Powdery Glaze

[Zuni]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[Mark C.]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

 

I have very little low fire glaze experience but lots of glaze experience-

Is the glaze to thick??as flaking and chips occur more when to thick?

You can add a little epson salts in warm water and when dissolved add a little to glaze to harden it up

This will make it less powdery-also are you handling the glaze ware carefully??

Mark

[Lucille Oka]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

Did this happen even after you added the gum arabic? What did the manufacturer tell you? If you take a look at the Mayco MSDS they use CMC in their formulae. Here is a link to Mayco's

Non Toxic Glazes

Non Toxic Premixed & Dry Glazes see

SECTION 2: COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS

I hope it works-

 

http://www.maycocolo...rmat&Itemid=182

 

[scoobydoozie]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

 

I have very little low fire glaze experience but lots of glaze experience-

Is the glaze to thick??as flaking and chips occur more when to thick?

You can add a little epson salts in warm water and when dissolved add a little to glaze to harden it up

This will make it less powdery-also are you handling the glaze ware carefully??

Mark

 

 

Mayco has a line of cone 6 glazes. So it may not be low fire, but mid-fire.

[neilestrick]

Some glazes are more powdery than others. Usually it's a formula problem- not enough clay. You can add some gum to the glaze itself, but it tends to increase the amount of water needed in the mix. Then it takes longer to get a good application when dipping or pouring and can over-saturate the pot. I'd start with the Epsom salts, 1/2-1% by dry weight. You could also try adding 1 or 2 percent EPK to the formula (by dry weight). It will help harden it a bit without affecting the melt.

[Zuni]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

 

I have very little low fire glaze experience but lots of glaze experience-

Is the glaze to thick??as flaking and chips occur more when to thick?

You can add a little epson salts in warm water and when dissolved add a little to glaze to harden it up

This will make it less powdery-also are you handling the glaze ware carefully??

Mark

 

[Zuni]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

 

I have very little low fire glaze experience but lots of glaze experience-

Is the glaze to thick??as flaking and chips occur more when to thick?

You can add a little epson salts in warm water and when dissolved add a little to glaze to harden it up

This will make it less powdery-also are you handling the glaze ware carefully??

Mark

 

[Zuni]

Thank you, Mark, for taking the time to reply to my post. I'm seriously considering the epsom salt solution. Sounds like the easiest fix.

[Zuni]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

Did this happen even after you added the gum arabic? What did the manufacturer tell you? If you take a look at the Mayco MSDS they use CMC in their formulae. Here is a link to Mayco's

Non Toxic Glazes

Non Toxic Premixed & Dry Glazes see

SECTION 2: COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS

I hope it works-

 

http://www.maycocolo...rmat&Itemid=182

 

 

[Zuni]

Thank you, Lucille, for sharing this info with me. It happened before the gum arabic. I emailed Mayco and haven't heard from them yet. I also used the link, but I have to confess that it's way over my head. I'm really new to glazes, and I'm a lazy potter! I just want to put the glaze on and have it be beautiful! I know, I know - it's not gonna happen )

[Zuni]

I'm having a problem with Mayco dry glaze mixes. I've mixed them according to the directions. I poured glaze on a few pieces, and then went back to brushing on, after adding some gum arabic. The problem is when the glaze dries it's incredibly powdery and flakes and chips.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

 

I have very little low fire glaze experience but lots of glaze experience-

Is the glaze to thick??as flaking and chips occur more when to thick?

You can add a little epson salts in warm water and when dissolved add a little to glaze to harden it up

This will make it less powdery-also are you handling the glaze ware carefully??

Mark

 

 

Mayco has a line of cone 6 glazes. So it may not be low fire, but mid-fire.

 

[Zuni]

Yes, they are cone 6 glazes. I thought using the mixes would be less expensive, which it is... but I hope I'm not sacrificing quality. Actually, I think it's just lack of knowledge and experience that are getting in my way ) I'll just keep on sluggin' - the cost of an education is high!

[Zuni]

Some glazes are more powdery than others. Usually it's a formula problem- not enough clay. You can add some gum to the glaze itself, but it tends to increase the amount of water needed in the mix. Then it takes longer to get a good application when dipping or pouring and can over-saturate the pot. I'd start with the Epsom salts, 1/2-1% by dry weight. You could also try adding 1 or 2 percent EPK to the formula (by dry weight). It will help harden it a bit without affecting the melt.

 

[Zuni]

Some glazes are more powdery than others. Usually it's a formula problem- not enough clay. You can add some gum to the glaze itself, but it tends to increase the amount of water needed in the mix. Then it takes longer to get a good application when dipping or pouring and can over-saturate the pot. I'd start with the Epsom salts, 1/2-1% by dry weight. You could also try adding 1 or 2 percent EPK to the formula (by dry weight). It will help harden it a bit without affecting the melt.

 

 

 

Thank you, Neil, for the info. I think I'll give the epsom salts a try and then move on from there.

[Lucille Oka]

Thank you, Lucille, for sharing this info with me. It happened before the gum arabic. I emailed Mayco and haven't heard from them yet. I also used the link, but I have to confess that it's way over my head. I'm really new to glazes, and I'm a lazy potter! I just want to put the glaze on and have it be beautiful! I know, I know - it's not gonna happen )

 

 

 

I disagree with you, it will happen and it will be beautiful.

 

I just wanted you see that Mayco uses CMC (carboxymethylcellulose) in their liquid glaze formula. But instead of adding the gum to the mix why not try spraying the gum onto the vessel and let it dry completely before handling the ware; that is unless Mayco tells you otherwise.

Also don't handle the pots gingerly handle them firmly and as little as possible. Put them on a board and carry them to the kiln.

 

[Zuni]

Thank you, Lucille, for sharing this info with me. It happened before the gum arabic. I emailed Mayco and haven't heard from them yet. I also used the link, but I have to confess that it's way over my head. I'm really new to glazes, and I'm a lazy potter! I just want to put the glaze on and have it be beautiful! I know, I know - it's not gonna happen )

 

 

 

I disagree with you, it will happen and it will be beautiful.

 

I just wanted you see that Mayco uses CMC (carboxymethylcellulose) in their liquid glaze formula. But instead of adding the gum to the mix why not try spraying the gum onto the vessel and let it dry completely before handling the ware; that is unless Mayco tells you otherwise.

Also don't handle the pots gingerly handle them firmly and as little as possible. Put them on a board and carry them to the kiln.

 

Thank you so much for the encouragement! I will give that a try. I haven't been in my studio for 2 days and its killing. I've felt stalled, but now, thanks to your input, I can move on. Mayco has never gotten back to me. I thought I'd see if there's a phone number on their site and give their techs a call, but it's Saturday so I guess I'll wait until Monday.