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salt glazing kiln wash zirconium?

updated sun 31 aug 97

 

Alex Williams on sun 10 aug 97

About a year ago, my wife and I took a trip to England. After renting a car
and avoiding some Brits, we found our way to Mick Casson's Wobage Farm
Pottery. There was a whole crew working on the property surrounded by 14th
Century buildings. Nonetheless, Mick was getting over some ill health, and
had just started potting again. The crew was building a new salt kiln, and
had some interesting news. An equivilant to our EPA had come out and taken
some readings from the stack of their old salt kiln and found a neutral
reading. Kind of goes against everything we've been told. But my
understanding is that there was not enough salt introduced to effect the
emmissions. Good news for those who want to salt.
The group was covering the interior of the kiln with zirconium silicate.
The purpose was that it blocks salt from leaching into the bricks. My
problem is my bad memory. The zirconium silicate had been mixed with some
other material to make it adhere to the interior wall of the kiln. Does
anyone know what that material may be? Or what other materials it could be?
The Zirconium was mixed with the mystery material and brushed on so that it
looked like thick kiln wash. Thanks yall.

Nils Lou on tue 12 aug 97

In the UK they use a zirconium wash called Polybond for their salt kilns.
Here we use ITC100. Also, the only thing that comes out of salt kiln
stacks is salt, water vapor, CO2 and a minuscule HCL. Much more benign
than the sodium peroxide and sodium hydroxide produced by sada ash or
baking soda. Thanks to Wil Shynkaruk for that research. NL

On Sun, 10 Aug 1997, Alex Williams wrote:

> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> About a year ago, my wife and I took a trip to England. After renting a car
> and avoiding some Brits, we found our way to Mick Casson's Wobage Farm
> Pottery. There was a whole crew working on the property surrounded by 14th
> Century buildings. Nonetheless, Mick was getting over some ill health, and
> had just started potting again. The crew was building a new salt kiln, and
> had some interesting news. An equivilant to our EPA had come out and taken
> some readings from the stack of their old salt kiln and found a neutral
> reading. Kind of goes against everything we've been told. But my
> understanding is that there was not enough salt introduced to effect the
> emmissions. Good news for those who want to salt.
> The group was covering the interior of the kiln with zirconium silicat
> The purpose was that it blocks salt from leaching into the bricks. My
> problem is my bad memory. The zirconium silicate had been mixed with some
> other material to make it adhere to the interior wall of the kiln. Does
> anyone know what that material may be? Or what other materials it could be?
> The Zirconium was mixed with the mystery material and brushed on so that it
> looked like thick kiln wash. Thanks yall.
>