Lili Krakowski on thu 5 oct 06
Another one of those questions that comes up periodically.
As far as I know the "normal" thickness of a glaze is the consistency of
light cream. This is hard to translate into British terms, but probably
rich milk will do.
And glaze usually is applied about 2 mm thickness.
A diversity of factors affect the thickness of applications. Several glaze
ingredients and additives can "fluff up" the glaze, requiring a thicker coat
for best coverage. Some glazes, because of their composition, do better
thin.
And the method of application affects the result as well.
You knew all along where this was heading, didn't you?
Ah, yes. You have to check each of your glazes and see how it works the way
YOU apply it, with YOUR estimation of the proper thickness of the slop.
So when someone writes: "This glaze needs to go on thick/thin" it means you
test it that way and see what happens. Because one person's thick
application may not be yours.
As to test tiles. I suggest you make them biggish, about 3" in surface,
with white as well as black slip stripes on them, and then when you are
ready to test your glaze, glaze in three layers. Dip, paint, or pour the
whole thing once, then dip, paint or pour 2/3 once, and repeat for the last
1/3rd. You now have one, two, and three layers of glaze on the test. The
reason for the slip stripes is that they will help you identify how much of
the glaze results come from the body underneath.
Assuming the 2nd and 3rd layers are the better, you later adjust the
thickness of the glaze slop to achieve a thicker coating in one fell swoop.
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Ivor and Olive Lewis on fri 6 oct 06
Dear Lili Krakowski,
A long time ago when I was repping in the metal industries promoting =
sprayed metal coatings we had a small instrument that was able to =
measure the thickness of a coat of paint, or a non magnetic metal sheath =
on a steel surface. Good to 1/10,000 inch
How convenient it would be if this would work on ceramics. No more =
estimates with playing card thicknesses, single cream consistency or =
floating potatoes.
Best regards,
Ivor
| |
|
