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Additives For Old Glazes


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I'm spending time this month at a community pottery room and the glazes are mostly a mess.  No one is in charge of them. The good  potters mostly bring their own, and the beginners just struggle to brush on from the buckets of various glazes.  They have been mixed from dry but have sat for several years. I know to scrape up the settled part, sieve the whole thing, and add some epsom salt solution to cut down on the settling.

 

However, most people want to brush the glazes, and they dry instantly on the pots, making a mess. I have read about using gum solution and will order some, I think, but in a pinch, can I just add some glycerin?  And how about some vinegar, also??  Do I have to learn how to measure specific gravity??

 

There are lots of bags of dry glazes in the cupboard.  All of them are Laguna MS for Cone 5-6. They would like me to mix them up.  There is Bentonite, so I will use that (although the colors of these glazes are not what I would choose!!).   But to make them suitable for brushing, should I add gum along with the bentonite?  I've read that the gum in powder form must be mixed with water and used as all or part of the water when mixing the glaze.  (There are lots of other glaze ingredients stored there, so in the past someone knew how to use them!)

 

Ideally, I would think I should mix the glazes into two containers, one for brushing and one for dipping, with different additives. AND LABEL THEM AS SUCH!

 

Can you wonderful people send me some suggestions and maybe some links to clearly explained instructions? 

 

Thanks!

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It's easiest to use gum as a solution when first mixing the glaze. You can do it from a wet mixed glaze, but there's a little more trial and error. I would do this:

- Take a gallon of glaze and add a teaspoon of CMC gum and a pinch of copper carbonate (preservative) to it. Stir it in and let it sit overnight. The next day, use an immersion blender to blend it smooth. You may have to add a little water to it if it gets too thick. Then brush it onto a pot to see if it works. If it's still not brushable enough, add another teaspoon of gum and repeat the process. If it's going on too thin, then you need less gum. Once you figure out how much gum does the trick in a gallon, you can calculate out how much you'll need for however much glaze you have in the bucket.

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Brushing glazes is OK when that's all you can do - but when you have the facility to dip it should be seen as a last resort.

 

I'd advise them to either learn how to dip pieces or take up painting.

 

(I've never felt the need to be popular). ;)

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I have to admit I'm in agreement with ayjay. The purpose of the community studio should be to teach beginners how to properly work with clay and glazes. I suspect one could argue what is "correct", but I think once basics are mastered people can begin to do things their own way. Once experienced with glazes and glazing, adapting a glaze for brushwork, if that is what is needed, could be learned.

 

It is a bit like beginner students that think their failing collapsing pot is art because they have seen altered works by some talented potters. Learn the basics and then expand your horizon as opposed to adapt to your inabilities that come from a lack of experience, not necessarily talent.

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