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blooming egyptian paste

updated sun 12 feb 06

 

L Dony on fri 10 feb 06


Hi all. With all the interest in Egyptian Paste in the last year or so, I
decided to try some tests. I had used it as a student a million years ago
with some success and with a long, cold winter approaching, it sounded like
just the ticket. I mixed a few different recipes including one from Otto
Heino and one from Rhodes and a few from the archives. Some I fired at cone
012 and others at 06 although the recipe called for 07 (I bisque at 06). The
012 batch worked quite well but the 06 batch didn't melt evenly. However,
the biggest problem is that after a couple of weeks, all the pieces began to
"bloom". The pieces continue to leach after they are fired. Has this
happened to anyone else?
How can I get a more even melting even though I'm firing higher than
suggested? An old friend of Otto's told me about egyptian paste beaded
curtains that Vivica and Otto made years ago. Imagine how they must have
looked.
Lucy
In the beautiful Eastern Townships of Quebec where winter has finally
arrived.

Snail Scott on sat 11 feb 06


At 01:42 PM 2/10/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>...interest in Egyptian Paste...
>the biggest problem is that after a couple of weeks, all the pieces began to
>"bloom". The pieces continue to leach after they are fired. Has this
>happened to anyone else?



I have had good results with oxide colorants, but
any use of stains in quantities high enough to produce
strong color generally results in undervitrification
and the efflorescence you mention. I've simply decided
to stay away from large quantities of refractory
colorants like stains.

-Snail