wayneinkeywest on thu 19 feb 04
PK:
Thank you for that observation. I too have been having trouble
drying handles on porcelain. I had just about given up, despairing
of ever getting them attached and not cracked. Thought I would have
to spend my career making teacups :>)
What you have suggested makes sense.
Wayne Seidl
A glimmer of hope can be stronger than a kick in the behind...
> Sounds like quite a bit of work working with warm wax. Perhaps
you could
> try using
> wax emulsion it is very easy to use, you don't have to heat it (no
smell)
> and it brushes on
> like a dream. It is also good for glazing, when one needs to over
lap it
> on glaze.
>
> The other option is to not bother with waxing at all. Place all
your mugs
> in a circle with
> the handles directed towards the middle. Air circulates more on
the
> outside, and the handles don't dry out so quickly. Covering them
all with
> a polyester cloth helps slow down the drying as well, and doesn't
create
> condensation on your ware. A much easier process that work for
me.
>
> The Prairie Kat
> -----------------------
>
> Carole Fox wrote:
> >cracking and pulling away. I am making a real mess of it and
giving myself
> >the occasional hot wax treatment as well. Yowza! Is there some
trick to
Kat in the Hat on thu 19 feb 04
Hi Carole:
Sounds like quite a bit of work working with warm wax. Perhaps you could
try using
wax emulsion it is very easy to use, you don't have to heat it (no smell)
and it brushes on
like a dream. It is also good for glazing, when one needs to over lap it
on glaze.
The other option is to not bother with waxing at all. Place all your mugs
in a circle with
the handles directed towards the middle. Air circulates more on the
outside, and the handles don't dry out so quickly. Covering them all with
a polyester cloth helps slow down the drying as well, and doesn't create
condensation on your ware. A much easier process that work for me.
The Prairie Kat
-----------------------
Carole Fox wrote:
>cracking and pulling away. I am making a real mess of it and giving myself
>the occasional hot wax treatment as well. Yowza! Is there some trick to
Fredrick Paget on fri 20 feb 04
>What did people use before plastic? I suppose damp cloth.
>
_Well we had oil cloth ,tin foil, waxed paper, oilskins. Those were
the days. No refrigerators just ice boxes. And what fun it was to run
out and steal a chip of ice from the iceman's truck while he was off
making a delivery.(He always left a pile of chips conveniently near
the tail gate), Then there was the vegetable man and the milk man
and the junk man. Where has it all gone?
Fred
--
From Fred Paget, Marin County, California, USA
fredrick@well.com
Jennifer Boyer on fri 20 feb 04
I don't use porcelain but my fine grog white stoneware presents handle
drying problems. I always cover mugs with plastic, dry them slowly, use
cold wax and flip the mugs upside down, since then the fatter upper
join dries slower than if the mug were right side up. I like the
"circling the wagons" technique described below! I'll try that too....
The problem is worse in the winter, as my heat is efficient.
Small story:
MANY years ago I went to a workshop given by Byron Temple. When the
students asked how he deals with cracking handle joins, he said it
NEVER happens to him and left it at that. Much later, when pressed, he
described his studio: an ancient building in PA with thick damp stone
walls. Leave it to a potter to find a damp box for a studio!
Jennifer
On Feb 19, 2004, at 5:49 PM, wayneinkeywest wrote:
> PK:
> Thank you for that observation. I too have been having trouble
> drying handles on porcelain. I had just about given up, despairing
> of ever getting them attached and not cracked. Thought I would have
> to spend my career making teacups :>)
> What you have suggested makes sense.
> Wayne Seidl
> A glimmer of hope can be stronger than a kick in the behind...
>
>
>> Sounds like quite a bit of work working with warm wax. Perhaps
> you could
>> try using
>> wax emulsion it is very easy to use, you don't have to heat it (no
> smell)
>> and it brushes on
>> like a dream. It is also good for glazing, when one needs to over
> lap it
>> on glaze.
>>
>> The other option is to not bother with waxing at all. Place all
> your mugs
>> in a circle with
>> the handles directed towards the middle. Air circulates more on
> the
>> outside, and the handles don't dry out so quickly. Covering them
> all with
>> a polyester cloth helps slow down the drying as well, and doesn't
> create
>> condensation on your ware. A much easier process that work for
> me.
>>
>> The Prairie Kat
>> -----------------------
>>
>> Carole Fox wrote:
>>> cracking and pulling away. I am making a real mess of it and
> giving myself
>>> the occasional hot wax treatment as well. Yowza! Is there some
> trick to
>
************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
http://thistlehillpottery.com
Lee love on fri 20 feb 04
What did people use before plastic? I suppose damp cloth.
wayneinkeywest on fri 20 feb 04
Hey Lee:
We still do :>)
Some of us "intensely dislike" plastic.
Though I have to admit, a nice sheer
nylon/polyester/organza
does wonders for my pots. I have a hard
time calling that "plastic", though it is...
Wayne Seidl
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lee love"
To:
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 9:47 AM
Subject: Re: Drying porcelain mug handles.
> What did people use before plastic? I suppose damp cloth.
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sat 21 feb 04
Hi Steve, Lee, Lili, everybody...
This is funny...!
I knew about 'Damp Rooms', or their smaller 'Damp Closets'
or Cubbards or what, long before I knew anything (else)
about the rest of the activities associated with making
Pots...
Yet they seem to have become obscure...or novel or
practically unknown...
How curious!
Phil
Las Vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Mills"
> In message , Lee love writes
> >What did people use before plastic? I suppose damp
cloth.
> Yes, and *Damp* cupboards!
> --
> Steve Mills
> Bath
> UK
Michael Wendt on sat 21 feb 04
I work in a clay that is essentially porcelain although it does not fire as
white. Our loss to handle cracks is rarely more than 1/2%. Several things
can be done to eliminate cracks around handles.
1. If the cracks are gapped at the top of the joint, predry the handles a
while in the air flow of a fan. Ideally, they should be the same moisture as
the cups so if you are not in a hurry, you can then put them inside the cups
and leave them wrapped up in plastic over night to match the moisture
contents. I made a bent sheet of metal that over bends the angle of the
joining part of the handle so that as it dries, it shrinks to the correct
angle for the shape of the cup.
2. Carve the handle's mounting interface until it fits the cup without a
gap.
3. Start with dry porcelain trim scrap and add a little water containing a
few drops of sodium silicate. Make the slip fairly thick. Take an old tooth
brush, dip it in the slip and lightly scrub the slip onto the carved
interfaces. Quickly touch the handle to the cup to mark the spot you want
the handle, remove it, scrub a little slip onto the cup at those spots and
attach the handle firmly, seating it by wiggling it a little.
4. Cut a piece of sponge into a long narrow wedge and wring it dry after
dampening it. Remove all excess slip from the joint. Leave in the damp box
but take no other special precautions. Our goal is to allow the piece to dry
as quickly as the material will allow without loss or fussing.
5. If this fails, take some of the dry porcelain scrap, place it on a flat
surface and crush it with a rolling pin. Screen the result to 60 or 80 mesh
and bisque the resulting fine powder to cone 09. Add this soft bisque fluxed
grog to the handle slip you made before a little at a time and try each
blend until you beat the cracking. As a last resort, fine paper fiber can be
added to the handle slip too but I don't like the way it forms as well. At
some point, you will get cracking under control.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, ID 83501
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Steve Mills on sun 22 feb 04
In message , Lee love writes
>What did people use before plastic? I suppose damp cloth.
Yes, and *Damp* cupboards!
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Steve Mills on mon 23 feb 04
Mine started life as a welded steel water tank. Doubles as a Clay Bin
and Damp Bin; haven't got room for an old Fridge or Freezer which is
favourite over here.
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET writes
>Hi Steve, Lee, Lili, everybody...
>
>
>
>This is funny...!
>
>
>I knew about 'Damp Rooms', or their smaller 'Damp Closets'
>or Cubbards or what, long before I knew anything (else)
>about the rest of the activities associated with making
>Pots...
>
>
>Yet they seem to have become obscure...or novel or
>practically unknown...
>
>
>How curious!
>
>
>
>Phil
>Las Vegas
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
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