Ababi on sun 8 apr 01
My Supplier works with Laguna, that is why I choose: Laguna Borate.
I would like to hear ( to read actually) about your experience with this
material, mainly Raku and ^6. do you change 1:1 or do you have to use it
through a software as it has about 8% alumina. Can I use it as a frit?
What about being soluble after 6 months or so as it have been with the G.B.
?
......Ababi in the Northern Negev where cows are giving
milk and some kind of nasty smell but we love them as steaks...and yellow
cheese..
ababisha@shoval.ardom.co.il
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910/
Mary-Helen Horne on mon 9 apr 01
>My Supplier works with Laguna, that is why I choose: Laguna Borate.
>I would like to hear ( to read actually) about your experience with this
>material, mainly Raku and ^6. do you change 1:1 or do you have to use it
>through a software as it has about 8% alumina. Can I use it as a frit?
>What about being soluble after 6 months or so as it have been with the G.B.=
>?
Ababi, you might want to refer to Digital Fire=92s analysis of the various
substitutes, including their own Boraq. You can find it at
www.gerstleyborate.com. They=92ve (Tony Hanson?) done a thorough job with
the assessment.
I=92ve been testing several recipes with Laguna Borate, and find that by and=
large, the effect is very close, if not a bit clearer (less cloudy) than
the same recipes with GB.
I wrote to Laguna for a gauge of how much bentonite to add for suspension,
and this is what Jon Pacini replied:
"The addition of bentonite when using Laguna Borate depends on the rest of
the composition of the glaze.
A Glaze with a lot of clay in it would not need Bentonite. A Glaze that
when mixed becomes suspended on its own would not need Bentonite. That's
why we did not add Bentonite to the Laguna borate directly.
Gerstley tended to thicken everything up whether it needed it or not.
We wanted to get away from that. If your Glaze tends to settle or you have
a glaze that has a powdery surface then you might consider adding bentonite
for that purpose. "
I have noticed that the recipes that gave a mottled effect with GB when
applied thickly don=92t seem to do this with LB or Frit 3134, although I hav=
e
not yet tested Floating Blue. Digital Fire compared Boraq to GB and Frit
3124 in the ever-popular Floating Blue
(http://digitalfire.com/gerstleyborate/recipes/floatingblue.shtml), and
showed that the visual texture was missing in the Frit 3124 version, but
seemed to match it using Boraq. They did not show results using Laguna
Borate.
Before springing for Boraq, I=92m now trying to find a suitable means to
getting the pretty mottled, or foamy, effect without the GB. I=92ve tried
adding more rutile, and even titanium dioxide, but this impacts color and
physical texture and tends to yield frosting not mottling. If anyone can
give me some suggestions, I=92d be grateful.
Here=92s the recipe I=92ve been testing the most. It=92s based upon a recip=
e
Sumi Dick posted, which she said she got from Ceramics Monthly:
Gerstley borate 31
Dolomite 14
Kaolin 19
Silica 36
ultrox 8
Black copper oxide 2
Rutile 7
Cone 5 oxidation
It gives a pretty light green =93seafoam=94 color, that mottles beautifully
where thick. It=92s passed the primitive tests for stability =96 vinegar,
freezing/boiling. If I can get the foamy effects back without GB, I=92ll sen=
d
to Alfred for lab analysis.
Hope this helps, and hope someone can help me!
Kind regards,
Mary-Helen
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