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how to wash bisqueware

updated thu 26 dec 02

 

G.M. Schauer on wed 18 dec 02


Dannon Rhudy wrote 'I wash all my bisqueware...glazes don't crawl.' How do
you do this? Vigorously with running water, or a wipe with a damp sponge or
something else? Do you glaze immediately after? Some of these important
details are not in any book I have seen.
Thanks
Galen Schauer
rainy Minnesota

william schran on wed 18 dec 02


Galen asked about the comment made by Dannon regarding washing bisque
prior to glazing. I advise my students to "wash" all bisque ware
prior to glazing, especia;;y if the work has sat on the shelf for a
while. The amount of washing is determined by size of work, thickness
of wall of the pot or sculpture, the texture of the surface of the
clay and the desired thickness of the glaze application - so it
depends. On a work where a thin application of glaze (such as clear),
through pouring/dipping, is wanted, just run the work under the
faucet for a moment, wait until the water is absorbed into the clay
body, then glaze. For a thin thrown piece, wipe with a damp sponge,
otherwise the clay will be soaked with water and a proper glaze
application will be impossible. For a highly textured surface, run
under the faucet - sorta common sense - so you don't tear up the
sponge.
Bill, where the guy to hook up the satellite dish is due today.
Haven't seen any TV since beginning of November..... Hmmmmm, maybe I
should cancel that installation....naw!

Dannon Rhudy on wed 18 dec 02


Galen asked:

......How do you do this? Vigorously with running water, ........
or a wipe with a damp sponge .......

I rinse under running water. (I've observed that most stoneware
doesn't seem to require this, but I just do all at once
anyway). I turn the pieces upside down onto a towel
or paper, cover with paper to keep off airborne dust,
and glaze when I'm ready to glaze. A day or two,
usually. But in any case, I want my bisque dry.

I am not sure that these are "important details". I
know many who never wash their bisque, and do just
fine. I do what works for me. Test a little.

regards

Dannon Rhudy

Ababi on wed 18 dec 02


I wash my wares too, because of different reasons.
1) To smooth the paperclay and the other wares. I do it with SiC waterproof paper
with running water.
2)The technique I use when adding copper oxides: I wash with a foam under running
water.
I warm the kiln to 110C while doing it to dry the pieces. You cannot glaze a wet ware.
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910/912566/
Slides 62-64
Ababi
---------- Original Message ----------

>Dannon Rhudy wrote 'I wash all my bisqueware...glazes don't crawl.' How do
>you do this? Vigorously with running water, or a wipe with a damp sponge or
>something else? Do you glaze immediately after? Some of these important
>details are not in any book I have seen.
>Thanks
>Galen Schauer
>rainy Minnesota

Jonathan Kirkendall on wed 18 dec 02


You know, I never used to wash bisqueware, but recently have started. When
I was at the Boulder Potter's Guild in the early 90's, a couple of members
used to religiously wash their bisqueware, and I always wondered why. A few
months ago (more than 10 years later), I started rinsing off pieces that
appeared to be "dusty." I would let them sit overnight before glazing, and
noticed that they did in fact have a slight edge in glazing - just seemed to
take it better. Now I pretty much rinse everthing and let it dry as Dannon
suggested.

Jonathan in DC

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of Dannon Rhudy
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 10:09 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: how to wash bisqueware


Galen asked:

......How do you do this? Vigorously with running water, ........
or a wipe with a damp sponge .......

I rinse under running water. (I've observed that most stoneware
doesn't seem to require this, but I just do all at once
anyway). I turn the pieces upside down onto a towel
or paper, cover with paper to keep off airborne dust,
and glaze when I'm ready to glaze. A day or two,
usually. But in any case, I want my bisque dry.

I am not sure that these are "important details". I
know many who never wash their bisque, and do just
fine. I do what works for me. Test a little.

regards

Dannon Rhudy

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Gail Dapogny on wed 18 dec 02


Dannon said:
>I rinse under running water. (I've observed that most stoneware
>doesn't seem to require this, but I just do all at once
>anyway). I turn the pieces upside down onto a towel
>or paper, cover with paper to keep off airborne dust,
>and glaze when I'm ready to glaze. A day or two,
>usually. But in any case, I want my bisque dry.

Dannon, Do you also do this with porcelain (if it's not impossibly thin)?
I've been sponging my porcelain, but am getting tired of finding minute
bits of sponge just as I start to glaze.

At a majolica workshop with Ann Tubbs, we dunked our ware in a pail of
water about an hour or two before glazing. This was to avoid pinholes by
filling up the larger pores with water (I think I got that right). Do you
think that your washing under running water might also help to avoid
pinholes in ordinary glazed ware as well?

--Gail

Gail Dapogny
1154 Olden Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48103-3005
(734) 665-9816
gdapogny@umich.edu
http://www.silverhawk.com/ex99/dapogny (single historical photo - no longer
registered with Silverhawk)

Dannon Rhudy on wed 18 dec 02


Yes, I wash porcelain - mainly, porcelain is what
I work in. Then I just let it dry. I don't use a sponge.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Gail Dapogny"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: how to wash bisqueware


> Dannon said:
> >I rinse under running water. (I've observed that most stoneware
> >doesn't seem to require this, but I just do all at once
> >anyway). I turn the pieces upside down onto a towel
> >or paper, cover with paper to keep off airborne dust,
> >and glaze when I'm ready to glaze. A day or two,
> >usually. But in any case, I want my bisque dry.
>
> Dannon, Do you also do this with porcelain (if it's not impossibly thin)?
> I've been sponging my porcelain, but am getting tired of finding minute
> bits of sponge just as I start to glaze.
>
> At a majolica workshop with Ann Tubbs, we dunked our ware in a pail of
> water about an hour or two before glazing. This was to avoid pinholes by
> filling up the larger pores with water (I think I got that right). Do you
> think that your washing under running water might also help to avoid
> pinholes in ordinary glazed ware as well?
>
> --Gail
>
> Gail Dapogny
> 1154 Olden Road
> Ann Arbor, MI 48103-3005
> (734) 665-9816
> gdapogny@umich.edu
> http://www.silverhawk.com/ex99/dapogny (single historical photo - no
longer
> registered with Silverhawk)
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>

David Hewitt on thu 19 dec 02


I have been surprised at this thread for, while I have seen references
to washing bisque ware before, I have never done this myself and I have
been potting for 25 years.

It has always struck me as being unnecessary, unless of course I have
made a mess of some glazing and want to wash it all off and start again.

To me it sounds as if it would create a problem, as well as taking up
time, in that you are adding some water to the bisque ware and so
altering the glaze up-take and making the glaze thickness unpredictable.

Am I in the minority in never washing bisque ware?

David

In message , Dannon Rhudy writes
>Galen asked:
>
>......How do you do this? Vigorously with running water, ........
>or a wipe with a damp sponge .......
>
>I rinse under running water. (I've observed that most stoneware
>doesn't seem to require this, but I just do all at once
>anyway). I turn the pieces upside down onto a towel
>or paper, cover with paper to keep off airborne dust,
>and glaze when I'm ready to glaze. A day or two,
>usually. But in any case, I want my bisque dry.
>
>I am not sure that these are "important details". I
>know many who never wash their bisque, and do just
>fine. I do what works for me. Test a little.
>
>regards
>
>Dannon Rhudy

--
David Hewitt
David Hewitt Pottery ,
7 Fairfield Road, Caerleon, Newport,
South Wales, NP18 3DQ, UK. Tel:- +44 (0) 1633 420647
FAX:- +44 (0) 870 1617274
Web site http://www.dhpot.demon.co.uk

Gary Elfring on thu 19 dec 02


Hello G.M.,

Wednesday, December 18, 2002, 7:32:32 AM, you wrote:

GMS> Dannon Rhudy wrote 'I wash all my bisqueware...glazes don't crawl.' How do
GMS> you do this? Vigorously with running water, or a wipe with a damp sponge or
GMS> something else? Do you glaze immediately after? Some of these important
GMS> details are not in any book I have seen.

I just use a damp sponge on my porcelain pieces. You can feel the
difference on the surface. And I glaze right away. (I usually spray my
glazes.)

--
Best regards,
Gary mailto:info@elfring.com

Pat Southwood on thu 19 dec 02


Hallo,
David asked if he was alone in not washing bisque, I never have. Unless I
have made a complete pigs ear of it!
It depends on your turnround time, I guess, but the last batch I glazed had
been sitting around a bit, just blew the spiders out.......
Happy Christmas to those that do,
and a ribald solstice to those that dont!
Pat.

Ron Roy on fri 20 dec 02


If you have a central vac - puts the dust outside - it is a good way to
dust off pots.

If you wash - make sure you let the ware dry well before glazes. Even the
humidity in the air will sometimes affect the way bisque absorbs glaze. It
is not a good idea to glaze righ after washing - what we need to do is
reduce the variables - not increase them.

RR

Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
Fax: 613-475-3513

Lee Love on fri 20 dec 02


At the workshop where I am a deshi/apprentice (in my last months of a 3
year apprenticeship), my job during glazing is to wipe all the bisque with a
water soaked sponge. Because our bisque is low temp, if it is not wiped, the
glaze pinholes. To wipe properly, it takes a while to learn how much water
the sponge holds: enough to wet the pot but not run. Because the glaze
thickness is important, the pot is glazed immediately after wiping.

I think the other reason we wet wipe all the bisque is because of the
scraping of the zogan (slip inlay.) It leaves a powder on the surface.
Before the bisque is wet wiped, it is dusted with a duster made of shredded rice
rope, wearing a particle mask. I think this combined method is better than
vacuming or blowing the dust off.

--
Lee Love Ikiru@hachiko.com
Mashiko JAPAN

"Really there is no East, no West,
Where then is the South and the North?
Illusion makes the world close in,
Enlightenment opens it on every side."

- Japanese Pilgrim's Verse.

Ned Ludd on fri 20 dec 02


David Hewitt wrote
>I have been surprised at this thread for, while I have seen references
>to washing bisque ware before, I have never done this myself and I have
>been potting for 25 years.
>
>It has always struck me as being unnecessary, unless of course I have
>made a mess of some glazing and want to wash it all off and start again.
>
>To me it sounds as if it would create a problem, as well as taking up
>time, in that you are adding some water to the bisque ware and so
>altering the glaze up-take and making the glaze thickness unpredictable.
>
>Am I in the minority in never washing bisque ware?
>
>David

David
Aha, you are in the UK, are you not? A born and pott(er)y-trained
Brit myself, at it for the same time as you, it was only when I came
to north America that I discovered potters doing this. No British
potter washed bisque, or even thought of it, as far as I am aware.
Not every American potter I used to work for does this. Stoneware and
porcelain seemingly got the treatment more often than earthenware.

This raises an interesting technical point. It seems to be much more
common for American bisqueware to come out of the kiln with the light
but pesky fine powder coating that is prejudicial to good glazing,
while British clays do not. Are American and British clays so
different? At least some of the best ball clays are: you can't sub an
American ball clay (that I know of) for Hyplas or AT. Pity, as I used
to get a great red orange shino (cone ten reduction) with a simple
1:1:1 recipe of AT ball clay: Neph Sy: Pot Felspar (recipe not my
creation: it seems to have originated at the famed Harrow studio
pottery course in the Mick Casson years).

In the USA I have used American materials and the same Unity formula
(according to Hyperglaze) but results were poor. Aside from ball
clays I have not been struck by differences, cross-Atlantic, between
kaolins, whiting, flint and feldspars or anything else we typically
use in glazes. So where is this persnickety post-bisque powder coming
from, if not from US ball clays??

Washing production loads of bisqueware is a crummy job. Speaking from
experience!
Tip: do not use a sponge: it will be badly abraded, and leaves little
specks of sponge on your pots... Bah. Rinsing may work by itself, but
if you want to wipe I advise something tough and inert and flexible
(certainly NOT steel wool). I use a kitchen scourer 'cloth'. I don't
do it under running water, but fill a large tub with about 8 gallons
and have at it. Soon the water will go cloudy and grey, but it looks
dirtier than it is and I don't change it before washing about a
hundred pots.

I let the washed pots dry overnight, longer in damp weather. It
definitely makes a difference and I appreciate the results. It may be
more than just a matter of getting the fine powder off: my intuition
suggests that too-thirsty bisque - as it is in a dry climate or
straight out of the kiln - does not do the glazing any favors.
Washing might just 'prime' the bisque for optimum glazing by
'quenching it'. Just a notion.
Still, potters in England with its damper climate may not observe
this difference. I can understand a melancholic English potter,
perhaps slaving in a dank cellar built in the Canute Administration
worrying that washing would make his pots too soaked to glaze
properly.

If crawling and pinholing are bothering any potters, I'd advise
trying this tactic first of all, before altering recipes. Who knows,
even you Brits might benefit... if so, just don't tell your glowering
apprentices, if any, that I suggested it, OK?

best

Ned, in northern California

Steve Dalton on sun 22 dec 02


on 12/18/02 5:32 AM, G.M. Schauer at gschauer@SIHOPE.COM wrote:

> Dannon Rhudy wrote 'I wash all my bisqueware...glazes don't crawl.' How do
> you do this? Vigorously with running water, or a wipe with a damp sponge or
> something else? Do you glaze immediately after? Some of these important
> details are not in any book I have seen.
> Thanks
> Galen Schauer
> rainy Minnesota

Galen,

When I wash bisque, I'll dunk the piece into a big tub of water. Depending
on the piece, I might wipe it down with my hand or just swish it around. I
let the piece completely dry before I glaze.
--
Steve Dalton
Clear Creek Pottery
Snohomish, Wa
www.clearcreekpottery.com
sdpotter@gte.net

Maid O'Mud on tue 24 dec 02


From: "David Hewitt"

> Am I in the minority in never washing bisque ware?
>
> David

I never have. Never do - either for ^6 or ^10. In my opinion, a waste of
time which = money in the production business.

May make a difference, but though I use 4 different clay bodies (2 @ ^6, 2 @
^10) I don't use any porcelain.

sam - in cold, windy melbourne where snow is expected overnight....can't
wait to make snow sculptures :-)