Glaze Bucket Water Turning Brown

[dhPotter]

For the Raspberry Red and the Lithium Speckled Green glazes, when the glaze has settled out, the water is a light brown, like tannin water in a swamp.

 

What causes this and is it bad for the glaze?

 

About 6 months ago, I added water to several glazes, these 2 included, thinking the glazes were too thin. This was before I read about specific gravity here on the forum. None of the other glazes have brownish water. Our water is kind of high in iron. We can taste the iron and the toilet bowls get stained.

 

I have not gotten the Raspberry Red back to its consistency, it is too thin, and fires to a pinkish color now. The Lithium Speckled Green does not seem fazed by any of this.

 

If you need to see the recipes let me know and I will post them.

 

Thank you.

[Mark C.]

Lithium glazes will affect water color just as do shino glazes-just mix when needed and be happy.

On another note you could add a whole house filter system to remove that iron from your taps.

Mark

[dhPotter]

Thanks Mark C. Curiosity has been quenched.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

The brown stuff is soluble salts staying in suspension in your glaze water as the bigger mineral particles settle out. If you have a glaze like this that needs its water level adjusted, siphon this water off, and do not discard! Add it back in as needed. If you get rid of it, you will be removing stuff your glaze needs to work.

[Chantay]

To remove water from a glaze I use a large cleaning sponge. Get it damp first then after the glaze has set and settled for a couple of days I touch the sponge to the surface water, remove and squeeze. Works very quickly.