Linda Rosen on wed 5 mar 03
Does anyone have any tips on the use of cold wax in a large high school
classroom? I am having difficulty with keeping things clean enough. I =
have a
separate set of foam brushes for application as too many good brushes =
bit
the dust due to lack of adequate cleaning and I am using several small =
jars
of wax because some students seem adept at slopping if pouring from a =
single
container. However brush handles and jar tops are still waxy and =
students
are finding frustrating fingerprints which resist glaze (of course!).
Brushes are not wax-free when washed in hot water. Glazing is =
challenging
enough for my crew without adding wax problems . Wax was meant to solve
problems not add to them!=20
=20
Linda Rosen
Sticky
In Toronto
william schran on thu 6 mar 03
Linda wrote of cold wax problems in a high school setting.
I have some similar problems in a community college setting. I've
been able to resolve most of these issues by:
1. Telling students they don't HAVE to use wax on everything. I point
out ways to glaze to avoid using wax. I explain instances where the
use of a resist is a good idea (creating a clean line where lid &
body meet). Small pots can just as easily have the glaze removed with
water & sponge.
2. A wax brush that is attached to the wax bottle. I use the cheap
bamboo brushes, write WAX in permanent ink on the handle and have a
tall thin plastic container duct taped to the wax bottle that the
brush sits in. It's the ONLY brush the students are allowed to use
with the wax.
Bill
Marry Lukeman on thu 6 mar 03
A slow cooker to keep the hard wax liquid. Make the the only source for the students to use. Adjust the temperature to keep the wax hot enough to flow .
Good luck
Marry Lukeman
>
> From: Linda Rosen
> Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 20:50:28 -0500
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: classroom management-wax
>
> Does anyone have any tips on the use of cold wax in a large high school
> classroom? I am having difficulty with keeping things clean enough. I have a
> separate set of foam brushes for application as too many good brushes bit
> the dust due to lack of adequate cleaning and I am using several small jars
> of wax because some students seem adept at slopping if pouring from a single
> container. However brush handles and jar tops are still waxy and students
> are finding frustrating fingerprints which resist glaze (of course!).
> Brushes are not wax-free when washed in hot water. Glazing is challenging
> enough for my crew without adding wax problems . Wax was meant to solve
> problems not add to them!
>
>
>
> Linda Rosen
>
> Sticky
>
> In Toronto
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
>
Nanci Bishof on thu 6 mar 03
I suggest you try Axner's Wax Resist. It rinses out with cold water. Flows
off the brush when applying it to wares and does not lift off from body heat
in handling. I use it in my middle school classroom as well as in my studio.
nanci
Dai Scott on thu 6 mar 03
Having separate brushes for wax is almost mandatory . We rinse our
brushes in very hot water, then dip them in Fantastic (dishwashing liquid
also works, but not as well), massage the cleaner into the bristles also
paying attention to the metal part above the bristles, then rinse in very
hot water again, sort of massaging the brush against the side of the sink.
Just rinsing them without a cleanser won't get the wax out. After waxing
pots, we leave them upside down on our paper-covered glazing table, so that
no wet wax will transfer to the table. As for the wax containers, I've
found that putting only about an inch or so of wax (thinned with some water
for ease of brushing) into a container works best---any deeper and the brush
handle gets covered in wax, and the next thing you know, the wax is
everywhere. Lidded yogurt containers work well, and when they gets mucky
around the top edges after many uses, just throw them out---they're almost
impossible to clean out satisfactorily. I think that ensuring that the
students have enough room to do their waxing is also important---jostling
each other for space for themselves and their pots is sure to cause wax
accidents. Another thing, after I've done the waxing, I thoroughly wash and
dry my hands before going on to glazing, as well as putting away all the
waxing paraphernalia. Hope this helps!
Dai in Armstrong, BC, where all the 3" tulip, daff and crocus greens
trembled in amazement at today's wild weather---high winds, rain and snow.
Not very pretty. Especially after a couple of days of soft, warm,
springlike weather.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Rosen"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 5:50 PM
Subject: [CLAYART] classroom management-wax
Does anyone have any tips on the use of cold wax in a large high school
classroom? I am having difficulty with keeping things clean enough. I have a
separate set of foam brushes for application as too many good brushes bit
the dust due to lack of adequate cleaning and I am using several small jars
of wax because some students seem adept at slopping if pouring from a single
container. However brush handles and jar tops are still waxy and students
are finding frustrating fingerprints which resist glaze (of course!).
Brushes are not wax-free when washed in hot water. Glazing is challenging
enough for my crew without adding wax problems . Wax was meant to solve
problems not add to them!
Linda Rosen
Sticky
In Toronto
Snail Scott on thu 6 mar 03
At 08:50 PM 3/5/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Does anyone have any tips on the use of cold wax in a large high school
>classroom?
I'd skip it. It's too hard to keep everything clean
with that many people (of any age) sharing the stuff.
Swipe a lunch tray from the cafeteria and cut a 1"
thick piece of foam to fit on it. Keep it damp, and
twist the bottoms of small pieces across it, right
after glazing. They may have to sponge larger bottoms
by hand, but it's not that much more work than waxing,
especially considering cleanup and the potential mess.
If you want, you could reserve a jar of wax just for
wax-resist designs and other special purposes, with
one designated wax brush that's kept wet in a ziploc
bag.
-Snail
Carole Fox on thu 6 mar 03
Hi Linda. You will eventually find that students will never care for your
brushes the way you would like. You could tell them they each need to buy
and care for their own brush- I bet that would inspire good care!
Here is an alternative you can use in the studio. You know the piece of foam
that comes in each box of cones? Well, save those pieces and cut them up to
use as sponges for applying wax. If they don't get washed out well, there is
no great loss and always more foam to be recycled!
Carole Fox
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Rosen"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 8:50 PM
Subject: classroom management-wax
Does anyone have any tips on the use of cold wax in a large high school
classroom? I am having difficulty with keeping things clean enough. ...
Linda Rosen
Sticky
In Toronto
____________________________________________________________________________
__
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.
Chris Stanley on thu 6 mar 03
Give them some crayons! Small blocks of paraffin will also suffice. Have
them rub it on.
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of Linda Rosen
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 7:50 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: classroom management-wax
Does anyone have any tips on the use of cold wax in a large high school
classroom? I am having difficulty with keeping things clean enough. I have a
separate set of foam brushes for application as too many good brushes bit
the dust due to lack of adequate cleaning and I am using several small jars
of wax because some students seem adept at slopping if pouring from a single
container. However brush handles and jar tops are still waxy and students
are finding frustrating fingerprints which resist glaze (of course!).
Brushes are not wax-free when washed in hot water. Glazing is challenging
enough for my crew without adding wax problems . Wax was meant to solve
problems not add to them!
Linda Rosen
Sticky
In Toronto
____________________________________________________________________________
__
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.
Cl Litman on thu 6 mar 03
I had a set of clay "pebbles" and coasters of various sizes. Made the
kids hot glue them to the bottom of their pieces and did not use wax with
them. Their responsibility to wipe the glaze off the bottoms. After
having a few pieces stuck to the pebbles/coaster early on, the rest did a
better job. Any that looked to me like they had a thick coating of glaze
were set on larger flat pieces so they couldn't run onto the shelves.
Cheryl Litman - NJ
cheryllitman@juno.com
On Wed, 5 Mar 2003 20:50:28 -0500 Linda Rosen
writes:
> Does anyone have any tips on the use of cold wax in a large high
> school
> classroom?
Paula Reynolds on thu 6 mar 03
I got tired of trying to screw the lid back on the original wax container as
it got "gunked-up" being used by many high school students. I also had
trouble with the wax becoming rancid in the wide mouth jar it came in.
I bought some inexpensive empty "Elmer's-type" glue bottles and poured the
wax into four of these bottles. Students simply unscrew the tip and squeeze
out a small amount of wax into a small plastic cup. They usually squeeze out
less than a tablespoon. The cups simply get put away with the wax [glue]
bottles.
My students seem to prefer #7 size watercolor brushes to wax with. I spray
painted the handles of the wax brushes with leftover spray paint. Students
respect the rule: only brushes that can be used with wax have spraypainted
handles.
Paula Reynolds, Art Teacher
Jamestown High School
3751 John Tyler Highway
Williamsburg, VA 23185
reynstudio@aol.com
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