Neon-Cat on sun 5 dec 10
Hi all -- Ajax powder cleanser with bleach does a wonderful job as a
deflocculant. My native 2:1 layer clays can sometimes be difficult to
deflocculate when making Terra Sigallata. So, just for fun I lightly
dusted about half the surface of a 2 liter (about 8.4 cups) water-clay
mix by a quick, gentle tap on the Ajax container over the bucket. I
then stirred for a second or two -- the Ajax is so fine it just floats
on the clay-water surface; when I returned in 15 minutes all particles
were thickly suspended except for sand and a few other non-plastics.
In six hours I had a 3/4th inch sediment layer, and by 12 hours a top
water layer was present. It appeared to have finished deflocculation
in 18 hours at max water-layer volume development. I now have a full
pint (473 ml) of good quality Terra Sig. Any trace left from the very
fine Ajax ingredients should not have suspended and/or will not be a
problem during firing. I am applying it now to greenware and it's all
good -- nice shine with minimal effort using just cloth. Its power as
a dispersant for my use is much, much stronger than sodium carbonate
(soda ash), sodium silicate, a soda ash/sodium silicate combination,
or Darvan (http://www.rtvanderbilt.com/spec_pc_4.htm) at a fraction of
the cost.
Ajax contains calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium dodecyl
benzene sulfonate, trichlorocyanuric acid, calcium hypochloride, with
traces of calcium chloride, calcium hydroxide, and crystalline silica.
Ajax with bleach:
http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/HC/Products/HouseholdCleaners/Ajax.cv=
sp
Marian Gooding
Neon-Cat Ceramics
www.neon-cat.com
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