Vince Pitelka on sun 25 oct 09
Thanks to Gayle Bair for her confirmation that the plastic snow saucer work=
s
well for glazing large platters. Some posts suggested various other large,
flat containers, and that made me realize that I was unclear about one of
the primary advantages of the big wok. The circular, dished shape means
that with a relative small amount of glaze, you can still easily glaze very
large bowls and platters, because of the depth in the center of the wok.
That is not the case with a large flat-bottom container. The big
flat-bottom containers work great if you have enough glaze in them, but if
you are in the habit of only maintaining five-gallon buckets of glaze, the
wok shape and center depth offers great advantages. I just checked online,
and in a quick search I could not find a 36" wok, but if you go to
www.lionsdeal.com and enter 28" wok in the search box, you will find one fo=
r
$50. Unless you are making really gigantic platters or bowls, that size
would work great.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
gayle bair on sun 25 oct 09
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island WA
Tucson AZ
gayle@claybair.com
www.claybair.com
In my tight studio I can only fit in 5gal tubs of glaze and keep them
under a table.
When I need to glaze a big platter I use one of those kids round
plastic snow saucers.
It nestles on the my wheel where the splash pan keeps it anchored.
The saucer is also good for catching sgraffito trimmings.
When not in use it fits under the table with my glazes.
On Oct 25, 2009, at 12:07 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> Mel Jacobsen wrote:
> "It is really important to have at least one rather large container
> of glaze so that when you have a big platter, or big bowl, you can
> just dip it right in.
>
> Mel -
> It's great to have a large container of glaze for dipping larger
> vessels,
> but with less than five gallons of glaze and a very large wok, you
> can dip
> any size of bowl or plate very efficiently. With an average size
> plate or
> wide, low bowl, I hold it with two fingers against opposite edges,
> dip one
> edge in, follow through immersing the whole plate, and out the other
> edge
> and shake off. With very large bowls or plates I might hold with
> all four
> fingers on each side, dip in one edge, spiral the whole plate
> through the
> glaze so it gets coated overall, and then out of the glaze and shake
> off.
> The finger marks are easily touched up with a brush.
>
> I have a 36" restaurant wok that I bought at a flea market in
> McKinleyville,
> CA in around 1980 for one dollar. A metal spinning factory from the
> Bay
> Area had brought a truckload of defective woks, gold pans, pizza
> pans, and
> other things up to sell for cheap. It was the end of the day, and
> everything was a buck. They had already put this big wok in the
> back of the
> truck, and I said "How about that one?" The guy looked at it and
> said "Oh
> no I couldn't . . . . . aw, what the hell, yeah, sure." It never
> hurts to
> ask. When we went through drastic MPR (material possession reduction)
> before leaving for grad school in 1985 I seriously considered
> getting rid of
> that wok. I am so glad I didn't. I have been using it to glaze
> large bowls
> and plates ever since then, and also use it for casting large domed
> plaster
> bats for slumping big slab platters.
>
> A snow saucer or small satellite dish might be deep enough to work
> for this
> purpose, but you can still get those large woks from the big Asian
> food
> stores in big cities.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Tommy Humphries on mon 26 oct 09
Another great glazing tub that can be had for cheap or nada is a
plastic drum that many industrial cleaning chemicals are sold
in...come in sizes ranging from 20-55 gallons. Can be cut to any depth
desired.
Tommy Humphries
Bonnie Staffel on mon 26 oct 09
I use a plastic laundry tub easily available from home stores. At the =3D
time I
purchased my first one they were only $20. When I had my studio, I =3D
needed
about six tubs to hold the different glazes I was using at that time to
handle my production work. What I found nice about the tub is that it =3D
had a
drain on one side of the bottom.=3D20
The size was also very convenient for my large 24 inch platters. And =3D
when I
mix up a large batch of glaze, about the same way Mel does it, it is =3D
also
deep enough for the larger pots I make. I have converted my glaze into
pounds and ounces which I weigh on an antique balance scale I bought =3D
from a
bakery. I have enough weights to weigh all of the ingredients. I then
transfer with large antique scoop into a large round plastic tub which I
partially fill with hot water. The hot water slakes the dry ingredients =3D
more
quickly than cold water. I also dry blend in one of the ingredients, =3D
like
Kaolin, the bentonite and CMC. These two ingredients help to keep the =3D
glaze
suspended so that I don't have to stir the glaze as often between =3D
dipping
pots. I use an electric drill with a Jiffy mixer. I have a glass =3D
hydrometer
to take a reading of the final mixed glaze to make sure it is the right
combination with the water. My glaze never gets moldy from the addition =3D
of
CMC.=3D20
Between glazing sessions, I keep the tub tightly covered with plastic =3D
and a
board which gives me table space as well. .
Now if you only make small items, a 5 gallon bucket is sufficient.
Bonnie=3D20
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD=3DA0 Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD=3DA0 Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
John Rodgers on mon 26 oct 09
My glazing operations include 5 sixteen gallon rubber tubs - 15 in. deep
- 20 in dia. - acquired from a Seed and Feed store. These contain my
basic glazes. I keep a large plastic bag pulled over them when not
glazing, and I place a 24 inch MDG bat over that to keep things from
falling in and pushing the plastic bags down into the glaze.
Additionally, the big bats serve as temporary pot drying surfaces when
needed. These meet the needs for glazing most of my work - except for
my 20 in and larger platters, which I prefer to spray glaze.
Additionally, I have several 5 gallon plastic buckets - gypsum mud types
with lids - that I use for a variety of lesser glazes, and when I want
to have a number of different glazes just to play with, I have some
2-1/2 gallon glaze (as in cake icing) buckets from the local grocery
store bakery department. and some one gallon icing types as well. And
finally, for very small batches - 2000 grams or less - I use cat food
plastic jugs with lids.
Most all of my glazing is by dipping, then there is some brush work on
top of that. But the big platters are all sprayed. I use a turbine type
sprayer setup I got from Harbor Freight for $90. Compressor, hose, and
sprayer with cup. Works great.
Just my $0.02 on glazing.
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
Bonnie Staffel wrote:
> I use a plastic laundry tub easily available from home stores. At the tim=
e I
> purchased my first one they were only $20. When I had my studio, I neede=
d
> about six tubs to hold the different glazes I was using at that time to
> handle my production work. What I found nice about the tub is that it had=
a
> drain on one side of the bottom.
>
> The size was also very convenient for my large 24 inch platters. And when=
I
> mix up a large batch of glaze, about the same way Mel does it, it is also
> deep enough for the larger pots I make. I have converted my glaze into
> pounds and ounces which I weigh on an antique balance scale I bought from=
a
> bakery. I have enough weights to weigh all of the ingredients. I then
> transfer with large antique scoop into a large round plastic tub which I
> partially fill with hot water. The hot water slakes the dry ingredients m=
ore
> quickly than cold water. I also dry blend in one of the ingredients, like
> Kaolin, the bentonite and CMC. These two ingredients help to keep the gla=
ze
> suspended so that I don't have to stir the glaze as often between dipping
> pots. I use an electric drill with a Jiffy mixer. I have a glass hydromet=
er
> to take a reading of the final mixed glaze to make sure it is the right
> combination with the water. My glaze never gets moldy from the addition o=
f
> CMC.
>
> Between glazing sessions, I keep the tub tightly covered with plastic and=
a
> board which gives me table space as well. .
>
> Now if you only make small items, a 5 gallon bucket is sufficient.
>
> Bonnie
>
>
> http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
> http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
> DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
> DVD Introduction to Wheel Work
> Charter Member Potters Council
>
>
>
Frank Gaydos on tue 27 oct 09
When I glaze my 26" platters I only use a cup of glaze.
I spray em..
Frank ;>)
Subject: Re: glazing large platters
I use a plastic laundry tub easily available from home stores. At the time =
I
purchased my first one they were only $20. When I had my studio, I needed
about six tubs to hold the different glazes I was using at that time to
handle my production work. What I found nice about the tub is that it had a
drain on one side of the bottom.
Bonnie Staffel on wed 28 oct 09
Vince, I have no problems dipping my 24" platters in the laundry flat
bottomed tub with only three inches of glaze depth. I even dip lasagna pots
as well with a three inch high wall with minimal glaze depth. In a wok, you
have a thinner depth away from the center which to me is counter productive
if the three inch depth is only in the center.
Bonnie
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
Vince Pitelka on wed 28 oct 09
Bonnie Staffel wrote:
"Vince, I have no problems dipping my 24" platters in the laundry flat
bottomed tub with only three inches of glaze depth. I even dip lasagna pots
as well with a three inch high wall with minimal glaze depth. In a wok, you
have a thinner depth away from the center which to me is counter productive
if the three inch depth is only in the center."
Bonnie -
This is so hard to describe without actually demonstrating the process.
Next time I glaze platters with the wok I will shoot some images. You pour
your five gallons of glaze in the wok, and it creates a pool perhaps 24"
wide that is quite deep in the center. Holding a large platter horizontall=
y
and slightly tilted, you can dip one edge into the glaze and immerse almost
half of a 24" platter, and it is simply a matter of moving and tilting the
platter so that it is progressively dipped all the way around its
circumference. You move the piece in a circular motion while changing the
tilt so that the immersed portion moves around the circumference of the
piece. In one quick, smooth movement you coat the entire surface of the
platter top and bottom, and then remove it via the opposite edge and shake
it off. When properly done, this gives as smooth a glaze coat as can be
achieved by any dipping or pouring method, and there is very little
splashing or mess, especially with the 36"-diameter wok.
When I was making pots full-time in northern California, I made a lot of
huge mixing bowls, up to 24" in diameter. Those 24" mixing bowls were 12"
deep, and you can imagine the size of glaze container and the number of
gallons of glaze you would need if you were going to immerse the whole
thing. Using the wok, it was a simple matter to glaze these bowls with
three or four gallons of glaze.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Michael Wendt on thu 29 oct 09
24 X24X3=3D1728 cu inches =3D 7.5 gallons
The rod glazer I built requires one quart of glaze for two
or three passes.
The base is a pivot and can de angled in a manner that
drains the glaze off the pouring side only so that there is
very little mess if the correct size catch pan is used.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Bonnie wrote:
Vince, I have no problems dipping my 24" platters in the
laundry flat
bottomed tub with only three inches of glaze depth. I even
dip lasagna pots
as well with a three inch high wall with minimal glaze
depth. In a wok, you
have a thinner depth away from the center which to me is
counter productive
if the three inch depth is only in the center.
Bonnie
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