The red stuff on our bisqueware is colored wax. About 2 years ago we started using "Wax That Works" which we get from Studio Sales in Avon NY. Great stuff. We mix it up with a fair amount of food coloring and a touch of alumina hydrate. Really works perfect then!Trying to get lots of little orders finished up. Stuff that should have been done back in July is finally hitting the kiln shelves this week. A lot has hinged upon getting Sunset Red to be a happy glaze again. It has been so finicky this year that I am tempted to toss it out and just move on to a different glaze. Not fun!
So, here's how things look in the shop this week. By the time this hits the blog, I'll probably have loaded 2 more kilns and be working on mugs again! Go figure. This time of year, it never stops!
5 comments:
good to be busy, i'm curious about the wax, does it glob as soon as it hits the surface or does it stay liquid a bit? if i used it on greenware, do you think it would permeate the clay body or just sit on the surface?
morning Jim,
I think that the wax would just sit on the surface of the greenware. I also think that over time, it would abrade away using your technique. I think that's why folks like Arne Ase started using lacquer and shellac instead. What are you using for resist?
And it doesnt glob at all. It goes on like whole milk, smooth as can be. Takes about 4 min to harden on bisque, probably twice as long on greenware I would guess.
Have you tried regular paraffin?
Hey Alex,
That shot with the monochrome bisque and the colored glaze pieces really works. The foot on that lime ice crane bowl looks WAY taller than I'm used to your bowl feet being. Are your bowls standing taller as a general rule, these days or is that one a fluke?
~Carrie
Surprise surprise Carrie... that is a sorbet bowl. About 1/3 the size of our ice cream bowls. Holds about 3/4 cup... as opposed to our ice cream bowls that hold an entire pint of B&J!!!
And yes, the feet on the sorbet bowls is much taller. Ice cream bowls still have a pretty low foot.
Lots has changed in the studio since you were last here. Glad you like the combination of monochrome and color. Fun stuff to play with.
Not sure what's coming next on the blog. I wish I could portray the amount of sweat pouring off of me these past few days. UGH! I feel like a slimy version of myself. Yuck.
hi alex... arne ase is one of my ceramic heroes... love his work so much, too bad the gallery section of his site doesn't work correctly. maybe it's fixed but i emailed his son and he said he was gonna fix it but it was the same when i went back. but his book (out of print now) is a wonderful explanation of soluble salts and all his techniques. that's when i ditched the wax and went to shellac. it's not without it's down side though. i did try paraffin early on and had no luck at all. i've recently gotten some wax from columbus clay company and it sounds similar to what you're using.
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