Glaze making--soaking the ingredients before seiving

[Nelly]

Dear All,

 

In my last studio, we were assigned a glaze to be made every three months or so. I always put aside approximately 2 hours for this process (i.e., get the ingredients, do the conversions, assemble equipment, cover everything if I was using a strong oxide as a colorant, weighing, washing and clean-up). It was a pain. You just got it done and hoped your turn did not come up again too soon.

 

Here at home, I received the same ingredients I have used in the past at my old studio. It was all measured perfectly (I hope) in a bag delivered by Tuckers. It was weighed and all ready to go. I just put the ingredients (like a cake-mix really) into the Home Depot bucket in my bathtub and added water. I then stirred. I just used the bathtub because of the access to warm water.

 

Unlike doing my work at the old studio, I had the opportunity to let the ingredients sit in the water. I stirred the glaze from time to time but it was the sitting/soak that I thought was significant.

 

At this point, I do not have a drill. My hand flipping back and forth is my drill to mix the ingredients. But in all honesty the soaking really helped to get the lumps out. I could tell even before I seived that my job was going to be easy. I could have used the old paint brush method if I was desperate it was that free of lumps.

 

Today, it is now 48 hours since I left this mixture in the bucket. I sieved it with my talisman. I have to tell you, the sieving was a cake walk. Little to no lumps and/or residue on the screen???

 

In keeping with my usual practice, I sieved it twice. I will now do a fired glaze test and then if it is alright, resieve again and use.

 

Do any of you let your glaze ingredients soak before seiving?? I am lucky as I have the time now to do it in this fashion. In the past it was-- get in, get the glaze done, do it right, do it quickly, pound the lumps out with the talisman twice at least and get on with your own work. Speed was of the essence since it took so long to do the process when you could be doing your own stuff.

 

But unless I am mistaken this settling out and slow process of blending the ingredients seems a good thing. It was smooth, smooth and smooth.

 

BTW-the glaze was black semi matt in case anyone is wondering.

 

Nellie

[Nelly]

Dear All,

 

Sorry, Nellie again.

 

I just did a quick google search and came up with the proper term of "steeping" a glaze. This was helpful.

 

http://www.potters.org/subject114136.htm

 

Check it out if you are interested.

 

Not sure if it is correct to post someone else's thoughts from a forum but thought this nicely encapsulated my question.

 

I hope this potter will forgive me.

 

Nellie

[Kabe]

Borrowing from others is what this is all about and on the same line of thought, someone posted a post about stiring his/her glazes with a toilet brush. I bought one just for that purpose after I read their post. I have a drill and a mixer but just to get everything loose and to help put a glaze back into suspension it seemed like a great idea. Thank you whoever you are.. I let my glazes set over night to steep. I thought I was doing it just to let them absorb water, now I know I was steeping all along. Thank you for the correct term. The tolit brush might be easier than your hand. Aint clay fun Kabe

[neilestrick]

I always sieve mine right away, but I mix well with a drill first. I tend to let them sit after that for a couple of hours before using them, though, because they will thicken up as the water really penetrates the particles. Then I adjust the water as needed before using. I think the steeping has taken the place of the drill mixing for you.

[Nelly]

Borrowing from others is what this is all about and on the same line of thought, someone posted a post about stiring his/her glazes with a toilet brush. I bought one just for that purpose after I read their post. I have a drill and a mixer but just to get everything loose and to help put a glaze back into suspension it seemed like a great idea. Thank you whoever you are.. I let my glazes set over night to steep. I thought I was doing it just to let them absorb water, now I know I was steeping all along. Thank you for the correct term. The tolit brush might be easier than your hand. Aint clay fun Kabe

 

 

Dear Kabe,

 

I too have heard of the toilet brush technique. I usually use this for stirring afterwards when I am sure everything is okay. But yes, I could use the brush initially. I have to say, while the premixed recipe that I sent Tucker's was likely more expensive, it really cuts down on the inhalation of dust. It is great. I will have to see how the glaze turns out first before I am quick to judge this ready measured ingredient mix. I just know, at the end of the day, my life making glazes was cut down significantly with the steeping and I didn't have all that dust to contend with in mixing the recipe myself. Thanks for the reply. I should get a toilet soon. Another way to prevent absorption of the chemicals in your skin.

 

Nellie

[Nelly]

I always sieve mine right away, but I mix well with a drill first. I tend to let them sit after that for a couple of hours before using them, though, because they will thicken up as the water really penetrates the particles. Then I adjust the water as needed before using. I think the steeping has taken the place of the drill mixing for you.

 

 

Dear Neil,

 

Could be. The steeping was just so incredible. The glaze was so much more smooth than when I had made it before. I knew it wasn't the ingredients but rather as you said, the absorption and time to penetrate the particles. Given that I am not doing a glaze fire for a few weeks, it will be interesting to see how much it continues to thicken as it sits now. I am guessing, as is with many glazes, I will likely need to add a little water.

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

Nancy

[Mark C.]

I like Neil use a 1/2 inch drill with a mixer on it . I put water in 5 gallon bucket or larger bucket and dump all dry stuff into that-mix and add water to a point it will all go thru the talisman screen without trouble.

I only screen it once-for me twice is a time waste and as I'm doing this almost every week time is well thought out -I'm a production potter so its a different deal for me time wise.

I like to mix last thing in day and let sit overnight as Neil said to let the particles get penetrated-this is my 1st choice but it does not always happen. Then I add water to get the reading I need for each particular glaze.

They always thicken some right after mixing. Usually within a day thats over.

I tend to have about 12-15 glazes going all the time so mixing comes up more than I want. On some glazes I mix several in 15 gallon batches.

I have two 1/2 drills with different mixer heads on them ready to go plugged in all the time in glaze room.

I always test the readings before use on glaze day.

Some glazes have additives that change the hydrometer readings so I have to adjust them before adding stuff (Magma is one of those-also epson salts) or figure that out after and keep it straight.

Glaze mixing on a large scale keeps you sharp and distractions should be kept to a minimum. I do not talk on the phone while doing this.

I have made enough mistakes to know how to narrow them down.

Mark

[Nelly]

I like Neil use a 1/2 inch drill with a mixer on it . I put water in 5 gallon bucket or larger bucket and dump all dry stuff into that-mix and add water to a point it will all go thru the talisman screen without trouble.

I only screen it once-for me twice is a time waste and as I'm doing this almost every week time is well thought out -I'm a production potter so its a different deal for me time wise.

I like to mix last thing in day and let sit overnight as Neil said to let the particles get penetrated-this is my 1st choice but it does not always happen. Then I add water to get the reading I need for each particular glaze.

They always thicken some right after mixing. Usually within a day thats over.

I tend to have about 12-15 glazes going all the time so mixing comes up more than I want. On some glazes I mix several in 15 gallon batches.

I have two 1/2 drills with different mixer heads on them ready to go plugged in all the time in glaze room.

I always test the readings before use on glaze day.

Some glazes have additives that change the hydrometer readings so I have to adjust them before adding stuff (Magma is one of those-also epson salts) or figure that out after and keep it straight.

Glaze mixing on a large scale keeps you sharp and distractions should be kept to a minimum. I do not talk on the phone while doing this.

I have made enough mistakes to know how to narrow them down.

Mark

 

 

Dear Mark,

 

That is one heck of a lot of glazes to keep track of in the studio where you work. I can only imagine what it would be like making a 15 gallon batch!!! That is a lot of glaze to go through but I can see it happening in a busy studio.

 

I have never used a hydrometer?? I must look into how they work. You must find them useful or you would not have mentioned them in your last post.

 

Like you, I have made mistakes mixing glaze as well. Distractions. Forgetting if I added the right amount of an ingredient or not checking them off on my list. It happens. It is like when I used to be nurse. You never, ever get interpreted when you are giving out pills. The same goes for mixing glaze. I have seen people in a studio freak out when the glaze they love doesn't turn out exactly the way they want it on the day they hoped to work with it. Such silliness but it does happen.

 

Thanks for your feedback. Please know the drill is on my to buy list.

 

Nellie

[Mark C.]

Nelly my mixers are the 1/2 shaft jiffy mixers stainless steel and also a hanson mixer for sticky solid glaze on bottom of buckets.

I run it all thru a 80 mesh on a talisman once.

Mark

[TJR]

Nellie,Mark;

I mix all my ingredients dry in a 5 gallon bucket. Then I stir them up dry to get all the heavy stuff like flint evenly distributed. I pour the mix into a 5 gallon pail of warm water. I mix with a half in drill. [plaster mixer blade from Home Depot].If I am mixing more than one glaze, I let the first one sit to absorb water before sieving. I first use an 80 mesh sieve, then a 100 mesh sieve. I use a shower back brush for the sieving part. Saves my fingers. I always wear a dust mask as well.

TJR.