Karen on sat 6 jul 02
A good friend/brother Potter who is a potter of 30+ years has a question
for ya'll good potter folks..... Maybe you folks out West can help us out
as I hear it's nearly as hot there indoors as the forest fires outdoors =)
(jes' joshin' ya....'bout that....tho' I do hope & pray those fires are
contained now...) My friend's question is as follows:
"a ? for clayart.... This heat has created a problem at the wax table.
It's sooooooo hot (103 today and hotter in the glaze room), the wax doesn't
ever really cool on the pots. It stays soft and sometimes bubbles form
between the pot and wax, allowing glaze to creep under the wax. It
sometimes "flakes off". Needless to say it causes lots of problems. The
question is: "just what do potters in very warm climates do to make the wax
work as it should?" When I worked with Japanese potters we didn't use wax
at all. Sponged all the bottoms clean. It took alot of time but even that
would have been faster than what I went through today. Perhaps the "good
Mayor" will know after all it's been hot even in Minnessoooooota."
I too had this same problem last week, but it wasn't quite as hot & the wax
didn't fully flake off, it still had minute bubbles. Even tho' I wiped
each pot & waxed it, I thot maybe it was something else I had done or not
done. I noticed very tiny bits of glaze on the bottom of the pots when I
unloaded the kiln & went to smooth them. So I'm curious as to how to solve
this too. I do know another potter family of many generations & my friend
in that family doesn't always wax before glazing. She uses a small hard
bristled brush to brush the glaze off the pot bottoms. Of course this
raises glaze dust....not something I would want to contend with for obvious
health reasons.
And suggestions for us in the hot ol' South??? How 'bout you Texas potters
or those of you in the SouthWest??? Swamp coolers won't due here, that's
what our humidity is for! =)
TIA...all!
Karen
(from Raleigh, who's been out in the kiln/kiln shed unloading this week,
and Know just how hot it has been!)
Jim Kasper on sat 6 jul 02
I work in air conditioning :)
My buddy dips his in cold water after waxing
Regards,
Jim
http://zafka.com
>
> From: Karen
> Subject: Too Hot for Wax, what to do???
> "a ? for clayart.... This heat has created a problem at the wax table.
> It's sooooooo hot (103 today and hotter in the glaze room), the wax doesn't
> ever really cool on the pots.
Tony Ferguson on sat 6 jul 02
Add a dash of fuel oil to the wax. It smooths the wax out, makes it easier
to brush, and wax sticks to the pot better.
Also remember, if you wax is smoking it is too hot and its sticking to your
lungs!
Thank you.
Tony Ferguson
Stoneware, Porcelain, Raku
www.aquariusartgallery.com
218-727-6339
315 N. Lake Ave
Apt 312
Duluth, MN 55806
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karen"
To:
Sent: Friday, July 05, 2002 9:42 PM
Subject: Too Hot for Wax, what to do???
> A good friend/brother Potter who is a potter of 30+ years has a question
> for ya'll good potter folks..... Maybe you folks out West can help us out
> as I hear it's nearly as hot there indoors as the forest fires outdoors =)
> (jes' joshin' ya....'bout that....tho' I do hope & pray those fires are
> contained now...) My friend's question is as follows:
>
> "a ? for clayart.... This heat has created a problem at the wax table.
> It's sooooooo hot (103 today and hotter in the glaze room), the wax
doesn't
> ever really cool on the pots. It stays soft and sometimes bubbles form
> between the pot and wax, allowing glaze to creep under the wax. It
> sometimes "flakes off". Needless to say it causes lots of problems. The
> question is: "just what do potters in very warm climates do to make the
wax
> work as it should?" When I worked with Japanese potters we didn't use wax
> at all. Sponged all the bottoms clean. It took alot of time but even that
> would have been faster than what I went through today. Perhaps the "good
> Mayor" will know after all it's been hot even in Minnessoooooota."
>
> I too had this same problem last week, but it wasn't quite as hot & the
wax
> didn't fully flake off, it still had minute bubbles. Even tho' I wiped
> each pot & waxed it, I thot maybe it was something else I had done or not
> done. I noticed very tiny bits of glaze on the bottom of the pots when I
> unloaded the kiln & went to smooth them. So I'm curious as to how to solve
> this too. I do know another potter family of many generations & my friend
> in that family doesn't always wax before glazing. She uses a small hard
> bristled brush to brush the glaze off the pot bottoms. Of course this
> raises glaze dust....not something I would want to contend with for
obvious
> health reasons.
>
> And suggestions for us in the hot ol' South??? How 'bout you Texas
potters
> or those of you in the SouthWest??? Swamp coolers won't due here, that's
> what our humidity is for! =)
> TIA...all!
> Karen
> (from Raleigh, who's been out in the kiln/kiln shed unloading this week,
> and Know just how hot it has been!)
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Pottery by Dai on sat 6 jul 02
Tell your friend to switch to water-based wax for the summer. The warmer
the pot, the faster it dries. Available from ceramic/pottery supply houses
in pints, quarts,gallons. It's quite thick, and you can cut it with a bit
of water for easier application.
Dai in Armstrong, BC, where we actually made a small start in unpacking the
studio last night. I'm overwhelmed. And under-energized.
nightfire@telus.net
www.potterybydai.com
Take your work seriously---take yourself lightly. Unknown
Martin Howard on sun 7 jul 02
If you make wax from bees wax plus vegetable oil, you can just cut down on
the amount of vegetable oil.
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
01371 850 423
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
Updated 6th July 2002
Marcia Selsor on mon 15 jul 02
Karen wrote:
SNIP
.. This heat has created a problem at the wax table.
> It's sooooooo hot (103 today and hotter in the glaze room), the wax doesn't
> ever really cool on the pots. It stays soft and sometimes bubbles form
> between the pot and wax, allowing glaze to creep under the wax. It
> sometimes "flakes off". Needless to say it causes lots of problems. The
> question is: "just what do potters in very warm climates do to make the wax
> work as it should?" When I worked with Japanese potters we didn't use wax
> at all. Sponged all the bottoms clean. It took alot of time but even that
> would have been faster than what I went through today. Perhaps the "good
> Mayor" will know after all it's been hot even in Minnessoooooota."
> SNIP
Dear Karen
I used a foam cushion and wiped the bottoms as I glazed them before setting down.
This worked great for mugs, goblets smaller items.. Just a twist on the foam and
the glaze was off about 1/4-1/8 up from the bottom.
Hope this helps.
Marcia in Montana
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
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