Hannah Greenblott Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Hi! I need some help!! I just got a gallon of porcelain slip. When I started using it, it was too thin and runny for me. My slip trailing wasn’t working, and all of the slip just kept dripping. So I decided to thicken it up. I put some epsom salts in water and made sure they were dissolved. I then add 2 spoonfuls of the water to the slip. Now the slip is a little too thick, but I really like this consistency. But, there seem to be clumps in the slip. It is no longer smooth. Does this mean I just need to mix it a lot to get the clumps out? How would I thin it again in the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 How long has it been since you added epsom salts? If the slip gets cold the epsom salts will recrystallize and become small hard lumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Greenblott Posted January 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 It was clumpy almost immediately. I added them an hour ago at around 9:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Just blend well with an immersion blender or dump it all in a blender and blend. Should get smooth again no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Hannah: premixed slip uses Darvan 7 or equal as a long chain deflocculant. This type of ionic polymer works by neutralizing sodium and magnesium ions. When you added Epson salts: you added magnesium strearate which disrupted that chemical suspension which caused flocs (clumps) to form. Adding sodium silicate, epson salts (magnesium) causes a chemical reaction. In the future, to thicken it- it is best to add dry powdered clay you recycled from throwing, dried slip or whatever source you can recycle from. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Sieving will get rid of the lumps long enough to work with it for a session, but you’ll have to remix or resieve the next time you go to use the same batch. +1 for either adding more dry material or leaving some out the night before to thicken rather than trying to adjust with Epsom salts. Having less water in the mix can also help your slip not shrink as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 @Hannah Greenblott, sounds like maybe you just added too much that wasn't blended in well. At about the 2 minute mark in the video below you can see how little John Britt uses in his deflocculated slip to thicken it back up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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