How To Put On Kiln Wash

[ekakidesu]

I have gotten on this site several times and searched for this topic, but not found anything.  I have recently become the owner of a Skutt Kilnmaster 822.  I am excited to have a kiln but very green.  I got a special deal in that the the kiln was ALMOST new and I got full warranty.  The included shelves have kiln wash on them, but the person who used the kiln (supposedly only once) before I got it got a little glaze on one of the shelves and it looks like they possibly just put kiln wash over the glaze.  I have some kiln wash that was given to me.  I have a few questions regarding the shelves and kiln wash:

1.  Do I need to try to remove the small amount of glaze on the shelf and, if so, do I use a sharp chisel or possibly a rotary tool?

2.  Should I put on more kiln wash and if so, do I first somehow take off the kiln wash that is on the shelf or do I just put on another coat?

3.  I got a couple of new shelves and put a couple of coats of kiln wash on them.  I think maybe I did not get on enough.  I have fired the kiln with the newly coated kiln wash.  Is it ok to just add another coat before using it again?

[Benzine]

Welcome to the forum.

 

To answer your questions:

 

1:  Yes, you should try and remove any remaining glaze.  It will start to eat into the shelf, if it hasn't done so already.  Just use a screwdriver or small chisel to chip off the glaze.  Try to keep the shelf gouging minimal.

2:  Any time you have a glaze drip, the drip should be removed, and new wash should be put on.  Also if the wash starts to flake off, you should also redo it.  You generally do not want to put new wash over old wash.  You need a kiln shelf scrapper seen here:  http://65.61.34.36/Images/shelfscraper.jpg.

Go over the shelf and remove as much of the old wash as possible.  This scrapper also removes glaze fairly well too.

Once the wash is off, carefully dust off the shelves, then wipe them down with a wet sponge.  Then begin applying the new coats.  I do three coats.  One horizontally, one vertically, then a third horizontally. 

3:  If you really don't have enough, you can add another coat.  The wash does not need to be as thick as you would think though.

 

A couple other things to note:

 

1.  The liquid wash should be the consistency of thick cream.  If the wash flakes off after firing, it was probably mixed, or applied to thickly.

2.  Do not apply wash to the bottoms or edges of the shelves.  If it flakes off, it can fall on glazed wares.

 

Best of luck.

[Norm Stuart]

Do yourself a favor and use a kiln wash of 50% alumina hydrate and 50% kaolin.

 

The kiln wash you have likely uses 50% silica in place of the slightly more costly alumina hydrate.

 

If you get tired of chipping glaze off your shelves, keep this in mind.

 

 

This is another way to apply this kiln wash by adding Darvan so it flows like casting slip.

 

http://jeffcampana.com/self-leveling-kiln-wash/

[Norm Stuart]

You are very lucky to live only 22 miles away from Laguna Clay, just off the 60 freeway in the City of Industry.

 

They'll deliver to your home, but do yourself a favor and check the place out just once to see what you have access to.

 

14400 Lomitas Ave, Industry, CA 91746

 

http://www.lagunaclay.com/clays/

 

To get an idea of what you want and what the prices are, check Laguna Clay's Florida website Axner.  http://www.axner.com/

 

When you decide what you want, email your request for quote to info@lagunaclay.com

 

It's not really set up as a retail store, so don't expect a lot of hand-holding from people on the order desk like Christine.

 

Aardvark clay has a sad little store in Santa Ana if you want them to buffer you from having to deal with Christine directly - but you'll pay a mark-up.  If you ever have problems at Laguna, ask to speak with Julie Brooks who is Christine's boss and the owner's daughter.

 

http://www.aardvarkclay.com/

 

I have gotten on this site several times and searched for this topic, but not found anything.  I have recently become the owner of a Skutt Kilnmaster 822.  I am excited to have a kiln but very green.  I got a special deal in that the the kiln was ALMOST new and I got full warranty.  The included shelves have kiln wash on them, but the person who used the kiln (supposedly only once) before I got it got a little glaze on one of the shelves and it looks like they possibly just put kiln wash over the glaze.  I have some kiln wash that was given to me.  I have a few questions regarding the shelves and kiln wash:

1.  Do I need to try to remove the small amount of glaze on the shelf and, if so, do I use a sharp chisel or possibly a rotary tool?

2.  Should I put on more kiln wash and if so, do I first somehow take off the kiln wash that is on the shelf or do I just put on another coat?

3.  I got a couple of new shelves and put a couple of coats of kiln wash on them.  I think maybe I did not get on enough.  I have fired the kiln with the newly coated kiln wash.  Is it ok to just add another coat before using it again?

[JustPeachy]

I just recently looked into this myself. 

 

 

 

[Marcia Selsor]

If you need to resort to a chisel, put the shelf on a bag of sand or a pillow to soften the impact. Shelves can break if you chisel them on a hard surface.

Remove all of the glaze even with a dremel if need be. Covering it with a kiln wash doesn't help because the glaze will eat into the shelf and also stick to pots in future firings.

Also, silica dust can remain airborne for 3 hours so keep the mask on or leave the area.Apply in several thin coats as the shelves usually suck it in quickly. Heavier applications can cause flaking.

 

Marcia

[ekakidesu]

Thank you all so much for your clear answers and links.  I now know what I need to do.  You gave me valuable information.