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Sub For Epk, Which Is Better: Tile 6 Or Om#4?


enbarro

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Hi, my local store is out of epk. I rather wait until I run out of other materials before placing an order.

 

I have a few #s of tile 6 and plenty om#4...

 

The recipe I want to try is the one Niel posted a few days ago... cone 04-03 siglefire. I'm ok with cloudiness and will also try 10% zircopax

 

Ferro 3124 90%

EPK 10%

+

veegumt/bentonite

 

 

Anyone knows which would be a better sub or have any advice?

 

 

thanks,

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Tile #6 is pretty close to EPK.  Like 0.25% less iron, and +/-1% Alumina and silica.  OM4 has more a bit more silica (10-12%)  and less alumina, and like twice the iron of EPK.

 

Tile #6 is probably your closer bet, but test tiles to be sure.

 

Full disclosure:  I've subbed in Om4 before in a recipe like this, didn't really matter--maybe a slightly warmer hue due to the extra iron, and very slightly glossier.

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You guys didn't think of this..

What kind of pottery supply store runs out of EPK.? This is a pottery supply that will soon be out of business.

Tile 6 is a kaolin, Om4 is a plastic ball clay. If you are raw glazing, the ball clay would be a better substitute for glaze fit, but it is not a kaolin.

Why not test both?

TJR.

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You guys didn't think of this..

What kind of pottery supply store runs out of EPK.? This is a pottery supply that will soon be out of business.

TJR.

 

Having been a production manager for a clay company, I can say that it's not that difficult to run out of EPK, or any other type of clay or glaze material for that matter. There is a finite amount of space for each raw material in the warehouse, and there fore you have to carefully time the purchase and delivery of the materials, especially those which you buy in large amounts like full truck loads. You have to track your clay mixing schedule to make sure you have enough of the needed raw materials on hand to keep production moving, and place the order 'just in time' so that you have space in the warehouse for the new material as the old one gets low. If the mine gets behind schedule filling orders, or there's a problem with trucking while you're using up to several tons of the material each day, you could easily end up with a day to a week or more where you run out. Also, it's possible someone came in and bought a whole bunch and wiped them out. It happens all the time. So yes, at those times you have to be wiling to substitute.

 

This question could also be posed by the pottery supply company to the potter/customer- why did you wait until you were out before you ordered more? I know it's easy to vilify the pottery supply store every time something affects you in your studio, but there are a lot of factors at work here. If huge companies like Target or Home depot can run out of things, why can't the pottery supply store?

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Thanks Mark and TJR. I might just try the om#4 version then. It seems to be what I'm looking for.

 

I try to order everything, all at once, several months in advance of high seasons.

 

Thanks Niel for the recipe. Other cone 04 industry recipes are highly welcomed. :)

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