Sharing ideas

I posted 2 recent thoughts I had on useful tools (using toilet brushes for
stirring/mixing glazes and using dehumidifier water for mixing glazes) and
the moderator of clayart came back with his own tools which I really liked.
I assume it is OK to share since the list is public. I just thought he had
really useful things to share on making glazing easier and better and wanted
those here who don't do clayart to see.

Donna


http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html

http://lsv.ceramics.org/scripts/wa.e...ail.com&P=1665

"i have used for a long time, a very fine kitchen sieve/strainer on a long
broom handle.

it mixes well, and takes out many of those pesky bits of bisque that can
fall off a big platter or bowl. you know, those little bits that stick to
the ring foot. it is hard to strain those big batches...and using my mounted
strainer i keep the glaze clean as i stir it.

i use dippers for glazing. i have found some nice measuring cups with flat
handles that mount nicely on a bamboo rod. i use duct tape, and or,
electricians tape to strap them to the rod.

by using the handled dipper, you can stir/reach to the bottom of the pail
and always have rich fully homogenized glaze. i drill motor with a paddle to
start the mixing process, but then put that away...and use the dipper or
strainer on a stick.

i stir before every dip...and use the dipper to fill my pots with
glaze...then start the counting of the seconds. the rule for me is: no pot
is glazed for more than 10 seconds...total...so, a dip may be two seconds,
another three seconds, base coat in and out. in japan we had an old clock
with a big sweep second hand...cut off the hour and minute hand...and, we
counted the seconds that pots were in glaze. fussy. but that is how you get
consistent glazes from firing to firing. test the glaze for water amount,
count the seconds for a perfect coating...both inside, and outside. (it
seems that it is critical with `floating blue`, that the glaze is the right
thickness, the coating has to be perfect and the firing has to be dead on
cone 5. anything else, and the glaze is ruined....i just learned that for
the 80th time here on clayart...the `floating blue blues.`)

each glaze bucket has a dipper, just for that color. 50 gallon dippers are
two/three cup dippers. for decorative glazes i often use a half cup measure.

when i glaze, i keep two 5 gallon buckets of fresh water to clean my
dippers, brushes etc. and, i use the garden hose to clean my glazing area.
lots of water...a big old kitchen mop. i never leave glaze on the floor, or
on my ware boards. takes just a second to hose them off. "

Mel Jacobson""