Glaze Dripped Onto Kiln Floor

[flyemma]

Hi guys, I have an issue! I had a bowl with Amaco tawny glaze and it came out extremely light so I reglazed it, however that glaze is super runny and ran onto my kiln floor and melted the floor it looks like, I also have a chunk missing now. How do you recommend cleaning and getting the rest of the glaze off the kiln floor without ruining it more??

[Marcia Selsor]

It is not fun , but you need to remove all the glaze or it will continue to eat the brick. Get some kiln patch to fill the holes.

 

Marcia

[Chilly]

I had similar problem. "melted low-fire clay in high firing".  Ignored it for a while by putting shelf above it on very short posts.  Eventually, after a fallen-over pot attached itself to a wall brick, I had to fix the floor too.  I touched the "melted clay" and it lifted itself off the shelf very easily.  It left a crater.  The kiln manufacturer recommended some loose fill "stuff" with which I covered the whole floor in a half inch layer, and put the shelf on top.  

 

I usually find glaze runs on the shelves at the community centre will "pop off" after a second or third firing - much easier than grinding, but may be doing more damage to shelves in the longer run.

[Mark C.]

The glaze will just eat down into floor every firing so dig out out and patch it as noted above.

[JohnnyK]

Try a sharp wood chisel of the appropriate size with a hammer to dig it out.

JohnnyK

[Mark C.]

That will dull that chisel -use a beater one instead soft brick is soft.

[flyemma]

Thanks everyone! I ended up cutting around and picking it all out! I read on another page that you can make kiln wash into a putty like and fill it so I have done that and coated the rest of the floor with a more liquid kiln wash! It should hold up I'm hoping for a new kiln soon so as long as it lasts until then!

[flyemma]

Thanks everyone! I ended up cutting around and picking it all out! I read on another page that you can make kiln wash into a putty like and fill it so I have done that and coated the rest of the floor with a more liquid kiln wash! It should hold up I'm hoping for a new kiln soon so as long as it lasts until then!

[oldlady]

but you will put a shelf down there until it is replaced, right?

[perkolator]

I like to use a dental pick or a needle tool for glaze drips on soft brick.  Weaken the surrounding brick as close to the glaze as possible, with pokes/perforations, then apply leverage and dig/pop it out.  Usually this minimizes damaging the non-affected brick.  For fill, use kiln mortar with about 60% brick dust mixed in - helps lessen cracking from the dissimilar COE of the brick vs mortar.  Another good reference for brick repairs are the videos on Youtube from L&L Kilns.

[neilestrick]

Pots should never be fired directly on the kiln floor. For starters, it will often run cold at the bottom if you don't put a shelf down there an inch or so off the floor. Second, it's much cheaper to replace a kiln shelf than a kiln floor.

[Babs]

So do you guys mean that any drips onto floor will eventually go right through the brick.

Worried here as I've left a couple of largish ones for as they didn't seem to be harming anything...... Newish kil, liquorice glaze which was recommended to apply thick....I did just that, new shelf pretty new kiln one thicker than normal person firing the kiln😒

[neilestrick]

Glaze drips can continue eating into the bricks. How far it goes depends on the glaze, but I seriously doubt it will ever go right through the brick. As it eats up the brick it becomes more refractory, eventually stopping. But it's a good idea to dig it out if it's not too deep and/or fill it in with some kiln wash or wadding.

[Babs]

Thanks Neil

This glaze contained manganese.

Would this be the culprit of a tan discolouration of my bisque ware? Clay usually white till over 1100D Celsius

[perkolator]

I've personally never seen a glaze drip go all the way through a soft brick, even though it's possible.  Usually you would catch it and give it attention, or kiln wash over it and neutralize the fluxing materials.

I HAVE, however, seen unchecked glaze spots eat all the way through kiln shelves.  Top of the shelf just kept getting washed over, but the glaze was still in the core and progressively made its way all the way through and formed a drip.  I think I saved it in my pile of treasures somewhere...

[Babs]

Right, good to know

[tinafenske]

I had similar problem. "melted low-fire clay in high firing".  Ignored it for a while by putting shelf above it on very short posts.  Eventually, after a fallen-over pot attached itself to a wall brick, I had to fix the floor too.  I touched the "melted clay" and it lifted itself off the shelf very easily.  It left a crater.  The kiln manufacturer recommended some loose fill "stuff" with which I covered the whole floor in a half inch layer, and put the shelf on top.  

 

I usually find glaze runs on the shelves at the community centre will "pop off" after a second or third firing - much easier than grinding, but may be doing more damage to shelves in the longer run.

Glad to know someone else has done this. I have found it hard to find any info on what to do about this, but I'm going to give kiln cement a try...  

[cc's clases de clay]

Had an earthenware clay body drip into a puddle on kiln floor. Of all the places searched on internet, perkolator's comment in this thread helped me the most: using needle tool to poke and prick all around the hardened puddle - it worked! It only took an inch or so of kiln brick - 1/4 inch deep. I am very lucky that the mass didn't spread to the element.

Thanks, perkolator!!