G.M. Schauer on sat 31 may 03
In high school I finished a terracotta bust with shoe wax (the waxy shoe
polish that comes in a flat round metal container), and it looked great, it
accentuated the texture and could be buffed up to a nice gloss on the smooth
high spots. It is a very quick process. I think this would only be
practical for an indoor sculpture, though.
Galen Schauer
Minnesota
----- Original Message -----
From: "Caryn Heffner"
To:
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 5:43 PM
Subject: non-glaze finish
> Hi all,
> I have a little problem. Have to deliver a sculpture to the client this
> week, but when I took it out of the bisque kiln today, it had a tiny
crack.
> This is ^06-6 raku clay, and I had intended to glaze and high-fire it for
> an outdoor installation (there is an indoor option). So since it looks
like
> refiring the piece is not possible (and I don't have time to make another
> one), what can I finish it with that isn't a glaze, but won't look cheesy?
> BTW, it has to be white.
> Thanks for your help!
> Caryn
> (in Jersey, where it looks like the sun has forgotton how to shine....)
>
>
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>
>
Snail Scott on sat 31 may 03
At 06:43 PM 5/31/03 -0400, you wrote:
>...Have to deliver a sculpture...it had a tiny crack.
>...So since it looks like
>refiring the piece is not possible (and I don't have time to make another
>one), what can I finish it with that isn't a glaze, but won't look cheesy?
>BTW, it has to be white.
>...This is ^06-6 raku clay, and I had intended to glaze and high-fire it for
>an outdoor installation
For outdoor work, weather-resistance is a critical criterion
for coatings. Paint will last for quite a few years, but will
eventually deteriorate. If you have to use paint, and the piece
is all one color, try high-quality spray paint. Acrylic paint,
oil paint, and enamel paint all adhere nicely to clay, but will
only last well if kept indoors.
You sound like you're trying to cover the whole piece. Do you
really have to? Can you just patch the crack? If you can
patch it, try calcined clay to match your clay body and mix it
with a bit of corn syrup and a bit of frit, then fire it to
maturity. Your crack will probably open up again, but then
again, sometimes they don't. Improve the chances of success by
reducing strain during firing, by putting it on thin sand or
grog if it's large.
If the crack returns, use post-fired fillers to hide it. Don't
compromise the structural intregrity of the piece - use epoxy
if the crack may affect strength. There is an epoxy called PC-11,
form the makers of PC-7. It's a wet-places formula, (and much
more expensive than PC-7) but aside from its adhesive properties
it has another benefit - it's white!
If the crack is nonstructural, try Bondo. Even without colorants,
a nice tidy fill job will look better than a deep crack.
Please note that many so-called 'Raku Clays' are merely
underfired ^10 clays, and even if yours was developed specifically
for raku, it may not have been designed to vitrify at ^6 anyway.
If your fired clay remains highly absorbent, it could fall victim
to the weather quite rapidly if you live in a freeze/thaw climate.
Test your clay! If you decide not to fire it to maturity but only
^06 as you seem to be proposing, be prepared for freeze
destructionwithin a single winter season in cool climates.
Because of the needed repair, and the need for a post-firing
coating, I would strongly caution against outdoor installation in
winter-freeze areas. Even in summer, areas that get lots of
water (e.g. near lawn sprinklers, or a damp climate) can cause
rapid destruction of most finishes.
Keep it indoors.
-Snail
Caryn Heffner on sat 31 may 03
Hi all,
I have a little problem. Have to deliver a sculpture to the client this
week, but when I took it out of the bisque kiln today, it had a tiny crack.
This is ^06-6 raku clay, and I had intended to glaze and high-fire it for
an outdoor installation (there is an indoor option). So since it looks like
refiring the piece is not possible (and I don't have time to make another
one), what can I finish it with that isn't a glaze, but won't look cheesy?
BTW, it has to be white.
Thanks for your help!
Caryn
(in Jersey, where it looks like the sun has forgotton how to shine....)
Lily Krakowski on sun 1 jun 03
We used to patch things with a mix of plaster of paris and glue. An outdoor
white glue. One can add colorant if one wants to.
NEVER HAVE TRIED IT ON RAKU, AND CERTAINLY IT DOES NOT IMPERMEABILIZE .
WATERPROOF.
Caryn Heffner writes:
> Hi all,
> I have a little problem. Have to deliver a sculpture to the client this
> week, but when I took it out of the bisque kiln today, it had a tiny crack.
> This is ^06-6 raku clay, and I had intended to glaze and high-fire it for
> an outdoor installation (there is an indoor option). So since it looks like
> refiring the piece is not possible (and I don't have time to make another
> one), what can I finish it with that isn't a glaze, but won't look cheesy?
> BTW, it has to be white.
> Thanks for your help!
> Caryn
> (in Jersey, where it looks like the sun has forgotton how to shine....)
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
Lili Krakowski
P.O. Box #1
Constableville, N.Y.
(315) 942-5916/ 397-2389
Be of good courage....
Billie Mitchell on sun 1 jun 03
did you think about repairing it with paper clay, and refiring it.. i have
done this several times and you cant even tell it was repaired. just use
your same clay body and use lana wilsons magic water. it really works. with
a hairline crack it shouldnt take long at all to repair and dry. you should
be able to refire the same day that you fix the crack..
billie mitchell
artistswc@bellsouth.net
www.georgiaclaycouncil.com
Dana Henson-Flemming on sun 1 jun 03
The little packets of Polymer clay will disguise small cracks and only
have to be heated briefly in the kiln to oven temperature (directions on
package). This product comes in so many different colors that it is
usually fairly easy to find a color that is a very close match.
Waterproof as well.
Dana H Flemming
Artful - Sculptural and Functional Clay Works
Albuquerque, NM
claybair on sun 1 jun 03
Shoe polish is definitely an indoor finish.
It will fade in sunlight. I used shoe polish on
several saggar fired pieces. They looked great but
the color faded on the one that was in a window.
They did smell great however!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: G.M. Schauer
In high school I finished a terracotta bust with shoe wax (the waxy shoe
polish that comes in a flat round metal container), and it looked great, it
accentuated the texture and could be buffed up to a nice gloss on the smooth
high spots. It is a very quick process. I think this would only be
practical for an indoor sculpture, though.
Galen Schauer
Minnesota
----- Original Message -----
From: "Caryn Heffner"
> Hi all,
> I have a little problem. Have to deliver a sculpture to the client this
> week, but when I took it out of the bisque kiln today, it had a tiny
crack.
> This is ^06-6 raku clay, and I had intended to glaze and high-fire it for
> an outdoor installation (there is an indoor option). So since it looks
like
> refiring the piece is not possible (and I don't have time to make another
> one), what can I finish it with that isn't a glaze, but won't look cheesy?
> BTW, it has to be white.
> Thanks for your help!
> Caryn
> (in Jersey, where it looks like the sun has forgotton how to shine....)
>
Paul Brinkmann on sun 1 jun 03
You might try painting it with outdoor Latex paint, or Gesso.
Chris Morgan on mon 2 jun 03
A friend of mine has had some success soaking ceramics in dilute latex
house paint. It yeilded a smooth, matt white finish.
Chris Morgan
Lily Krakowski on mon 2 jun 03
Last Summer I put some Minwax(R) polyurethane finish on an outdoor planter.
The finish survived very well.
There are similar products sold under other names--colored wood finishes.
This is NOT to be used with anything food related, and I have no idea
whether it is a good idea to use it on anything that might be handled a lot
with bare hands. But for a planter it was fine.
Lili Krakowski
P.O. Box #1
Constableville, N.Y.
(315) 942-5916/ 397-2389
Be of good courage....
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