Judy Rohrbaugh on fri 9 sep 05
A bit embarrassed I am not knowledgable on this. I have never bothered with wash, except perhaps when I first purchase a kiln. To my defense, much of my work has been glazed on the inside only, with only small amounts of glaze outside. And applied very thinly.
I have been under the assumption that if you put wash one one side of the shelf, then you cannot flip it over. In the past I have not washed my shelves and have flipped them thinking I am getting more use out of them.
I recently spoke to someone who told me they wash their shelves about once a month. Next time, they flip it over, wash the other side. Is this a good suggestion?
Also, how much kiln wash should I put on- one coat? Two? And how often.
Electric kiln.
Thank you,
Judy Rohrbaugh
Fine Art Stoneware
Ohio
William & Susan Schran User on fri 9 sep 05
On 9/9/05 9:29 AM, "Judy Rohrbaugh" wrote:
> I recently spoke to someone who told me they wash their shelves about once a
> month. Next time, they flip it over, wash the other side. Is this a good
> suggestion?
> Also, how much kiln wash should I put on- one coat? Two? And how often.
> Electric kiln.
Judy - It all depends and everyone has their system that works for them.
It also depends what type of shelves on is using. Nitride bonded shelves,
manufacturer recommends not using kiln wash.
Having said that, most places where there are many different folks firing
their work in the same kiln, or in a school situation, most will use kiln
wash to protect the shelves. We use a mix of 50/50 by volume alumina &
kaolin, 2 coats, using a cheap small roller. We check after each firing for
glaze drips or peeling wash. Remove those and rewash just those areas.
Flipping shelves: depends on size/thickness of shelf and how high you're
firing. Lower firing, thick shelves, probably not an issue. Higher firing,
thinner shelves, will extend the life of the shelves. The issue is removing
ALL kiln wash when you flip the shelf.
There you have it - it depends.
--
William "Bill" Schran
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Jeanette Harris on fri 9 sep 05
The only problem with flipping shelves is that the wash will flake
off and fall on the pieces that are below.
Some people say that flipping will prevent the shelves from warping,
but if they are supported well enough, they shouldn't do this.
--
Jeanette Harris
Poulsbo WA
Potter's Council member
claybair on fri 9 sep 05
I fire ^6 ox electric kiln but have gone to ^7-8 many times.
My shelves - one side has relatively thin layer of kiln wash.
I only add wash when it a stuck piece pops it off or I have to
scrape glaze drip off.
I bisque fire with the non wash facing up & glaze fire
with the kiln wash side up. So far (10 years) no warping
and no problems. I do wipe off the shelves with an extremely
lightly dampened sponge prior to glaze firing just in case
there is some loose kiln wash or other bits on them.
The first teaching studio I was connected with had thick layers
of wash on both sides and it ruined way too many pieces.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
Tucson, AZ
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
On 9/9/05 9:29 AM, "Judy Rohrbaugh" wrote:
> I recently spoke to someone who told me they wash their shelves about once
a
> month. Next time, they flip it over, wash the other side. Is this a good
> suggestion?
> Also, how much kiln wash should I put on- one coat? Two? And how often.
> Electric kiln.
--
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Des & Jan Howard on sat 10 sep 05
Jeanette
We have coated both sides of our kiln shelves for years, flaking off has
never been a problem.
The shelf wash, repeat, wash, is 95% zircon flour, 5% kaolin. The
shelves are given a lick over with an emery grinding wheel attached to a
wooden handle to clean up any flashing, glaze specks are removed with an
angle grinder with a masonry disc, (our glazes don't run, we glaze very
thickly & decorate over/under, dry glaze dags do brush off during
packing). The mix is washed on, one coat, with a foam brush only on that
firings upside. To get the best out of our type of low thermal mass
kiln, the shelves have to be as thin as possible, so some warping can be
expected.
Des
Jeanette Harris wrote:
> The only problem with flipping shelves is that the wash will flake
> off and fall on the pieces that are below.
>
> Some people say that flipping will prevent the shelves from warping,
> but if they are supported well enough, they shouldn't do this.
--
Des & Jan Howard
Lue Pottery
LUE NSW 2850
Australia
Ph/Fax 02 6373 6419
http://www.luepottery.hwy.com.au
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