Monthly Tech-Tip | No tracking! No ads! |
This glaze slurry contains 30% Gerstley Borate. I poured it onto a plaster table and it can take five or ten minutes to dewater enough to form it in test balls. A typical glaze would dewater twenty times faster! Gerstley Borate contains microfine clay (e.g. hectorite, bentonite), the percentage is high enough that it voraciously hangs on to the water it has. This is the reason that many GB glazes take a long time to dry on bisque ware. And why they require more water and gel the slurry. Generally, slow drying also means cracking, that in turn can lead to crawling.
Glossary |
Glaze Gelling
Glaze slurries can gel if they contain soluble materials that flocculate the suspension. Gelling is a real problem since it requires water additions that increase shrinkage. |
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Materials |
Gerstley Borate
Gerstley Borate was a natural source of boron for ceramic glazes. It was plastic and melted clear at 1750F. Now we need to replace it. How? |
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