not a bot Posted August 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) @MinThank you for sharing the perspective and context in your thoughtful post. It is helpful to regard why when and where one recipe is more useful than another. That seems like the kind of knowledge that would make a list of 9 recipes more useful. I am going to have to go read more about silica and aluminum hydrate. Your comment about the electric kiln, which I infer was meant to compare to a combustion based kiln, explains something I had yet to consider. We ordered a venting system with the new electric kiln, which will move air gently. I had not thought about the idea that a combustion system might introduce more varied air turbulence. I had read about DIY calcination, but found that when purchasing small quantities of kaolin products rather than 100 lb sacks the pricing is not that much different than the Glomax. If I did stubbornly insist on trying feldspar, what product would I search out and purchase? edit to add: @Dick White Thank you for information. Thank you! Edited August 9, 2022 by not a bot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 3 hours ago, not a bot said: I am going to have to go read more about silica and aluminum hydrate. Alumina hydrate when fired will loose it's chemically bonded water, approx 35%. You can use alumina oxide instead, just reduce the amount by 35% to compensate for the water loss. Part of the reason the hydrated form of alumina is used is that although it sinks like a stone in the wet slurry it doesn't sink quite as fast as alumina oxide. I would not recommend using the 50:50 silica and kaolin unless cost is the primary concern which I'm guessing from your posts it isn't. Alumina hydrate + calcined kaolin (aka Glomax) + kaolin works well. If you really want to add some feldspar I would try Minspar or Custer in place of the no longer available G200. If you do this try it on a tiny portion of a shelf then after firing see how hard it is to remove. The venting of an electric kiln is very passive compared to the type of kilns that have a significant movement of air, it isn't going to create enough air turbulence to effect a kiln wash without a feldspar addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not a bot Posted August 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2022 (edited) Thank you for the detailed suggestions. Between your help and all the reading it seems as if the article I linked to in the original post has started to make more sense. The content was concise and specific. I did not recognize it as such one first, or second, third, etc. read, but it is finally sinking in. If I try the Feldspar I will try it on a scrap of a kiln post that arrived damaged. Thank you! Edited August 13, 2022 by not a bot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not a bot Posted August 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2022 It occurs to me that I should ask a follow up question about the possible use of a small amount of Feldspar. Why would the increased resistance for removal be regarded as unhelpful? Isn't the resistance to removal a benefit of sorts? The accounts of coating both sides of a shelf with Lee's Kiln Wash and occasionally flipping the shelves seem to portray the tenacity as a benefit. Would the Feldspar offer the same benefit, or will you find yourself still having to strip the shelves before flipping and cursing the choice of Feldspar flux for making the task more difficult? It almost seems, when "reading between the lines" that some people have learned to prefer to use a light duty kiln wash that makes periodic stripping more convenient. I will appreciate it if some can lend their perspective on these ideas. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted August 13, 2022 Report Share Posted August 13, 2022 (edited) 10 minutes ago, not a bot said: Why would the increased resistance for removal be regarded as unhelpful? Isn't the resistance to removal a benefit of sorts? I will appreciate it if some can lend their perspective on these ideas. I can tell you that we opted to use it, but when a glaze spill did occur a bit of effort was needed to remove instead of just popping it off, re-coating and moving on. Overall in a studio environment for us it was good ………….. but expensive comparatively. In my first post I mentioned “Flaky is a big complaint, Lees will not flake and the various good recipes you will find generally the feature folks like, not too flaky, can be touched up relatively easily and can be removed with reasonable pressure / scraping.” . Edited August 13, 2022 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not a bot Posted August 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2022 (edited) Thank you @Bill Kielb for sharing the info. I asked in the OP about store bought wash, and the Lee's product seems like a great choice, but the only online source I found that listed a retail price was Axner and as I mentioned I am reluctant to pay $54 shipping for a $39 dollar jug. I have learned a lot from everyone here and have become accustomed to the idea of mixing the materials "from scratch". I can buy 10lbs of Alumina Hydrate, 5lbs of EPK, and 5lbs of Glomax for less than $39 and don't have to worry about shipping costs, so I am leaning towards that choice. I also appreciated the suggestion about the Continental Clay Alumina based wash, but their website did not mention what the other ingredients were, and their website doesn't calculate shipping prior to placing an order, so mixing in house seems like a good way to go, plus it will accelerate our journey to making glazes from scratch. The wealth of information packed in to the John Britt article and the Sue McLeod web page has finally started to sink in. I am still curious about the Feldspar, the Darvan 7 Deflocculant, and the Zircon refractory filler, and trying to learn what I can while I wait on the kiln and shelves to arrive. It seems obvious that the input I am missing is years of first hand experience. Many here have accumulated a lot of knowledge and I am thankful that they are gracious enough to share. Thank you! Edited August 13, 2022 by not a bot Babs and Min 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted August 13, 2022 Report Share Posted August 13, 2022 3 hours ago, not a bot said: Why would the increased resistance for removal be regarded as unhelpful? Isn't the resistance to removal a benefit of sorts? At some point you'll probably need to flip your shelves over to keep them flat, which requires cleaning off all the wash so it doesn't flake of onto the pots below. It's a thankless job even with easy-to-remove kiln wash. With difficult-to-remove wash you're looking at a significant investment of time and effort to get them clean enough to flip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 recipe for kiln wash 50% alumina hydrate 25% Edgar Plastic Kaolin EPK 25% calcined Edgar Plastic Kaolin EPK I use this recipe. I got it from someone here on the forum. It is a great recipe. However, I do not put the wash on my shelves. I put it on cookies that I put under my pots. The community studio where I first started working had a horrible mess with kiln wash. Flaking all over everything and everyone's pots. When I got my own kiln, I didn't want that mess. So I just use cookies. But....if I were so inclined to wash the shelves, I would use the recipe above that @oldlady posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 32 minutes ago, Roberta12 said: recipe for kiln wash 50% alumina hydrate 25% Edgar Plastic Kaolin EPK 25% calcined Edgar Plastic Kaolin EPK I use this recipe. I got it from someone here on the forum. It is a great recipe. However, I do not put the wash on my shelves. I put it on cookies that I put under my pots. The community studio where I first started working had a horrible mess with kiln wash. Flaking all over everything and everyone's pots. When I got my own kiln, I didn't want that mess. So I just use cookies. But....if I were so inclined to wash the shelves, I would use the recipe above that @oldlady posted. I posted that recipe long ago hear-its on all my high fire shelves. Its bullet proof and it comes off if neded as well. Magnolia Mud Research, Pres and Roberta12 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.