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Anyone Use Amaco Potters Choice Saturation Metallic Or Gold?


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Palladium and Saturation Gold Users,

 

 

 

My name is Steve Lampron and I am the ceramic engineer here at AMACO. I want to give some simple tips about firing the Palladium and Saturation Gold glazes.

 

Palladium: This is what I call a float glaze. This means that in order to get the shiny silver look you need to actually allow the supersaturated metallic particles to float to the surface and form the skin. There is no trick to this other than to make sure you put a good thick layer of glaze on the piece. This is true of many glazes (commercial and made at home) which need a good thickness of glaze in order to make the surface. If you do not put enough glaze on, you will not have enough excess material to float and the glaze will look totally wrong. In the case of Palladium, it will be a fairly ugly green color. We fired this glaze on all of our clay bodies at both cone 5 and cone 6 with great results. I have a caution; this glaze can be very fluid and run so make efforts to allow for this. When you first try glazes you need to run test tiles (pieces) that are fired vrtically where you vary the thickness from what you think is too thin to what you think is too thick. This will show you where to go to get the look you want, it will also show you what it looks like when it is wrong. You will then know what went wrong when you get a pot that looks wrong. This glaze will be fine at cone 5 or 6 and requires no soak (it will make it run more). A medium / 8 hour firing is good. Cool normally. I see that a few people have gotten some blisters on pots that are fully glazed. This has happened on some clay bodies I found out after releasing it. It never seems to happen on poecelain bodies and these will also give the best surface. Please try your pots again on porcelain.

 

Saturation Gold: This is also a float glaze so thickness is important as well. The glaze doesn't turn out a bright shiny gold like gold lusters or the old leaded cone 05 golds. It turns out a dark kind of wrinkled bronze gold. It is not an easy glaze to get to look smooth and perfect. The suggestion that applying it over another glossy mid-range glaze is something that I find also helps the surface. The plain fact of the matter is that this type of glaze is difficult to use and requires alot of trial work. The kiln Gods probably didn't want this type of glaze to be made. It can be beautiful when perfected but it is not as simple to perfect as a pretty little matte white glaze.

 

 

I can't stress enough how important it is for all potters (especially new ones) to test glazes well before making pots. I know the desire to just make a pot but this method will only lead to disappointment and bad pots. Let me know if this helps or if I can address any other concerns you have.

 

Steve..........

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Steve, Thanks so much for the information. I'll give Paladiun another test run. I keep a stock of bisque fired, textured and smoothe pinch pots on which to test new glazes. I like using the pots because I can really see how a glaze flows. Nothing was ruined.

 

If I may make a suggestion to your company, why not include any special instructions along with the product. If it weren't for this forum I probably wouldn't give the Paladium a second chance.

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Thanks to Steve for these tips. I have a suggestion for Amaco: since no one seems to be getting the results shown on your website -- but instead, everyone (including me) seems to be getting a darker bronze metallic color...and you yourself describe it as "a dark kind of wrinkled bronze"....maybe you should change the picture (and the name of the glaze!) on the website! I wasn't expecting shiny gold -- but I was expecting a light metallic gold, as shown in the sample on your site.

I like the glaze now that I have figured out how to use it, and now that I understand I shouldn't expect it to be as shown on the site...but still. If you changed the picture on the site to a more realistic depiction, others won't be disappointed.

As for Palladium. Still trying. Again, I think the website misleads. I've attached a pic of the results I got on my test "shell" in saturation "gold".

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post-3342-12991608482145_thumb.jpg

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  • 7 months later...

I am a newbie potter and have been using a kiln for only 3-4 months so I'm still learning how this works. I have been using potters choice glazes and coyote with fairly decent results. But like I said i still have alot to learn. I just tried the palladium the other day on these lanterns that I make and this was how the palladium came out. I have a sculpture I did for school I'm doing and is in the kiln right now and am giving palladium a shot on that. Crossin my fingers. I thought it would look cool giving it a steel effect like a bronze or something. We'll see.

post-6900-132025261402_thumb.jpg

post-6900-132025261402_thumb.jpg

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  • 5 months later...

I have used the palladium on a reindeer ornament and totally loved it! I put it on very thick which was both good and bad... it came out looking VERY silver but it dripped a LOT. I would totally do it again but would definitely put a plate under it to catch the extra. It was fired at ^6.post-12630-13353284015_thumb.jpg

post-12630-13353284015_thumb.jpg

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I have used both of these glazes, with some really nice results. I use Highwater Brownstone clay and fire in oxidation to cone 6. I think the key to Saturation Gold is to shake the bottle really well, then shake it again! The glaze tends to turn gold in the lower areas of texture and bronzy black on the raised texture. Since neither glaze is food safe, I only use on definite decorational pieces. Do not glaze bowls in this and expect people to know that it was meant for decoration only unless you scratch that on the bottom of the pot!!! I have used it on wall art and lamps, check out the photo I've attached - Palladium is on the small test circle. It is a nice dark silvery metal color, which doesn't photograph well. Amaco is probably using a white clay so colors are always better. Always do a lot of testing! I would not use either of these glazes on a once-fire technique (on greenware). If your piece has an air bubble or isn't totally dry, it can expolde in the kiln and the glaze will stick your shelves, other pieces and even damage your elements if it sticks to them. Don't get yourself in a hurry where you have to fire so quickly! Hope this helps, Paula Patton

 

 

 

 

satgold.jpg

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  • 11 months later...

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to share.... I have had really great results with the Amaco Potter's Choice line. I teach HS Ceramics, and these are the "lowest maintenance" glazes I can find that consistently turn out with great results. AS to the questions about the metallic glazes, as someone else mentioned on here.... you do need GENEROUS coats. I teach my students to paint glaze by first showing them that one of the mistakes people make is in "drying off" their brushes. You've got to have a fair amount of glaze on your brush in order to get it on to your pot properly. I have had beautiful results with all 3 of the metallics from this line... palladium included. (Note: all of these are CL glazes... I require my students to wear gloves as a precautionary, and the palladium is not food safe.... they are only allowed to apply it to sculptural items.)

Really can't stress enough how important it is to apply these babies with generous coats. Also, experiment with the clay bodies. Our "regular classroom clay" is Standard's #153 Buff Stoneware, and we fire to cone 5 at a slow glaze speed.... the glazes need time to mature and melt properly. If you are having pinhole problems, you can try a "soak" at the end of your firing. My distributor and (wonderful clay/glaze/kiln goddess friend) recommended a 10 minute soak at the end of the firing. Worked wonders! I don't recommend this with "runny" glazes, but it seemed to create some nice effects with the metallic glazes. We also use various other clay bodies by Standard.... you will notice quite a difference on the lighter/white bodies compared to the darker bodies. My students really enjoy experimenting with test tiles to see what layering glazes look like. Amaco has a great site that shows various combos of their PC line.... We've achieved many of the same results.

HOpe this helps.... I know I'm late in adding my 2 cents. Hopefully you have all had happy results since your last posts!

Dawn

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I tried the Paladium this weekend. Turned out a black-green with just a wee bit of metalic sheen. Ugly. I tried it on a small pinchpot and fired to ^6. My guess is it's overfired.

 

 

My friend whom I do pottery with uses the gold at cone 6, 04 bisque and it comes out true gold.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I tried the Paladium this weekend. Turned out a black-green with just a wee bit of metalic sheen. Ugly. I tried it on a small pinchpot and fired to ^6. My guess is it's overfired.

 

 

My friend whom I do pottery with uses the gold at cone 6, 04 bisque and it comes out true gold.

 

You need to apply it thicker.

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  • 3 months later...

The gold has to be applied thick to work, I use four coats. It also runs. I have never gotten the results that they show on their tile, it's more of a bronze-gold. The Saturation Metallic has given me some great results, by itself and layered with other glazes. It does run, so use it accordingly. I've gotten some really good golds using Spectrum's new metallic gold and gold rain. Worth a try if you dont love the Amaco. I fire to cone 5,and really slow it down at the top, going up 30 degrees an hour for the last hundred degrees, with a slow cool of 150 hr. to 1500 to get these results.

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  • 8 months later...

Hi Steve,

 

I used Saturation Gold on a couple pieces made with Laguna's Cone 5 B-Mix With Sand and although still beautiful, it came out all blistered.

I used the "slow glaze" program on my L&L Easy Fire kiln with a 3 hr "preheat", as it calls it, for a total of 12 something hours to fire at cone 5.

Both pieces shown in the pictures are made with the same clay body.

I now see from your post that I shouldn't have done that 3-hr soak :(

After reading everywhere how it needs it to be applied as a thick bunch of coats, I brushed a crapload of coats on them...

Is there anything you can suggest to get a smoother result without the blisters?

Thank you!

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post-11816-0-58529400-1400286071_thumb.jpg

post-11816-0-58089500-1400286079_thumb.jpg

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I've tried the gold and had the same disappointing results as most of these posts (a metallic black).  On one piece where the glaze was thick because it ran down the side of the pot, I did get a gold/bronze drip which was quite nice. Figure I'll try again with a thick application.  I fired to >6 with a >06 bisque.

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  • 1 year later...
 

Good Afternoon, 

 

I would greatly appreciate your help with some glazing / kiln issues I am experiencing. Your help is so appreciated!! 

 

I recently purchased the potters choice Saturation Gold glaze and I fired in my electric kiln, the cone 5 did not bend at all.

I also had a self supporting cone 05 in the kiln and that bent only a little. 

clearly the kiln did not reach the temperature it was supposed to reach.. 

but I now have this issue, all the pieces that I glazed with the saturation gold are now black with a matte finish instead of gold. 

 

I am really disappointed and discouraged. 

 I then decided to re-fire on medium instead of going through the process of low then med then high for my three knobs. 

 

I believe the kiln is not getting hot enough? 

 

I apologize for being so detailed I just want to be sure to get the right diagnosis. 

 

when I start the kiln I go by the manual which says to turn each knob after each hour. 

There are three knobs. 

so I put the first knob on low for an hour, 

after the hour I turn the second knob on low for an hour, 

after the hour I then turn the third knob on low for an hour,

after the hour I now 

 

turn the first knob on medium for an hour, after that hour,

 I turn the second knob on medium for an hour, after that hour 

I turn the third knob on medium for an hour 

 

then the same goes for turning it on high

 

after each hour i go to the next knob and turn it to high

 

I apologize for being so detailed I just want to be sure to get the right diagnosis. 

 

Do you think I have done the right thing by refiring on medium ?  Is this okay?    do you think the glaze will come out now? or have I done the wrong thing? will it still be black? 

 

anyway to fix this? should I have reglazed it with the gold before firing again? 

 

I greatly appreciate all your help, it really means a lot!    I am working on a piece for my church and it was supposed to be gold and I now I am so upset that I cannot deliver. 

 

any advice is so appreciated 

 

thank you so very much for your kindness!!

 

Alice 

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If cone 05 wasn't completely collapsed, then you did not get the firing temp required for Saturation gold. Does your kiln have a sitter for shut off? If it does you may have an 05, not 6, in the sitter shutting you off way early. Make sure you have a small cone 6 in the sitter and try it again.

Best of luck on round 2.

 

John

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