Jim Sydnor on tue 10 oct 00
I know this sounds like a real basic question, but I have begun a new =
exploration in glazing my pots. I am changing over from very stable =
glazes that never ran to using more fake ashes over fairly stable matt =
glazes. Since my glazes have always been fairly stable (good to cone =
11), I have never worried much about washing the shelves. A little =
sprinkle of dry wash (I know I do it outside and use a respirator), is =
about all the shelves got. The problem is of course until I get a little =
more familiar with the glazes and how they react to each other I am =
making a little mess on the shelves (sometimes a little more than a =
little). I am lowering my over all firing temp on the next firing, so =
that should help.
What I was curious about what is do any of you have experience with =
runny glazes and what types of kiln washes have found to be most =
successful. My shelves are silica carbide and I really would like them =
to last a long, long time.
Oh by the way the web site is new and I did it my self. Let me know what =
you think.=20
Jim Sydnor
Traditions Clayworks
www.traditionsclayworks.s5.com
Cindy Strnad on tue 10 oct 00
Hello, Jim.
Don't trust your expensive shelves to kiln wash. The best won't keep you
from needing to grind off glaze drips, and the stuff's awful. If it works at
all to protect from drips, it *will* flake. That's in the nature of the
beast. If it's the sort that doesn't flake, well then, you'll have to grind
drips. Here are some things you can do while you're getting the feel of your
new glazes.
Glaze only the top half or 2/3rds of the pot. Decorate the bottom half with
an iron oxide wash if you like (unless you're firing in reduction). This
will give you an opportunity to study the way the glaze acts, how thick you
want to get it, how far from the base you need to keep it, and so on. And if
the glaze does drip, well, you've ruined neither your pot nor your shelf.
(Unless it really, totally runs off the pot.)
Once you get to know the glazes a little better, and how they react with
your other glazes, try using a runny glaze on top, and a stable glaze on the
bottom half of some of your pieces.
Stilt your work and set it inside a bisqued plate or on a broken piece of
kiln shelf, or anything to protect your shelf. Stilting will keep the pot
from being stuck too firmly to the "drip pan". You don't mention what temp
you're firing to (or I missed it), but I know the stilts I use are good to
^6, and I got them from a knick-knack ceramic shop when I bought a small
kiln from them at auction. Or, of course, you can make your own stilts and
be certain they won't melt. Shelf posts will also work, though they raise
your piece higher, and therefor use up more space.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
earthenv@gwtc.net
http://www.earthenvesselssd.com
Linfield College on tue 10 oct 00
on 10/10/00 4:39 AM, Jim Sydnor at sydnor1@AIRMAIL.NET wrote:
> I=20
changing over from very stable glazes
> that never ran to using more fake ashes over fairly stable matt glazes. S=
ince
> my glazes have always been fairly stable (good to cone 11), I have never
> worried much about washing the shelves. A little sprinkle of dry wash
Jim, for trying new glazes that run, one of the easiest things to do is to
roll out a VERY thin sheet of clay and lay it on the shelf, fire on top
of that. Of course, that works if you're firing the early part slowly.
If not, =3D hmmmmm. Some make a disk for each pot, and those can be bisqued
ahead if you fire quickly in the early part of the glaze fire.
Otherwise, I use a dry powder of alumina and kaolin, 50/50, and dust the
shelves with that. You could try that same mixture with an addition of
flour (makes it about 33/33/33), trowel it on wet/paste. The flour burns
out,
you can reuse the wash indefinitely. Jane Hamlyn among others uses this
mixture, trowled on with a notched trowel, to soda fire/salt fire.
See you at the =C7eramics USA opening, or the workshop.
regards
Dannon
>=20
>=20
> Jim Sydnor
> Traditions Clayworks
> www.traditionsclayworks.s5.com
>
WHew536674@CS.COM on tue 10 oct 00
Jim,
If you are working with runny glazes, there is another possibility for you.
Throw a slightly flared cylinder, that, when turned up side down fits the
bottom of the pot. This can be put into a bisque shallow plate, and all the
run off will go down the side of the cylinder and into to plate, and not on
the shelf. A little extra work, but clean shelves.
Joyce A.
Mission, TX
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