Stone Spiral Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 So the power went out in my studio while I was away, and I came back to everything frozen SOLID!My clay boxes are ice blocks. My slip buckets are frozen solid. The glazes, total ice pucks.Eep.I have searched google and the forums and seem to be getting mixed reviews. Some people say toss it, while others say it's fine.I really can't afford to toss it - it is hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of clay and glaze (not to mention the labour of slip and glaze-making).Do I need to do anything special after I thaw it out? Can I just thaw it and use it? Or am I - gulp - out of luck? Fingers crossed for good news...~ Roxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 sorry that happened. i would just let it thaw and try everything. clay is earth. the earth has frozen and thawed for many, many years. the liquid used in your glazes, if you make them yourself is water. it also freezes and thaws naturally. if you buy glazes, there might be an ingredient that suffers fatally from frostbite, but i doubt it. think about it logically and do not worry so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Let it thaw let it thaw let it thaw The clay will need wedging most likely the glazes will be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Roxy, none of this is that much of a problem. It may take a little extra time, but then it will be fine in the end. As for the clay, I store my clay outside all year long. Here in PA, that means it is frozen hard with this recent weather, and is usually this way in January and February. I bring in a box at a time to the house to thaw if I am working in the cold brick walled garage studio. When thawed, wedge well and use like any other clay. Glazes are a bit of a different beast, depending on the type of glaze you use. If smaller than quart jars, I would use a stick blender to blend them up well, and if seem smooth. . . test them on some test tiles to see if there is anything different. If using large containers of studio mixed glaze, you should use the mixer on a drill, and mix well, I usually do about 10 minutes. Then run them through the standard sieve you use for your glazes, and then test as with the others. Some materials like Silicone carbonate do not handle the cold well, and will have to be pitched. Check them though after they thaw. Hopefully this will help you out. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Spiral Posted December 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Yay. Thanks. Yes this was my first thought, as well - that it is clay and clay freezes in nature. I wedge everything well before using it anyways, so that doesn't sound so bad.I have mostly handmade glazes and a few store bought (Spectrum). I am due for some glaze testing anyways so will run those ones through and make sure they are still good.Thanks for your reassurance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 The glazes may or may not survive. Many glazes will settle out rock hard when they thaw and be very difficult to reconstitute. Be prepared to do a lot of blending. The clay will be fine, just a lot of wedging required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 Freezing causes the water to settle to outer part of clay block in the bag. cut and flip the edges in first and that will help, I always use bread cut and slash technique about 10 times before starting to wedge the block or part of it. Rest should be good stored in the bag until ready to wedge it. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 I had mugs freeze. It looked like fish scales. They came out fine.Just let it thaw. when porcelain freezes it may need pugging. never had problems with frozen glazes. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 Minor point, I've read of problems with frozen Darvan. Googling gives http://www.vanderbiltminerals.com/ee_content/Documents/Technical/TDS_DARVAN_7-N_C_and_R_Web.pdf Freezes at -5°C. Protect from freezing. Partial freezing does not affect theproduct’s dispersing properties. Which is rather ambiguous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 Wax emulsion will be ruined too, if you have it. There's no saving frozen wax or latex. Reconstituting the glazes will be time consuming, as they'll be quite hard panned. But it's doable. Ive had more than one frozen studio. I found that loosening everything in the bottom of the glaze bucket up by hand with a wire whisk first, and then switching to a paint mixer was a lot faster and more effective than If you go at it from the start with just the mixer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted December 19, 2016 Report Share Posted December 19, 2016 last night I left a box in the van with the darvon and emulsion wax. I did bring a gallon jar (not full) of rigidizer into the hotel. I left the clay at home.Can get it next trip in warmer weather. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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