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hypodermic needle sizes for slip

updated wed 8 sep 99

 

David Hendley on tue 7 sep 99

I have found that any needle smaller than 20 gauge
just clogs up too much, no matter how careful you
try to be at keeping your slip well-sieved and mixed.
A smaller size might work OK for a watery stain.
For what I do anyway, I also don't like a needle to be
too big, so I stick (ha) to 18 and 20 gauge needles for
delicate lines without too much clogging-up trouble.

As for not having enough $$ to experiment, Sue, these
things are about 20 cents each at my local feed store.
Why not go ahead and get one of each size and see
what works for you?
When I was sure what size I wanted, I went ahead and
bought a box of 100 from my vet for about $12.

The first thing to do when you get home with hypodermic
needles is to GRIND OFF THE SHARP POINT!
It takes one second with a bench grinder. If you don't
have one, put the needle in a vice and use a hand file.
Still only takes a few seconds.
Albany Slip is great stuff, but you don't want to be
injected with it!

I use needles for slip decorating 2 ways:
---with syringes, which are also very cheap and available at the
feed store. With this system, you have a small container of
slip, and suck some up into the syringe to use it. Shoot the
left-over back into the container when you're finished and rinse
out the syringe and needle.
---with little plastic bottles, like the 2 oz. bottles that Axner
overglazes come in. In this case, the slip stays in the bottle,
and you just rinse out the needle after use.

--
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com/