well for them. Any advice would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks,
Janice Strawder
---------------------
Forwarded message:
Subj: majolica madness
Date: 96-07-05 10:46:35 EDT
From: Ba SHIATSU
To: CLAYART LISTSERV@ukcc.uk
I have been working in Majolica for the past 8 years and have been using the
same recipe, Arbuckle's, most of that time. Within the past year I have
experienced two episodes of "bad frit".
Ferro Frit 3124 makes up approx. 75% of this glaze. The problems I've
experienced are as follows:
a visible yellowish halo blush, especially around black decorating
lines
running of decorating colors, i.e. copper greens, mazerine blue
burning out/lightening of other mason stain colors
The quality of the glaze itself does not change significantly, but
on close
inspection it seems a bit granier.
I called Ferro almost a year ago and their technician informed me that they
test each batch before distributing, and they have not had problems or
complaints.
He also said that their tests fall within a range of acceptability for
industry, and that they have no control over how artists use the material.
This scenario is understandable since I am using it in combination with other
materials, and the significant difference shows up only after decorating with
mason stains.
I have been keeping track of Frit Batch numbers, taken from the individual
bags, and have identified "good" bags from "bad" bags". After the first
episode, I was relieved to find successive good bags, but since the problem
has reoccured, I 'm finding it frustrating, and am considering switching to
other manufacturers of frit. Specifically, Pemco 311, or O'Hommel 90, which
are listed as equivelant.
Has anyone else had similar experiences with Ferro 3124, and if so, how are
you dealing with it? Has anyone tried these other frits? And finally, does
anyone have a recipe that doesn't include frit 3124, or includes it in
combination with another frit, which works consistent and well for them. Any
advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Janice Strawder
Richard Burkett on sun 7 jul 96
Janice,
Do you use gerstley borate in the colorant washes like Linda does? I'd
suggest that it's MUCH more likely that this is the cause of the problems
than the frit, especially since it obviously occurs in association with the
applied majolica decoration. Gerstley borate is a highly variable material,
with some batches having much more boron and more soluble materials - both of
which would be likely causes of what you describe.
Richard Burkett -
School of Art, Design, & Art History, SDSU, San Diego, CA 92182-4805
E-mail: richard.burkett@sdsu.edu <-> Voice mail: (619) 594-6201
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