Dave Finkelnburg on fri 21 nov 03
Lou,
First, you can use raw water for making glaze. It doesn't contain
enough minerals to color or flux a glaze significantly. If you need to
lower the pH, try Epsom salt. RO water is more aggressive at dissolving
solubles from your glaze materials than raw water, so it can create problems
instead of solve them.
The RO water will work for your glaze. The tiny bit of precipitate
isn't significant. You don't need to spend money on distilled water.
Two possibilities regarding the filter plugging. Either your RO filter
has failed somewhat, or it never could filter out all the dissolved minerals
to begin with. You need to check into just what it is supposed to filter
out. Most hard water contains dissolved metals -- sodium, potassium,
calcium, magnesium, etc, and also some silica. The metals are usually
acid-soluble. Vinegar will usually soften them. The silica is immune to
about anything except hydrofluoric acid. :-(
IF the solid you observe dissolves easily in vinegar, that tells you
something. If it won't, you may want to investigate what's in your water
and whether the RO filter was designed to remove all of it.
Good glaze making!
Dave Finkelnburg, reminding all you chemists, if you're not part of
the solution, you're part of the precipitate! Sorry, couldn't resist...
:-)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lou Roess"
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 9:48 AM
> I've been using reverse osmosis water for mixing glazes rather than buying
> distilled. I thought it was essentially distilled, but we also use it in
our
> humidifier and the filter gets clogged fairly quickly with a white
substance
> that is hard when dry and won't let the filter wick. Does anyone know why
> or what this stuff is. Would it affect the glaze in any way?
Lou Roess on fri 21 nov 03
I've been using reverse osmosis water for mixing glazes rather than buying
distilled. I thought it was essentially distilled, but we also use it in our
humidifier and the filter gets clogged fairly quickly with a white substance
that is hard when dry and won't let the filter wick. Does anyone know why
or what this stuff is. Would it affect the glaze in any way?
Thanks for any info
Lou
Jim Murphy on sat 22 nov 03
Hi Lou,
Reverse osmosis (RO) water still has some conductive ions from minerals like
Calcium and Magnesium. The white substance (scale) on your humidifier filter
is likely a Calcium compound.
Would it affect the glaze in any way? With "aging", the dissolution of those
ions (Calcium, etc.) may affect the rheology of the glaze slurry, however,
changes to pH and ion concentrations of the glaze will also be dependent on
solids-content, glaze composition, etc.
So, don't worry about it. You've already gone the extra mile to use a more
"controlled water", now, just make sure you keep tabs on Specific Gravity
and Viscosity of your glazes to get repeatable results, unless of course,
you do not desire repeatable results.
That's my take on it anyway. Maybe somebody else will chime in here.
Best wishes,
Jim Murphy
Maid O'Mud on sat 22 nov 03
I've been using RO water for 12 years. I also use it in my humidifier. I
don't get any "white hard stuff" at all. Sounds suspicously like the filter
is faulty. Best to get it checked.
I started using RO when we moved from the city to the country - where the
only water available is from the well. As ours is a shallow well (known as
an Indian well 'round here because it's simply a well dug close to a pond)
the water changes drastically with the seasons. My glazes changed with
every batch. Using RO water gives me consistency...very important for a
production potter.
HTH
Sam - Maid O'Mud Pottery
Melbourne, Ontario CANADA
"First, the clay told me what to do.
Then, I told the clay what to do.
Now, we co-operate."
sam 1994
http://www.ody.ca/~scuttell/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lou Roess"
To:
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 11:48 AM
Subject: RO water for glaze mixing?
> I've been using reverse osmosis water for mixing glazes rather than buying
> distilled. I thought it was essentially distilled, but we also use it in
our
> humidifier and the filter gets clogged fairly quickly with a white
substance
> that is hard when dry and won't let the filter wick. Does anyone know why
> or what this stuff is. Would it affect the glaze in any way?
> Thanks for any info
> Lou
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Ababi on sat 22 nov 03
A year or two we had a thread over it. I explained about the rotten
pipes around my studio. I said I was afraid if they would be changed my
glazes might be ruined ( loosing track rust in the water).
You live where you live.
If you are a doctor you better use distilled water for the injections
you prepare.
Take the water as a constant part of your glazes- otherwise you will
have too hard life glazing!
Ababi Sharon
Glaze addict
Kibbutz Shoval Israel
ababisha@shoval.org.il
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910
http://www.matrix2000.co.nz/Matrix%20Demo/Ababi.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Lou Roess
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 6:49 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: RO water for glaze mixing?
I've been using reverse osmosis water for mixing glazes rather than
buying
distilled. I thought it was essentially distilled, but we also use it in
our
humidifier and the filter gets clogged fairly quickly with a white
substance
that is hard when dry and won't let the filter wick. Does anyone know
why
or what this stuff is. Would it affect the glaze in any way?
Thanks for any info
Lou
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Edouard Bastarache Inc. on sat 22 nov 03
Hello Dave,
" Dave Finkelnburg, reminding all you chemists, if you're not part of
the solution, you're part of the precipitate! Sorry, couldn't resist..."
Hehehehehehehe!!!
"Ils sont fous ces quebecois"
Edouard Bastarache
Irreductible Quebecois
Indomitable Quebeker
Sorel-Tracy
Quebec
edouardb@sorel-tracy.qc.ca
http://sorel-tracy.qc.ca/~edouardb/
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/smart2000/index.htm
http://www.digitalfire.com/education/toxicity/
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