Callie Beller Diesel Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Ok, so I came into a bottle of what I think is a cone 018-019 mother of pearl lustre from a company called Med Mar Metals. It's from the 70's and the person I got it from can't remember all the details about how to use it. My "Google fu" only comes up with eBay listings of people selling off their deceased relative's ceramics stash, and some place that sells ore out of Anaheim. So I'd like to know if anyone has any experience with this particular product? If it goes bad at all? Is mother of pearl as finicky as gold lustre in terms of contamination? Best firing temp? Does the surface I put it on need to be glazed, or is a mature cone 10 bare clay (think b-mix) doable? Any other considerations? Anything helps. Thanks! Cal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Lusters like Med mar should go on a glazed surface as far as I know. usually 018-019. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted November 11, 2014 Report Share Posted November 11, 2014 I have a quart bottle of same or similar product from back in the day. I suggest from my memory of long ago using this -that the surface be a shiney fired glaze.These will work best. I used to apply over fired cone 10 clear porcelain glaze. It is not as touchy as gold and silver lusters. You still need a clean dry surface without oils on it. keep the dust off as you would with all lusters-use the same cleaners for brushes.fire to o18-019 as Marcia says above. I have a few pieces with this on it from the 70's. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mug Posted November 11, 2014 Report Share Posted November 11, 2014 If you are firing multiple times with additional colors lusters will be applied in the last firing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted November 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 Thanks guys! I've never used lustres before, and I only know what I cold find on the interwebs. What do you thin them with? Any special cleaning process for the wares before application? If I apply the lustre at home and transport the pieces to my local art centre, will wrapping them in newspaper be a problem? It's for Christmas ornaments, so yeah, they might be a little over the top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted November 12, 2014 Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 Do not thin them-clean brush with nasty luster cleaners-Bailey ceramics sells it if I recall.Use a new brush and always use that one afterwards. I would use denatured alcohol to clean as it should leave nothing behind. I also would read up on this whole area 1st. There has been several threads on all this here before . Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkluver Posted November 28, 2019 Report Share Posted November 28, 2019 https://www.aardvarkclay.com/pdf/technical/luster_metals.pdf I inherited some Med Mar Metals, too, so went searching for information. This pdf has some information that is useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted November 28, 2019 Report Share Posted November 28, 2019 ( some people may be bothered by these fumes) Now thats an understatement good info there thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted November 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2019 Oh wow, it’s been a minute since I asked this one! In the name of updating everyone on what happened, I fired the mother of pearl to 017 and it worked great. I found I had to really mind my application thickness, because it will drip and run and make a yucky haze if you put too much on. I bought a couple of sable brushes that are dedicated for the use and cleaned them with olive oil. This one is definitely a pine oil base, and I had to use it outside because I don’t have Liam’s fancy fume hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted November 28, 2019 Report Share Posted November 28, 2019 Yeah you think they smell bad when you're using them, making them is 5 times worse because they're boiling. Yuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potteryasthetic Posted August 21, 2020 Report Share Posted August 21, 2020 Does anyone have any information on food safety with the rainbow opal luster? Can it be used on surfaces that come in contact with food and drink? I glazed the inside of some teacups, and another potter said heavy metal lusters are not food safe. Some new Duncan mother of pearl luster says it is food safe. Other brands say it isn't. Any help would be appreciated. I would rather be safe than sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted August 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2020 I’m going to tag @liambesaw on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted August 21, 2020 Report Share Posted August 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Potteryasthetic said: Does anyone have any information on food safety with the rainbow opal luster? Can it be used on surfaces that come in contact with food and drink? I glazed the inside of some teacups, and another potter said heavy metal lusters are not food safe. Some new Duncan mother of pearl luster says it is food safe. Other brands say it isn't. Any help would be appreciated. I would rather be safe than sorry. It depends on the composition. Most modern lustre overglazes no longer use and lead as a flux, but it's possible. If you know the brand you can look up the SDS, which will show you the metals they use. Typically mother of pearl lustres use a titanium salt as the only metal, at least the ones I've seen like Duncan, and that would be food safe because once fired all that remains is the titanium film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted August 21, 2020 Report Share Posted August 21, 2020 On 11/28/2019 at 5:04 PM, liambesaw said: Yeah you think they smell bad when you're using them, making them is 5 times worse because they're boiling. Yuck! @liambesaw Do you make all your lustres by the fusion/dry method, or do you make some by the wet/precipitation method? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted August 22, 2020 Report Share Posted August 22, 2020 2 hours ago, PeterH said: @liambesaw Do you make all your lustres by the fusion/dry method, or do you make some by the wet/precipitation method? So for standard resin lustres I use the dry method. Resin, salts, heat. For experimental lustres, like a silver lustre I've been working on, I've found the wet method to work best. Carbonic acid, salts, precipitated as a soap in sodium hydroxide, and then dissolved in an appropriate solvent. Depending on the carbonic acid used, usually isopropyl, toluene or turpentine. I've found the soaped lustres to be more reliable at lower temperatures, so that's why they work well with silver. Silver tends to burn off even before the resin in a resinate lustre. Copper is my next battle, it doesn't seem to like becoming specular no matter what and it really bothers me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 22, 2020 Report Share Posted August 22, 2020 I just found my box of lusters from the 80s-lots of no longer made stuff.Many brands are long gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted August 22, 2020 Report Share Posted August 22, 2020 On 11/10/2014 at 3:26 AM, Callie Beller Diesel said: ... Any other considerations? Johanna DeMaine's comments on Working with Resinate Lustres are interesting, and emphasise H&Shttp://overglaze.demaine.org/http://overglaze.demaine.org/wp-content/uploads/Working-with-resinate-lustres3.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristin Posted April 29, 2021 Report Share Posted April 29, 2021 A friend gave me a few tiny plastic pots of Med-Mar Metals powder form. I do enamel on copper jewelry and other things. She wondered what they might do. I have work only in a very limited way with porcelain paints. I am hoping to experiement. The containers says to not used in items which come into contact with food as they contain lead and cadmium. The enamels I use are lead free. They were purchased at Seattle Pottery Supply for about 4.25 a container. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted May 1, 2021 Report Share Posted May 1, 2021 The containers says to not used in items which come into contact with food as they contain lead and cadmium. so they are not ok for food contact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 "Not for food use" - wouldn't want them on my sensitive skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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