Screen Printing With Colored Wax Resist

[bigalcalbisque]

Has anybody ever done screen printing with colored wax resist. I like to do Cuerda Seca on Terra Cotta Bisque Tiles and have used oil base colored resists before but they are hard to work with, smell really bad and clean up is always a huge chore. I would like to know if someone has done this before, if so what screen mesh do you use, what kind of emulsion and how do you keep the screen fro getting plugged up with the wax resist. The designs that I am using have a line that is approximately 1/8th inch wide.

Any help would be appreciated, Al

[bigalcalbisque]

Norm, thanks for your reply, in the past when I added iron oxide to wax resist, added my glazes in between the wax lines and fired to 06 the stain just wiped off the tile. It did not penetrate it, does the Mason stain act differently, I have used iron oxide in wax resist and fired stoneware glazes at cone 10 and the stain would not rub off......

Al

[Chris Throws Pots]

Al,

 

Are you trying to screen directly onto the clay, or make transfers? Are you doing this before or after bisque? I do a lot of screenprinted transfers, and just the idea of trying to pass a wax resist through a screen without it getting gummed up almost immediately is making my head hurt. This is a very cool concept, and I'm interested in hearing about your progress. Keep us posted.

 

To speak to your specific questions:

- What emulsion to use likely depends on your wax. If you are using a water-based wax, I'd use an emulsion design for water-based inks. I use Ulano LX660. If you are using oil-based wax, I'd imagine an emulsion designed for use with plastisol inks would be a better fit, though cleanup with water might break down the emulsion.

- I'd suggest a wide mesh screen. Something 156 mesh or lower. I use 230 and sometimes 305, but I need to sieve my colored slip and the screen tends to get blocked up after 10 or 15 passes. I really should get a lower mesh screen, but I have been using what's already at my studio. Wax is only going to block your screen up faster, so wide mesh is going to be your friend.

 

Good luck!

 

Chris

[bigalcalbisque]

Norm & Chris, thanks for your response, Chris, I will keep you informed as I move along on this, Norm, yeah, I am using a quarry tile and it definately is a harder tile not really bisque so I do appreciate your suggestions, they make sense. I actually just discovered this forum today, I was a wheel throwing Porcelain Potter for 25 years but here in Southern California (Orange County) it became next to impossible for me to continue to produce and make a living at it. I did segway into a few interesting salaried jobs in Ceramics one was with California Pottery & Tile, they are located in Los Angeles, thats when I really got hooked into the Cuerda Seca method of applying glazes to tiles. Back in the 20's they were produced at Catalina Pottery and Malibu pottery. http://calpot.com.s121432.gridserver.com/?page_id=19

It is low fire which took some adjustment on my part as I was a diehard Stoneware Potter, but it is just another great avenue that Ceramics can lead you down. I am currently a Real Estate Agent, retiring in 4 years and am now getting into exploring some of the ideas that have been bouncing around in my head. I can't wait to able to get back into it and show what I make without having to worry about if it will sell or not....if you know what I mean. Everything here has become so homoginized and sterile. Maybe not so much in other areas but definately in my neck of the woods!

Anyway glad I found you Guys. Looks like a great forum!

Al

[Marcia Selsor]

Atoofsa sells their wax resist in black as well. it is for cuerda secs.it is easy to use and doesn't smell. I use their regular wax resist that is blue but fires clear.I would think that screen printing wax resist would wreck the screen.

 

 

 

Marcia