Martin Howard on mon 15 jan 01
Have others on this list used Beeswax and a very light engineering oil to
produce wax resist? If so, what proportion do you suggest, so that the final
resist is usable to brush on green ware?
I fortunately have two friendly beekeepers close by, who can supply me with
the really raw wax. I then heat it in a covered saucepan on the wood burning
stove. It makes a lovely aroma.
So far I have just touched the bottom of pots onto the warm surface of
melted beeswax and immediately have a thick wax resist that makes the glaze
slide off like water off a duck's back. The other wax resists I have tried
are so variable compared with this.
I don't want to use anything that can set the whole pottery ablaze, as I
have a habit of leaving the oven or stove on when distracted by something
else. My wife often has cause to complain about this when she leaves me in
charge of dinner :-)
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
vince pitelka on mon 15 jan 01
> Have others on this list used Beeswax and a very light engineering oil to
> produce wax resist? If so, what proportion do you suggest, so that the
final
> resist is usable to brush on green ware?
Martin -
That sounds ideal, but if you can get mineral oil, use that. It is just
more refined than the machine oil, and it will produce less noxious aroma.
With the beeswax it should smell very good. There is nothing toxic in the
aroma, as long as you do not heat the wax mixture over about 250F, but that
is plenty hot to get very good flowing characteristics with the mineral oil
addtion. Experiment with the amount. I used mineral oil and candle wax,
and brought the wax pot up to 250F with just candle wax and then added
mineral oil until it brushed nicely.
At some point someone suggested a timer on the wax pot, and I think that is
an excellent idea. You will have to get one of those heavy duty timers like
they use on hot water heaters and other higher-amperage appliances. If you
tend to work on a regular schedule, then just set the timer to turn off
about the time you normally quit, and it will safeguard against leaving the
wax pot on.
As long as the wax pot does not go over $250 there would not be any danger
even if you did leave it on, but those temperature control switches do
occasionally fail. 20 years ago we had that happen with a Krups electric
coffee maker. It was in the process of seeking entropy through the
countertop, well on its way to setting the house on fire when I discovered
it. The noxious smell of burning plastic woke me from a deep sleep on the
other side of the house. No smoke alarms then. It did force me to finally
replace that damned ugly countertop.
I swore I would never buy another Krups appliance. But my wife forgot, and
several years ago bought me a very expensive Krups toaster. Two years
later, just after the warranty expired, so did the toaster. Now I REALLY
will never buy another Krups appliance.
The first cause of studio fires is improper kiln installation. The second
is wax pots.
I'm not sure where toasters fit in. Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Steve Mills on tue 16 jan 01
Martin,
Robert Fournier told me of the process he uses: a baking tray with
candles tight across the bottom just covered with 3in1 light oil (sewing
machine/bicycle oil), heat till all dissolved, pick out the wicks (!),
use. Can be kept fluid with hot water!!!!! no stoves needed, excellent
for decorating as it doesn't fry your brushes. You need to glaze same
day as being soft it attracts dust which reduces the resist factor.
Altogether a *good* thing.
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Martin Howard writes
>Have others on this list used Beeswax and a very light engineering oil to
>produce wax resist? If so, what proportion do you suggest, so that the final
>resist is usable to brush on green ware?
>
>I fortunately have two friendly beekeepers close by, who can supply me with
>the really raw wax. I then heat it in a covered saucepan on the wood burning
>stove. It makes a lovely aroma.
>
>So far I have just touched the bottom of pots onto the warm surface of
>melted beeswax and immediately have a thick wax resist that makes the glaze
>slide off like water off a duck's back. The other wax resists I have tried
>are so variable compared with this.
>
>I don't want to use anything that can set the whole pottery ablaze, as I
>have a habit of leaving the oven or stove on when distracted by something
>else. My wife often has cause to complain about this when she leaves me in
>charge of dinner :-)
>
>Martin Howard
>Webb's Cottage Pottery
>Woolpits Road, Great Saling
>BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
>England
>martin@webbscottage.co.uk
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Marcia Selsor on tue 16 jan 01
Dear Vince,
I use an old electric frying pan that I have had for 30 years. the
temperature is set.
Thanks for the suggestion of beeswax and mineral oil. I have used
parafin and a variety of others things that do smell awful.
Marcia in Montana
vince pitelka wrote:
>
> > Have others on this list used Beeswax and a very light engineering oil to
> > produce wax resist? If so, what proportion do you suggest, so that the
> final
> > resist is usable to brush on green ware?
>
> Martin -
> That sounds ideal, but if you can get mineral oil, use that. It is just
> more refined than the machine oil, and it will produce less noxious aroma.
> With the beeswax it should smell very good. There is nothing toxic in the
> aroma, as long as you do not heat the wax mixture over about 250F, but that
> is plenty hot to get very good flowing characteristics with the mineral oil
> addtion. Experiment with the amount. I used mineral oil and candle wax,
> and brought the wax pot up to 250F with just candle wax and then added
> mineral oil until it brushed nicely.
>
> At some point someone suggested a timer on the wax pot, and I think that is
> an excellent idea. You will have to get one of those heavy duty timers like
> they use on hot water heaters and other higher-amperage appliances. If you
> tend to work on a regular schedule, then just set the timer to turn off
> about the time you normally quit, and it will safeguard against leaving the
> wax pot on.
> snip
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Crafts
> Tennessee Technological University
> 1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
> Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
> 615/597-5376
> Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
> 615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
> http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
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>
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>
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--
Marcia Selsor
selsor@imt.net
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls/Tuscany2001.html
Martin Howard on tue 16 jan 01
Vince suggests:- if you can get mineral oil, use that
Now, just what do you mean by mineral oil?
Some potters on the UK side of the pond might be able to help me here,
because what you know as mineral oil Stateside may not be the same as what
we can get in GB.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
Dannon Rhudy on tue 16 jan 01
.......
......>As long as the wax pot does not go over $250 there would not be any
danger even if you did leave it on,....
But if you had a $500 wax pot, the danger would double? Aw, I know
that was a typo, but had to put in my bit. Thanks for the smile - had to
read that sentence twice to figure out what was happening. Of course,
on cold, grey, rainy days I'm not particularly alert.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
vince pitelka on tue 16 jan 01
> .....>As long as the wax pot does not go over $250 there would not be any
> danger even if you did leave it on,....
When I read my own message I didn't spot it, but of course others did. I
meant degrees, not dollars. A $250 electric frying pan would be something
to see . . .
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Wesley C. Rolley on tue 16 jan 01
At 08:52 PM 1/16/01 -0600, you wrote:
>> .....>As long as the wax pot does not go over $250 there would not be any
>> danger even if you did leave it on,....
>
>When I read my own message I didn't spot it, but of course others did. I
>meant degrees, not dollars. A $250 electric frying pan would be something
>to see . . .
Gee, Vince. I thought that the $250 referred to the cost to use an
Electric Frying Pan in California.
Wes
Wes Rolley
"Happiness is to be fully engaged in the activity that you believe in and,
if you are very good at it, well that's a bonus." -- Henry Moore
http://www.refpub.com
Timakia@AOL.COM on wed 17 jan 01
Vince I wonder how hot $250 beeswax would be? LOL.
Antoinette Badenhorst
PO Box 552
Saltillo,MS
38866
http://hometown.aol.com/timakia
Cindy Strnad on wed 17 jan 01
Well, it wouldn't take too much beeswax to make $250 worth. I'm jealous of
Martin--such abundance, such decadence--to use wonderful, sweet-smelling
beeswax as common resist. Tsk, tsk, tsk . . .
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
earthenv@gwtc.net
http://www.earthenvesselssd.com
Millie Carpenter on wed 17 jan 01
I'll check with my husband, I am sure that there is bound to be an electric
frying pan in one of the Govenrment Supply stores :-)
Millie in Md.
vince pitelka wrote:
> > .....>As long as the wax pot does not go over $250 there would not be any
> > danger even if you did leave it on,....
>
> When I read my own message I didn't spot it, but of course others did. I
> meant degrees, not dollars. A $250 electric frying pan would be something
> to see . . .
> - Vince
iandol on thu 18 jan 01
Again, potential linguistic confusion.
I believe Mineral Oil has a mineral or geological origin. Hence it would =
be derived from Crude Oil and be a petroleum product. So it may be that =
Mineral Oil is that fraction distilled which we know as Paraffins. =
Kerosene, used as a fuel or illuminant, is a Paraffin which has a low =
viscosity, Liquid Paraffin, once used as a pharmaceutical for internal =
lubrication, has a higher viscosity.
Perhaps a light vegetable oil could be substituted, but it would be more =
expensive but perhaps safer in many ways.
Ivor Lewis=20
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