oldlady Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 have not had to put kiln wash on shelves for so many years that i have lost my original recipe. it only had two ingredients. now that i have new shelves, i have checked my pretty extensive library of books going back to the 1970s and haven't found anything. i have tried to find something posted here but after looking for anything with the words "kiln wash" and "recipe" tons of stuff shows up, none of which are kiln wash recipes. yes, i am old and hate computers but really, it is a simple question. i just can't find a simple answer. who knows, maybe someone has developed a newer recipe that is better? any thoughts??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark McCombs Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Perhaps some of these recipes will work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Perhaps some of these recipes will work for you. thank you! in reading the ingredients needed, i find that i have no calcined EPK and zircopax is so scarce i do not want to use it for wash since i need it in glazes. is there anything else, anybody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 http://ceramicartsdaily.org/firing-techniques/soda-firing/the-many-layers-of-kiln-wash-how-to-find-the-best-kiln-wash-for-your-firing-temperature-and-methods/ I like the super duper recipe-used it for decades 1/2 alumina hydrate 1/4 calcined epk 1/4 epk I fire to cone 11 on advancers -this may be more than you need.The calcined (bisque keeps the cracking down) You could make it with less alumina at cone 6. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justanassembler Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 If you dont have calcined kaolin, just throw a bunch of epk in a bowl and bisque it--preso-chango, calcined epk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 yes calcining just means you have eliminated the chemical water. A very low bisque temperature is more than adequate. I calcine several chemicals for glazes as well like calcined zinc, epk, etc. I use a simple silica 40, kaolin 40 and Alumina 10. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 By calcining the kaolin it reduces it's shrinkage and the wash is less likely to flake off. The less alumina you use, the cheaper it will be. I've been using: 1 EPK 1 Calcined EPK 1 Alumina 2 Silica By volume (scoops) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 thank you all. enjoyed reading all your answers. kiln wash is something we seem to take for granted. the britt article was very informative. looks like getting some calcined epk is important. as soon as i install the 6 new elements, today seems to be the perfect day to do that. i am in the middle of that area which is affected by hurricane sandy. there is rain dripping into the 3 buckets i put inside the fireplace. the rain is constant but no significant wind yet. power is still on so i can put a big lamp out in the kiln room to see what i am doing. hope all of you are not in danger and make it through this storm. once all this is over and things are back to normal, i guess that the first thing i fire will be a bowl of epk. oh, wait. i hardly ever bisque. when i do, it is to cone 04. that should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellHawk Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 Thanks for sharing all these recipes! I have a vague memory of reading an article in CM where someone had developed a smooth, almost glass-like recipe for kiln wash. Does anyone know which one I'm talking about? It doesn't seem to come up in the search for articles and I could swear I read it in 2013... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 Yes there was an article in recent years about that-self leveling wash- No idea what month. but I googled it for you its here- http://jeffcampana.com/self-leveling-kiln-wash/ Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Norm said (Silica makes a great glass when glaze flows onto it, which creates a chipping project for a hammer and a chisel.) I totally agree and long ago took the silica out of my wash recipe. I spend the extra $ on more alumina- its cheaper in 50# bags. We tend to use a bit in the salt kiln as well. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellHawk Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Mark, you're a rock star! I couldn't remember the name of the article. (I call it middle-aged hormone-brain! LOL!) Since I'll be getting new kiln shelves soon, and my store-bought kiln wash is flaking all over the darn place, I figure it's high time I make my own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Anyone know a replacement for Darvan available in the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Thanks Norm, I'd tried Googling for alternatives, but hadn't come up with a definitive answer. Another item added to my shopping spending list ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Kiln wash, that stays almost powder like (more like packed powder) and requires minimal or no "grinding" is you friend. If your KW gets hard and you need grinder to remove it, it's obviously wrong mix for your firing temperature. Aluminium oxide is your friend too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 By calcining the kaolin it reduces it's shrinkage and the wash is less likely to flake off. The less alumina you use, the cheaper it will be. I've been using: 1 EPK 1 Calcined EPK 1 Alumina 2 Silica By volume (scoops) Neil, our recipe looks very similar. Mine is also by volume. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 By calcining the kaolin it reduces it's shrinkage and the wash is less likely to flake off. The less alumina you use, the cheaper it will be. I've been using: 1 EPK 1 Calcined EPK 1 Alumina 2 Silica By volume (scoops) Neil, our recipe looks very similar. Mine is also by volume. Marcia Lately I've also been adding gum solution to the mix to make it brush on easier. Mix 2 tablespoons of CMC Gum to 1 gallon of water, let it sit overnight, and mix really well (blender helps). Then use it for 1/3 to 1/2 of the water in wash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Silica makes a great glass when glaze flows onto it, which creates a chipping project for a hammer and a chisel. Yes, but it's such a stiff glass that it pops right off very cleanly with a chisel. No grinding needed, because the runny glaze never makes it into the shelf. And it's way cheaper than Alumina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 If you leave the silica out of your kiln wash you can simply lift a runny glaze off a shelf. It normally comes off still attached to the runny ware. Like a vase with tentacles. The rest slides off with one swipe of a spatula. We don't hammer, grind or chisel and oddly I don't miss that experience at all. I can appreciate that you've likely invested a lot of time and effort into developing your hammering and chiselling skills. Alumina Hydrate costs almost $2 a pound! But we're extravagant, so we just throw caution to the wind and use about $4 a year on Alumina Hydrate for our kiln wash. I suppose not everyone can afford that extra $2.50 a year. But on the other hand you face a heavy front-end cost of the hammer and chisel, along with periodic sharpening - let alone your professional grinding equipment to resurface your shelves. Instead of spending an extra $2.50 a year on Alumina Hydrate, you could spend several hundred Dollars on Advancer shelves and come away feeling especially clever. You're emotionally invested in using silica in kiln wash. I get that. Believe me I've learned how tradition-bound potters can be - but change can be good. As an experiment you should try Jeff Campana's self-leveling kiln wash and see what you think of it. You could buy a block of marble and put your chiseling skills to a more artful purpose. Silica makes a great glass when glaze flows onto it, which creates a chipping project for a hammer and a chisel. Yes, but it's such a stiff glass that it pops right off very cleanly with a chisel. No grinding needed, because the runny glaze never makes it into the shelf. And it's way cheaper than Alumina. No emotional investment whatsoever. I just don't want to spend money where I don't need to. Using a primarily alumina recipe, a pound of alumina wouldn't get me through half of one batch of my shelves. I've got seventeen 14x28's to coat for my big kiln. It takes about 5 seconds to chisel a pot off, and another 5 to replace the wash. It's really not a difficult thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgartist Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 I seem to remember reading NOT to use alumina in an electric kiln. I always used EPK and kaolin in a fifty fifty mixture. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 That is a good basic recipe. But if you are firing a clay body prone to plucking, i.e. sticking to shelf, it is helpful to add a minus of 5% -25% alumina to the kiln wash to reduce that problem. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 Alumina is fine in electrics EPK is kaolin If I where using an electric to fire like cone 6- I would cut down the alumina amount as well to 15%-25% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptowndebbie Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 Does anyone know if these recipes are by weight or volume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 Looks like most of the recipes are by volume. A really good one that is by weight is 25 EPK, 25 Glomax (calcined EPK) and 50 Alumina Hydrate. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptowndebbie Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 Thank you - that's the same recipe I saw earlier, but it just listed percentages without specifying weight or volume. I'll give it a try by weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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