Lori Doty on wed 21 dec 05
I was about to throw out one of my husbands dress shirts that had
gotten stained and realized that the cloth was just about perfect for
use as a 80-100 mesh sieve. Just need to figure out a way to mount it
so I can pour glazes through it. Might use a needle point frame that is
large and round.
Just thought I would let you all know what a newbie thought of while
doing laundry. Clay always on the brain.
Lori Doty
Nurse/Potter
Slowly turning the tide
Rolla, Missouri
lela martens on thu 22 dec 05
Hi Dory,
If you have a glue gun, an idea..give the fabric a round with that on the
edges to secure.
It`s a drag when the unseived glaze falls through. And chop sticks , or get
some paint stir sticks to hold the frame while pouring the glaze are really
handy too. House paint sellers are very nice about giving away the stir
sticks. Many uses in a studio. I love them.
Mountain man would freak if he found out I tossed one of his shirts. I sneak
out a few things now and then to the dumpster behind the daycare down the
alley.
Best wishes from Lela
>I was about to throw out one of my husbands dress shirts that had
>gotten stained and realized that the cloth was just about perfect for
>use as a 80-100 mesh sieve. Just need to figure out a way to mount it
>so I can pour glazes through it. Might use a needle point frame that is
>large and round.
>
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Michael Wendt on thu 22 dec 05
Lori, An easy way to make useful screens is "3" LB. coffee cans with both
ends cut out. I say "3" LB. but now days they are something like 39 ounces.
Cut out the center of the plastic lid so that about 1/4" is left at the edge
to cover , hold and protect the screen cloth.
I went to the fabric store and got various bridal fabrics. Count the mesh
size by laying the fabric over a tape measure and looking through a
magnifying glass.
Originally, I used electrical tape to finish sealing the screen.
Later, I went to the auto parts store and bought large stainless steel hose
clamps.
As cheap as these are, you can afford to make multiple sets and label them
for use with dark glazes and with clear or white glazes since it is almost
impossible to avoid cross contamination and speckling if you use the same
screen for all your glazes.
One final note: rinse them immediately and place them on a wire rack to dry
since they will rust quickly if left wet.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Cat Jarosz on thu 22 dec 05
In a message dated 12/22/2005 9:31:30 AM Eastern Standard Time,
wendtpot@LEWISTON.COM writes:
Lori, An easy way to make useful screens is "3" LB. coffee cans with both
ends cut out. I say "3" LB. but now days they are something like 39 ounces.
Cut out the center of the plastic lid so that about 1/4" is left at the edge
to cover , hold and protect the screen cloth.
I went to the fabric store and got various bridal fabrics. Count the mesh
size by laying the fabric over a tape measure and looking through a
magnifying glass.
Originally, I used electrical tape to finish sealing the screen
Another way to do this home made screen thing is to buy cheapo plastic bowls
of varying sizes and with flat bottoms. cut out the bottom but leave a edge
of at least 1/4" or enough so you can run a wood burning tool to melt the
plastic onto the mesh. I have used metal mesh and cant remember where it
was obtained from so hopefully someone on list can supply that answer. I
made a bunch of small ones from 40 mesh to 100 mesh for doing test batches and
they are still in use 10 yrs plus later. Cat Jarosz
ps will be changing my email over entirely to _catjarosz@bellsouth.net_
(mailto:catjarosz@bellsouth.net) soon. I still need the aol training wheel till
I can get help transfering imfo and emails and learn how to use bellsouth.
MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone..
_http://www.guildcrafts.com/cat/_ (http://www.guildcrafts.com/cat/)
_www.catjarosz.com_ (http://www.catjarosz.com/)
V)''(V woof & >^..^< mew; Chicks with beards rule !!!
(_o_)
\||/
Gayle Bair on thu 22 dec 05
Cat,
I bought several sizes of metal mesh (one was brass) at a fabulous hardware
store called mcguckin in Boulder Co. see:
http://www.mcguckin.com/hardware_store/index.htm
They had quite a variety of screen sizes. I used cheap plastic bowls that
fit on top of a 5 gal. bucket & silicon caulk but later read a similar tip.
That one suggested putting the screen and plastic bowl on a very hot
griddle. the plastic melts and fuses the mesh to it. Very simple!
Gayle Bair - spending a glorious day in Tucson with #1. Today we are married
27 yrs..... where did the time go? When I was a kid I wished for time to go
faster now a little slow down would be welcome.
Bainbridge Island, WA
Tucson, AZ
www.claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Cat Jarosz
In a message dated 12/22/2005 9:31:30 AM Eastern Standard Time,
wendtpot@LEWISTON.COM writes:
Lori, An easy way to make useful screens is "3" LB. coffee cans with both
ends cut out. I say "3" LB. but now days they are something like 39 ounces.
Cut out the center of the plastic lid so that about 1/4" is left at the
edge
to cover , hold and protect the screen cloth.
Snip>
Cat wrote
Another way to do this home made screen thing is to buy cheapo plastic
bowls of varying sizes and with flat bottoms. cut out the bottom but leave
a edge of at least 1/4" or enough so you can run a wood burning tool to
melt the plastic onto the mesh. I have used metal mesh and cant remember
where itwas obtained from so hopefully someone on list can supply that
answer. I made a bunch of small ones from 40 mesh to 100 mesh for doing
test batches and they are still in use 10 yrs plus later. Cat Jarosz
Bob Masta on fri 23 dec 05
The cheapo plastic mesh "permanent" coffee filter
that the supermarket sells is about 110 mesh.
It comes mounted in a nice round plastic collar/basket
frame, which nestles into the top of a 16 oz yogurt
tub. Perfect for small batches.
All plastic, no rust.
Best regards,
Bob Masta
potsATdaqartaDOTcom
Taylor, in Rockport TX on fri 23 dec 05
Hey Gayle and other sieve makers!
I have made sieves both with thrown bowls/hose clamps and with plastic
bowls/melted in sieve cloth. Both types are still doing well.
You are right about how easy it is to melt on some metal sieve cloth. The
trick is to have the griddle on the correct temp. Too cool and not a good
join, too hot and you get over kill which will weaken the join (brittle
plastic). I think I might have mentioned a temp in the archives but I'm
not sure. Anyway the process is simple--
Find a good size plastic bowl out of which you can cut the bottom. I
found mine at HEB (grocery store in the south). I have a hot plate that I
turned on medium or so. I have my METAL sieve cloth cut to size. make
sure you have a nice 1/4 to 1/8 inch overlape so the plastic of the bowl
will be able to melt into the sieve cloth. I found an empty tin can that
had a diameter just bigger than the hole I cut in the plastic bowl. I
used this to help press the plastic down onto the cloth.
Okay here goes. put a piece of aluminum foil, shinny side up, into the
griddle. On top of this place your METAL sieve cloth. You may need to
weight it down with that can for a few seconds. The idea is to get it hot
enough to melt the plastic on contact.
Next you place the plastic bowl down onto the cloth making sure the
plastic contacts the metal lawn all around the hole. Use the can or even
a wooden spoon to make sure that the lawn is melted all around. Pull out
bowl with lawn attached. Let it cool then peal off the aluminum foil. It
might take a few practice tries, but that's okay right?
I found this method in the archives, so it wasn't my bright idea. After
the holidays I will put up some pics on my blog. Sooooooo easy.
Taylor, in Rockport TX
On Thu, 22 Dec 2005 14:12:31 -0700, Gayle Bair wrote:
... later read a similar tip.
>That one suggested putting the screen and plastic bowl on a very hot
>griddle. the plastic melts and fuses the mesh to it. Very simple!
>
>Gayle Bair ...
Michael Wendt on fri 23 dec 05
A great screen cloth source: http://www.mcnichols.com
The many other ideas for screens are all great. The thrust of my post was
the need to have screens dedicated to specific uses. Screens are even harder
to clean than scoops and the Mason Stain people warn about the likelihood of
unwanted color contamination when the same scoop is used for several
ingredients.
The reason I used coffee cans at first is they were free. The bridal fabrics
like voile are a few dollars a yard and let you make several screens for the
price of one plastic bowl.
Rust can be eliminated by choosing #10 cans that held liquids like canned
olives since they are coated inside to prevent rust.
Can screens also require no special tools to make and as an added bonus, can
be shaken in a special way to speed throughput without resorting to brushing
the screen which can change the mesh spacing. When the can is 3/4 full, grip
it with both hands and let it accelerate downward at the same rate it would
fall. Then near the end of the freefall, stop the downward motion abruptly
and the glaze pours through the screen much more quickly than if left
sitting.
I do like the other ideas, but even now, "can" screens make sense since they
are nearly free and can be made at home in a few minutes.
Perhaps the best approach would be to make the clear and white screens with
plastic bowls and the rest with cans.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Vince Pitelka on fri 23 dec 05
I think I may have come with the best available system for a homemade glaze
sieve. It is described and pictured in my book, but here's a quick
description. You can make whatever size sieve you want from any standard
lidded plastic bucket- from one quart to five gallons - you don't need the
lid. Note that such buckets are always evenly tapered from top to bottom,
and always have a raised ridge limiting how far they can slip down inside
another bucket of the same size. Those factors are key.
Several inches below that raised ridge, drill a starter hole for a saber
saw, and use the saber saw to cut horizontally all the way around the
bucket, producing a low tapered cylinder with no bottom. Set the upper
portion aside, and make another cut three inches below the top of the
remaining portion of the bucket, producing another low tapered cylinder with
no bottom. Because of the taper, the second cylinder will fit snugly down
iside the first cylinder.
Cut a circle of fabric or metal screen material at least six inches larger
in diameter than the bottom of the smaller plastic cylinder. Stretch it
over the bottom of the smaller cylinder and temporarily fasten it in place
with pieces of duct tape or a wrap of string or wire around the
circumference of the cylinder. If necessary, cut a little from the
circumference of the screen material so that it doesn't overlap the upper
edge of the smaller plastic cylinder. With the screen installed over the
bottom of the smaller cylinder, force it down inside the larger cylinder,
trapping the edges of the screen between the two plastic cylinders. You can
tap it snugly in place with a hammer and a small block of wood.
This sieve will work just fine as is, but I prefer to seal the upper and
lower joints between the two plastic cylinders with silicone caulking.
This makes a permanent sieve as good as any commercially-made sieve, and in
one way even better, because it will sit comfortably in the top of the same
size bucket it is made from. For the best glaze sieves, make them from
five-gallon buckets and use brass screen. Leave the bucket handle in
place - it provides a good handle for the sieve, and makes it easy to hang
them on the wall.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
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