Pugaboo Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I know most of you make your own glazes but I am hoping someone out there uses commercial pint glazes, the premixed liquid versions. I opened a brand new jar of Coyote gloss white stoneware glaze and dipped a couple small pieces then hung them up to dry. A few minutes later I checked them and every single one of them had tons of pinholes and even a few large spots that I can actually see the clay where the glaze pulled away from the pinhole. I did some research on here and am thinking maybe the glaze was too thick for dipping? I'll walk you through my reasoning so you can tell me if I am completely off base on this assumption. To start the pieces are made with Little Loafers and are ornamental sized snowflakes with cut outs. They are 2 dimensional ( meaning flat with a front and back not rounded). They have been bisque fired to cone 04. I washed them off prior to glazing to remove dust and let them dry in my cabinet to keep any new dust from landing overnight. I handled them as little as possible before glazing them the next day to keep oils from my hands off them. I opened a brand new jar of coyote white and poured it into a larger mouthed bowl so I could dip the pieces. In class the teacher showed us the finger test on his own finger but his knuckles are way more pronounced than mine and when I tried it at home it didn't look anything like his so I dipped away assuming a glaze freshly opened would be the right consistency I think I was wrong to assume this. I left them glazed overnight researched here and decided from what I read to wash off all the glaze this morning which I have done, the pieces are now back in the cabinet drying once again in preparation of re-dipping. Sooo was the glaze too thick? Is that what caused the numerous pinholes? if so how do I know how much to thin the glaze? I am not sure how to tell on my finger if the glaze is the right consistency or not. If its not a too thick glaze issue what did I do wrong? What can I do to get the proper glaze thickness applied in an evenly smooth manner? Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsy Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I know most of you make your own glazes but I am hoping someone out there uses commercial pint glazes, the premixed liquid versions. I opened a brand new jar of Coyote gloss white stoneware glaze and dipped a couple small pieces then hung them up to dry. A few minutes later I checked them and every single one of them had tons of pinholes and even a few large spots that I can actually see the clay where the glaze pulled away from the pinhole. I did some research on here and am thinking maybe the glaze was too thick for dipping? I'll walk you through my reasoning so you can tell me if I am completely off base on this assumption. To start the pieces are made with Little Loafers and are ornamental sized snowflakes with cut outs. They are 2 dimensional ( meaning flat with a front and back not rounded). They have been bisque fired to cone 04. I washed them off prior to glazing to remove dust and let them dry in my cabinet to keep any new dust from landing overnight. I handled them as little as possible before glazing them the next day to keep oils from my hands off them. I opened a brand new jar of coyote white and poured it into a larger mouthed bowl so I could dip the pieces. In class the teacher showed us the finger test on his own finger but his knuckles are way more pronounced than mine and when I tried it at home it didn't look anything like his so I dipped away assuming a glaze freshly opened would be the right consistency I think I was wrong to assume this. I left them glazed overnight researched here and decided from what I read to wash off all the glaze this morning which I have done, the pieces are now back in the cabinet drying once again in preparation of re-dipping. Sooo was the glaze too thick? Is that what caused the numerous pinholes? if so how do I know how much to thin the glaze? I am not sure how to tell on my finger if the glaze is the right consistency or not. If its not a too thick glaze issue what did I do wrong? What can I do to get the proper glaze thickness applied in an evenly smooth manner? Terry I use commercial glaze exclusively...your not alone. I'm pretty sure their pints are for brushing unless you thin alot! But to dip into the consistency of the pint is way too thick. I brush those glazes and get very smooth coverage. Brush 3 coats letting the first coat dry good...and you'll get what you want. At least it always works for me. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pompots Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 Follow Gypsy's instructions, she is right about this commercial glazes are mostly for brushing only, unless otherwise stated in the label. Another consideration is that if you are dipping the snowflake how are you going to fire it? if it is glazed on both sides the glaze will stick to the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted April 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 Pompots - I have a rack for the kiln that goes to cone 6 that I can hang the snowflakes from so I can glaze both sides. Both of you thank you and I will try brushing the glaze on today. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Puckett Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 If you are going to be making lots of snowflakes (a blizzard!) and want to dip them, try thinning the glaze with water to get dipping consistency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 In my opinion, it's best to brush glazes that were mixed for brushing. Premixed commercial glazes are formulated for brushing. They are too viscous for dipping as they come. However, they also have a higher water content than dipping glazes (this helps them brush easier and dry slower), so if you water them down enough that they dip well, you may find that you do not get a thick enough layer of actual glaze material. Plus, with the slow drying time it can be hard to get an even application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 follow all the above advice. in addition, if you ever find a few "pinholes" in glazes you have not yet fired, rub them gently with a finger. they will probably disappear with no problems after firing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justanassembler Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 follow all the above advice. in addition, if you ever find a few "pinholes" in glazes you have not yet fired, rub them gently with a finger. they will probably disappear with no problems after firing. also: if you're set on dipping, order the coyote glazes dry and mix 'em up yourself for dipping. Glazes formulated for brushing (ie: most commercial pints) have some kind of suspender added that makes it hard to get them to the correct consistency for dipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Update for everyone I redid the snowflakes brushing the glaze on instead and it worked much better thank you, I did three coats allowing the glaze layer to dry throughly in between. I have class today and will drop them off to be glaze fired during the next kiln batch. It's very nerve racking not knowing how my materials are going to react once they enter the kiln. Justanassemnler- I am very new to this and still searching for my preferred glazes so have been getting the pints to try the different colors so as not to get stuck with a huge amount I can't use. Eventually I will get powdered versions of the ones i reallly like and mix them in buckets. Keep your fingers crossed they turn out ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobg Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 I've had that happen with some of Coyote's shino glazes. I let the piece dry thoroughly then take my hand and rub them over the piece. It's like a sanding action and fills in the holes. I've never had any problem with pin holes after the piece is fired. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 I've had that happen with some of Coyote's shino glazes. I let the piece dry thoroughly then take my hand and rub them over the piece. It's like a sanding action and fills in the holes. I've never had any problem with pin holes after the piece is fired. Bob thank you for mentioning the fact that before you rub any glaze to remove pinholes, the glaze must be thoroughly DRY! a teeny-tiny (IMPORTANT) mistake in my previous post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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