fix glaze that isn't absorbed by bisque ware

Hi,

I usually make my own glazes for cone 6 but had some low fire clay I'd
used for several bowls and purchased a low fire spectrum glaze. It's an
odd consistency--sort of sticky and gooey like thick paint and the pots
just don't absorb it well when I dip them and take way too long to dry.
It's not the sort of pudding-like consistency of glazes with a lot of
gherstly borate. In addition the glaze pinholes. My guess is that it's
intended for brushing and not dipping.

Is there something I can add to fix this so I can dip my pots? I think
if I could get a nice even coat of glaze of the proper thickness that
the pinholing might disappear also.

Thanks,

Janet

I usually make my own glazes for cone 6 but had some low fire clay I'd
used for several bowls and purchased a low fire spectrum glaze. It's an
odd consistency--sort of sticky and gooey like thick paint and the pots
just don't absorb it well when I dip them and take way too long to dry.
It's not the sort of pudding-like consistency of glazes with a lot of
gherstly borate. In addition the glaze pinholes. My guess is that it's
intended for brushing and not dipping.

Is there something I can add to fix this so I can dip my pots? I think
if I could get a nice even coat of glaze of the proper thickness that
the pinholing might disappear also.

Thanks,

Janet



Janet:
This is from the www.axner.com website:

"Spectrum's Glaze Thinner is a solution of sodium hexametaphosphate
in water. It is a very powerful thinning agent and should be added very
sparingly. For example, 2 or 3 drops in a 4 oz. jar should have a
significant effect. It is a useful product for thinning glazes, underglazes,
etc. when you do not want to dilute the strength of the glaze by adding
water. "

Therefore, one can use water to thin Spectrum glazes, but it may
dilute the colors somewhat.
I tried to find a reference to sodium hexametaphosphate (phew!)
but didn't have any luck. I was kind of hoping you could find it in
common household chemical...oh well. I would try a bit of water first.

Hope that helps,
Wayne Seidl

On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 17:04:21 -0500, "wayneinkeywest"
wrote:



I usually make my own glazes for cone 6 but had some low fire clay I'd
used for several bowls and purchased a low fire spectrum glaze. It's an
odd consistency--sort of sticky and gooey like thick paint and the pots
just don't absorb it well when I dip them and take way too long to dry.
It's not the sort of pudding-like consistency of glazes with a lot of
gherstly borate. In addition the glaze pinholes. My guess is that it's
intended for brushing and not dipping.

Is there something I can add to fix this so I can dip my pots? I think
if I could get a nice even coat of glaze of the proper thickness that
the pinholing might disappear also.

Thanks,

Janet



Janet:
This is from the www.axner.com website:

"Spectrum's Glaze Thinner is a solution of sodium hexametaphosphate
in water. It is a very powerful thinning agent and should be added very
sparingly. For example, 2 or 3 drops in a 4 oz. jar should have a
significant effect. It is a useful product for thinning glazes, underglazes,
etc. when you do not want to dilute the strength of the glaze by adding
water. "

Therefore, one can use water to thin Spectrum glazes, but it may
dilute the colors somewhat.
I tried to find a reference to sodium hexametaphosphate (phew!)
but didn't have any luck. I was kind of hoping you could find it in
common household chemical...oh well. I would try a bit of water first.

Hope that helps,
Wayne Seidl


Sodium hexametaphosphate is also known as Calgon (not to be
confused with CalgonITE, which has a detergent added).

Funny, I just recommended this stuff the other day on another
NG to someone looking to clean scale from inside water pipes.
(That's actually what it was invented for in 1929.)
Turns out there are tons of uses, including (according to one
reference I have) soaking beans faster for cooking! (Haven't
tried that myself).

Calgon should be readily available as an add-in softening
agent for laundry. Look in the supermarket aisle with other
laundry products.

Hmmm. I just checked the ingredients on a box and it
says:
Sodium Tripolyphosphate 34%
Sodium Sesquicarbonate 66%
No mention of Sodium Hexametaphosphate.
Could they have changed the formula for the
laundry product to no longer include the real McCoy?
Or is the above somehow equivalent chemically?

I'll check into this and report back...


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 13:38:59 GMT, (Bob Masta)
wrote:

On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 17:04:21 -0500, "wayneinkeywest"
wrote:



I usually make my own glazes for cone 6 but had some low fire clay I'd
used for several bowls and purchased a low fire spectrum glaze. It's an
odd consistency--sort of sticky and gooey like thick paint and the pots
just don't absorb it well when I dip them and take way too long to dry.
It's not the sort of pudding-like consistency of glazes with a lot of
gherstly borate. In addition the glaze pinholes. My guess is that it's
intended for brushing and not dipping.

Is there something I can add to fix this so I can dip my pots? I think
if I could get a nice even coat of glaze of the proper thickness that
the pinholing might disappear also.

Thanks,

Janet



Janet:
This is from the www.axner.com website:

"Spectrum's Glaze Thinner is a solution of sodium hexametaphosphate
in water. It is a very powerful thinning agent and should be added very
sparingly. For example, 2 or 3 drops in a 4 oz. jar should have a
significant effect. It is a useful product for thinning glazes, underglazes,
etc. when you do not want to dilute the strength of the glaze by adding
water. "

Therefore, one can use water to thin Spectrum glazes, but it may
dilute the colors somewhat.
I tried to find a reference to sodium hexametaphosphate (phew!)
but didn't have any luck. I was kind of hoping you could find it in
common household chemical...oh well. I would try a bit of water first.

Hope that helps,
Wayne Seidl


Sodium hexametaphosphate is also known as Calgon (not to be
confused with CalgonITE, which has a detergent added).

Funny, I just recommended this stuff the other day on another
NG to someone looking to clean scale from inside water pipes.
(That's actually what it was invented for in 1929.)
Turns out there are tons of uses, including (according to one
reference I have) soaking beans faster for cooking! (Haven't
tried that myself).

Calgon should be readily available as an add-in softening
agent for laundry. Look in the supermarket aisle with other
laundry products.

Hmmm. I just checked the ingredients on a box and it
says:
Sodium Tripolyphosphate 34%
Sodium Sesquicarbonate 66%
No mention of Sodium Hexametaphosphate.
Could they have changed the formula for the
laundry product to no longer include the real McCoy?
Or is the above somehow equivalent chemically?

I'll check into this and report back...


After a lot of Web searches, it appears that the Calgon
name is still used to refer to sodium hexametaphosphate
in industrial or commercial applications, but the laundry
product is no longer the same. This might have something
to do with phosphate reduction (or maybe cost reduction!).
Anyway, if the laundry product is easy to get, you could
go ahead and give it a try. Please let us know how this
all turns out!




Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com

Bob,

When I went to look for Calgon in my local supermarket, I was directed
to the bath products where it was a brand name for bath oils. I did not
see it in the laundry area, where I looked first. I'll check the other
supermarket in town.

I don't think adding water is the right way to go to fix this. And I've
emailed Axner but had no response. I should look in the clayart
archives too, but I'm not sure what to search for.

Thanks,

Janet

Bob Masta wrote:
On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 13:38:59 GMT, (Bob Masta)
wrote:


On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 17:04:21 -0500, "wayneinkeywest"
wrote:



I usually make my own glazes for cone 6 but had some low fire clay I'd
used for several bowls and purchased a low fire spectrum glaze. It's an
odd consistency--sort of sticky and gooey like thick paint and the pots
just don't absorb it well when I dip them and take way too long to dry.
It's not the sort of pudding-like consistency of glazes with a lot of
gherstly borate. In addition the glaze pinholes. My guess is that it's
intended for brushing and not dipping.

Is there something I can add to fix this so I can dip my pots? I think
if I could get a nice even coat of glaze of the proper thickness that
the pinholing might disappear also.

Thanks,

Janet



Janet:
This is from the www.axner.com website:

"Spectrum's Glaze Thinner is a solution of sodium hexametaphosphate
in water. It is a very powerful thinning agent and should be added very
sparingly. For example, 2 or 3 drops in a 4 oz. jar should have a
significant effect. It is a useful product for thinning glazes, underglazes,
etc. when you do not want to dilute the strength of the glaze by adding
water. "

Therefore, one can use water to thin Spectrum glazes, but it may
dilute the colors somewhat.
I tried to find a reference to sodium hexametaphosphate (phew!)
but didn't have any luck. I was kind of hoping you could find it in
common household chemical...oh well. I would try a bit of water first.

Hope that helps,
Wayne Seidl



Sodium hexametaphosphate is also known as Calgon (not to be
confused with CalgonITE, which has a detergent added).

Funny, I just recommended this stuff the other day on another
NG to someone looking to clean scale from inside water pipes.
(That's actually what it was invented for in 1929.)
Turns out there are tons of uses, including (according to one
reference I have) soaking beans faster for cooking! (Haven't
tried that myself).

Calgon should be readily available as an add-in softening
agent for laundry. Look in the supermarket aisle with other
laundry products.

Hmmm. I just checked the ingredients on a box and it
says:
Sodium Tripolyphosphate 34%
Sodium Sesquicarbonate 66%
No mention of Sodium Hexametaphosphate.
Could they have changed the formula for the
laundry product to no longer include the real McCoy?
Or is the above somehow equivalent chemically?

I'll check into this and report back...



After a lot of Web searches, it appears that the Calgon
name is still used to refer to sodium hexametaphosphate
in industrial or commercial applications, but the laundry
product is no longer the same. This might have something
to do with phosphate reduction (or maybe cost reduction!).
Anyway, if the laundry product is easy to get, you could
go ahead and give it a try. Please let us know how this
all turns out!




Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com

Hi Janet

The Calgon is a good idea. Did you say you had pinhole problems also?
Maybe if you have time and are just experimenting with the earhtenware
you could develop a low fire glaze to use in your studio. I'm sure you
coud find a formula suited to your need that wouldn't have so many
problems. Years ago I found myself in a similar situation and eventually
found the perfect glaze for my situtiion after a little experimenation.
I still use it 30 years later as my primary glaze, NJ





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