Can't Locate Pemco 626 Frit Or A Substitute

[oddartist]

And the recipe is one of the featured blog posts from just a few days ago!

 

I thought the Lana Wilson's Purple Aqua low fire glaze looked simple enough with so few ingredients so I figured I would start with that as my first self-mixed glaze. I got a gift certificate from hubs for my local clay store and went online to see what it would cost for glaze making supplies but couldn't find Pemco Frit 626 or Ferro Frit 3289.

So I started looking elsewhere online and STILL have come up with a big nada.

 

Can someone help me figure out a decent substitute? I hope to use it on Steve's White clay and possibly a low fire terra cotta.

Or, better yet, I'd love something similar in a mid-range glaze. I love the lavender/turquoise combo.

[Mark C.]

http://www.ceramicstoday.com/frits.htm

[Marcia Selsor]

If you google Ferro Frit 3289 you'll see Laguna in CA and Clayworks in Alexandria, VA sell it. There are more sources as well.

Marcia

[Mark C.]

Looks like Laguna does not carry 3289 anymore

but as Marcia pointed out the Clayworks in Alexandria, VA does so order it there. I suggest you get enough for a long time as many frits are going away.

[Min]

Ummm, maybe do some reading up on using a glaze that contains 48% barium carbonate and you might think twice about wanting to use this glaze. 

 

As for that high barium frit, you could make up the ingredients in that by using raw materials.  The reason the frit manufacturers make this one is since it is a high barium frit it is reducing the hazards of working with barium carbonate while making and applying glazes. Moot point with this recipe. 

[oddartist]

Well, sounds like it's going to be more trouble than it's worth so I'll try to find something else.

[Eichelberger Clay]

Another reason frits like Ferro 3289 and Pemco 626 are used (instead of generating the same fired formula from raw materials) is because BARIUM CARBONATE, the raw material source for barium in frits, shrinks substantially when fired.   In a glaze high in barium carbonate, this can cause problems with the glaze staying put in the kiln.  In frit manufacture, initial firing shrinkage doesn't matter at all.  So, you can get the same barium content you need by using a frit (pre-fired and pre-shrunk), and not fight the problems that occur during the conversion from the raw barium carbonate form.

Concerns about exposure during application, and leaching after firing, should still be considered.  For non-functional forms and decorative glazes, high barium glazes can produce exceptional results.