Curtis Nelson on mon 18 feb 02
I've used both spooze and magic water to attach and to
fix things at various leather stages. They both work
very well.
But Peggy's spooze is acidic: vinegar and syrup, while
Lana's magic water is alkaline: sodium silicate and
sodium carbonate (soda ash).
By definition, spooze flocculates the clay stirred into
the spooze, which means it has a higher shrink rate
than plain slip without the vinegar. Yet I've never
noticed a problem with that characteristic, even when
using it to attach ar fix virtually dry clay. I've read
that it works on bisqueware, too. Hmmm. With the
great differences in shrinking ( dry leather and bisque
have shrunk considerably before the spooze is used)
compared to the high shrink rate built into the spooze
by the acidic flocculant vinegar. Yet no flaking,
cracking, or other agravation occurs.
On the other hand, by definition, magic water
deflocculates the clay it's mixed with, which means it
has a lower shrink rate than plain slip without the
sodium silicate and soda ash. I've never noticed a
problem with that characteristic either, even when
using it to attach or fix virtually dry clay. Actually,
that seems more compatible . . . a lower shrink rated
slip being used on leather that has already shrunk
somewhat before the magic water is used.
How can these two kinds of attach and repair mediums
both work so well doing the same job when what they
are is so very different?
Later -
Curt Nelson
Margaret Barlow on mon 18 feb 02
Hi Curt, you said
>I've used both spooze and magic water to attach and to
>fix things at various leather stages. They both work
>very well.
>How can these two kinds of attach and repair mediums
>both work so well doing the same job when what they
>are is so very different?
>
Well Curt, I too wondered how a flocculant and a deflocculant could both
work well at doing the same job. I assumed that because they were
opposites one would work and the other would be disaster but experience
taught me differently. This puzzled me greatly.....
Until in at a workshop by Linda Arbuckle, I posed this question to her, and
her reply was, they probably work for different reasons.
The flocculant works because it causes greater attraction between the clay
particles strengthening the bond.
The deflocculant works because, as you suggested, it has a lower shrinkage
than regular slip but like regular slip it forms a bond.
Hope this helps to explain how opposites can both do the job anyhow the
explanation worked for me!
....Margaret
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