Cement Like Glaze In The Bottom Of The Bucket

[MadMudder]

After spending two days with the jiffy mixer and electric drill trying to get the Casebeer yellow (cement) mixed back up, I found a fairly easy solution.

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Weasel-91344-Super-Claw/dp/B0013WS3CG/ref=sr_1_2/178-8562997-8411949?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1270511741&sr=8-2

 

Of course you have to clean it off first and the sieve the glaze but it was quick. My hub and I took turns rotating the claw, it just took a couple minutes to get it loosened up.

I added some bentonite and then after running it through the sieve, the glass is as good as new!!

Garden claws are the best for gardening for getting weeds out of the garden.

 

Sincerely,

MADMUDDER

[John Britt]

The glaze is deflocculated. (probably from soluble sodium and the most likely source is Nepehline Syenite.)

 

What you do is to separate the water into another bucket and save it. Then take a loop tool and cut out the hard glaze. Then with a drill start stirring the water and add the chunks of glaze back. They will then mix up easily.

 

Then you can add 2% bentonite and some Epsoms Salts (a salt that acts like and acid which will flocculate the glaze.)

 

Since systems like this are active you will have to watch it as it will try to do it again.

 

John Britt

www.johnbrittpottery.com

http://ncclayclub.blogspot.com

[dee kat]

After spending two days with the jiffy mixer and electric drill trying to get the Casebeer yellow (cement) mixed back up, I found a fairly easy solution.

http://www.amazon.co...70511741&sr=8-2

 

I would think that would tear the #$% out of a plastic bucket and make your teeth ache on a metal one.... It certainly looks like it would cut though the rock hard glaze though. I do what John Britt recommends to some extent. I pour off the water (with soluables) and then scrap out the hard pan (which for some reason is much more easy to break up without the water). I then add the broken up pieces of hardpan back to the water that I have put a small amount of water saturated with epson salt. We had a student once who threw out an entire bucket (5 gallon) of glaze because it settled and when she could not get it mixed back up she thought it had gone bad.