Barbara Kobler on sat 18 oct 03
Dear Tom, Louis and all other clay arters who have been so considerate to email me privately about their concern for my safety regarding my use of 3304 leaded frit. It is very much appreciated.
I have answered a few with private emails but think I’d best make a public declaration about it here.
I have a 6'x 8' foot room that only houses the kiln which sets in front of a screen door with a big powerful fan blowing air across the kiln to outside. We are in the Arizona desert and I keep the double doors open with fan all year round when firing. I do not leave open any peepholes, I fire to cone 5-6. There is a door between the kiln room and the glaze mixing room and there is another door between the glaze mixing room and the studio.
When I mix this or any other toxic glaze I use bowls, spatula, mixer, screen dedicated to toxic materials. Utensils are cleaned with paper towels and water. Waste water and disposable towels, gloves and apron are collected in a dedicated plastic bucket lined with heavy duty plastic. It is allowed to, not dry out, but get a pudding consistency and it is disposed of at toxic waste collection once or twice a year. I wear disposable gloves and apron and I wear a full face cartrigde respirator when mixing toxic glazes or fuming chlorides and nitrates. Or when entering the kiln room when firing any toxic chemicals such as leaded frits, glazes heavy with cryonite, barium, etc.
I do not make functional ware.
No fritted lead or fuming finishes or porous glaze is put on anything that could ever conceivably be used to hold any food or drinkable liquid. Never. I take great care that the chemicals or fumes not only do not hurt me, but also no one else.
Again, I thank all of you for your concern and the time it took you to email me. Even though I received my initial training, at a later age, in the 60s when toxicity was not talked about very much, I shudder when I think of those days when we stirred barrels of lead glazes with our hand in it up to the armpits, while smoking a cigarette and a half eaten sandwich laying on a wood glaze table covered with dried red lead residue, that was then. Not now. Thank god.
Just as I’ve continued to work and teach clay I also have continued to study, attend conferences and read and while I think we potters have an obligation to point out the dangers of various chemicals to others whose knowledge we are unaware of, I personally still choose to use a fritted lead and fume some of those other nasties. Please, do not think I am offended at the warnings. I am not. Keep up the good work.
Barbara
Barbara Kobler
www.claywoman.net
From the Sonoran Desert
Ron Roy on mon 20 oct 03
Dear Barbara,
Just incase - as I do not see it mentioned here - a word about lead and
your kiln.
The lead will fume while being fired - particularly when it is reduced. It
reduces quite easily and becomes lead metal. There can easily be enough
reduction in any oxidation kiln to make this happen - and the closer to
cone 6 you go the more likely it is to happen.
The end result is the lead condences out on the insides of the kiln -
enough over time to contaminate any ware fired in that kiln - just so you
know about that in case you or someone else decides to fire some functional
work in that kiln.
RR
>Dear Tom, Louis and all other clay arters who have been so considerate to
>email me privately about their concern for my safety regarding my use of
>3304 leaded frit. It is very much appreciated.
>I have answered a few with private emails but think I=EDd best make a publi=
c
>declaration about it here.
>
> I have a 6'x 8' foot room that only houses the kiln which sets in front
>of a screen door with a big powerful fan blowing air across the kiln to
>outside. We are in the Arizona desert and I keep the double doors open
>with fan all year round when firing. I do not leave open any peepholes,
>I fire to cone 5-6. There is a door between the kiln room and the glaze
>mixing room and there is another door between the glaze mixing room and
>the studio.
>
>When I mix this or any other toxic glaze I use bowls, spatula, mixer,
>screen dedicated to toxic materials. Utensils are cleaned with paper
>towels and water. Waste water and disposable towels, gloves and apron are
>collected in a dedicated plastic bucket lined with heavy duty plastic. It
>is allowed to, not dry out, but get a pudding consistency and it is
>disposed of at toxic waste collection once or twice a year. I wear
>disposable gloves and apron and I wear a full face cartrigde respirator
>when mixing toxic glazes or fuming chlorides and nitrates. Or when
>entering the kiln room when firing any toxic chemicals such as leaded
>frits, glazes heavy with cryonite, barium, etc.
>
>I do not make functional ware.
>No fritted lead or fuming finishes or porous glaze is put on anything
>that could ever conceivably be used to hold any food or drinkable liquid.
>Never. I take great care that the chemicals or fumes not only do not
>hurt me, but also no one else.
>
>Again, I thank all of you for your concern and the time it took you to
>email me. Even though I received my initial training, at a later age,
>in the 60s when toxicity was not talked about very much, I shudder when I
>think of those days when we stirred barrels of lead glazes with our hand
>in it up to the armpits, while smoking a cigarette and a half eaten
>sandwich laying on a wood glaze table covered with dried red lead
>residue, that was then. Not now. Thank god.
>
>Just as I=EDve continued to work and teach clay I also have continued to
>study, attend conferences and read and while I think we potters have an
>obligation to point out the dangers of various chemicals to others whose
>knowledge we are unaware of, I personally still choose to use a fritted
>lead and fume some of those other nasties. Please, do not think I am
>offended at the warnings. I am not. Keep up the good work.
>
>Barbara
>
>
>
>Barbara Kobler
>www.claywoman.net
>From the Sonoran Desert
>
>___________________________________________________________________________=
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Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
=46ax: 613-475-3513=20
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