Stephani Stephenson on fri 4 aug 06
Lili
Red...
I tried a Spectrum commercial red recently on part of a tile that had
to be goof proof brilliant red... I believe it was fire engine
red...I'll check tomorow
one of the new ones Spectrum is advertising as fool proof... and it
sure was for me.. brilliant opaque red...I believe it is a cone 06
though I did take it to cone 04 ...
so... a final low firing for the red might be a
possibility?...Otherwise, yes I would go for the enamels. I think it
would hold up pretty well..could always put a clear epoxy top coat
over it...
Acrylics.... I use to occasionally use acrylics on sculptural pieces..
but used them as a thin wash...a soiid coat looked too much like, er,
acrylics....
... I used Golden brand acrylics...they have a very high pigment
content,,,no filler, so they mix true and are light fast, also some
wonderful mediums... I used their airbrush acrylics as well as the
fluid acrylics thinned down. also they make
matte acrylics so you don't have the plastic shine....
also I have used water based oil paints , they are true oil paints ,
only the linseed molecule had been changed so that it can thin with
water instead of solvent. They have a richer look, but I use them as
washes, on occasion, so they sink in to the clay. Grumbacher makes them
. Winsor Newton probably does too.
Ah yes the plastiline/ plasticine... I have had success by putting it
in the microwave... do so at your own risk...
actually I melted some it into a puddle...I was experimenting with
pouring plastiline like wax.... be sure to use a container that can
handle it, and watch out, it is stinky and gets very hot.... but at
least it did not catch fire, and remained plastiline....which were 2
things I was not entirely sure of
when I embarked upon that particular experiment!!!!
Also you can stop shy of the puddle stage.... it softened nicely.
Stephani Stephenson
steph@revivaltileworks.com
http://www.revivaltileworks.com
Lili Krakowski on fri 4 aug 06
Wedging and throwing clay that was too hard FOR ME was a big contributing
factor to my carpal tunnel and other hand troubles. I learned to throw
"harder" clay quite wet. It took me years--by which time it was late--to
learn to throw as dry as can be, with clay as soft as the pug mill will
produce. I do not wedge clay, I do cone it up several times on the wheel.
Unlike Ivor I find it an excellent way of finishing the wedging process--but
my guess is that the softness of the clay contributes to that effectiveness.
Acrylic paint is often mentioned on Clayart as a way of coloring a finished
piece. I am making a (statue of) Liberty which will be a fountain in a
friend's pond. I would like to use as much glaze as I can, no big deal,
white and blue slip, clear glaze, BUT I want a bright bright red. Now. Why
does one use acrylic instead of car enamel or car lacquer ( I have some of
both) ? And if one must use acrylic, what kind does one use? Where does
one buy, what does on ask for? NB She will be fired c. 6 but her crown will
feature c.10 standard cones, radiating out.
I have several pounds of old plasticene that has hardened into rock. I had
hoped the heat wave would soften it--but it didn't. Is there a way of
replasticizing it?
Thanks.
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Snail Scott on sat 5 aug 06
At 03:02 PM 8/4/2006 -0400, you wrote:
>Acrylic paint is often mentioned on Clayart as a way of coloring a finished
>piece. I am making a (statue of) Liberty which will be a fountain in a
>friend's pond. I would like to use as much glaze as I can, no big deal,
>white and blue slip, clear glaze, BUT I want a bright bright red...
I would do your ^6 firing to vitrification,
then refire to ^06 with a commercial low-fire
glaze for your red areas. If you use a dark
underglaze or slip in those areas for the ^6
firing, it will give a 'toothy' surface to
glaze over later, and a dark undercoat will
look better than a light one if the red burns
out a bit in the thin spots.
China paints will also give a nice strong red
over stoneware, or anything else, for that
matter.
>...Why
>does one use acrylic instead of car enamel or car lacquer ( I have some of
>both) ? And if one must use acrylic, what kind does one use?
Mot people (including me) use acrylic instead of
enamels because they can be blended and worked
just like painting on canvas. They also dry
rapidly, and clean up with plain water - no toxic
solvents.
For a solid, slick color, though, oil-based
enamels would be a good choice. Hardware stores
sell little cans of bright colors for projects,
and you can avoid the clean-up issue by using a
cheap throwaway brush. Enamels will also hold up
better than acrylics on a fountain, and be easier
to clean. You could also mask the area and use
spray paint, Brush-on enamels will make a smoother
texture, while spray paint will give the exact
texture of the surface underneath.
Many people do not realize that although paint
appears to be dry when it's no longer wet to the
touch, the full curing process takes much longer.
Even for acrylic paint, full durability isn't
reached until almost a month after application,
and many oil-based paints take similar times.
With oil-based enamel, the water of the fountain
won't dissolve it, but it will slow the curing
process since the volatiles in the paint can't
evaporate as well through water. With acrylics,
though, getting regularly wet during the curing
period will seriously impair the strength of the
paint. Just FYI.
When choosing acrylics, (if you go that route)
I generally prefer artist-grade paints, which
have more 'stuff' in them. The hobby-grade
paints generally have less pigment, less acrylic,
and may be less light-fast. For a project like
this, though, I'd consider the new 'baked-on'
acrylics sold to people who want to decorate
purchased vases and such. The limited color
palette won't be an issue if basic red is your
intent, and these acrylics really do seem to
set harder than normal acrylics after heating.
The Pebeo company makes some called 'Porcelaine'.
>I have several pounds of old plasticene that has hardened into rock. I had
>hoped the heat wave would soften it--but it didn't. Is there a way of
>replasticizing it?
Probably the oils have finally dried out.
Heating only works if the oil is still in there
to be softened up. Oil-based clay dries a whole
lot slower than weater-based clay, but it does
eventually dry. Reprocessing sounds like a
real pain in the ass, honestly. I can't think
of a method that wouldn't be absurdly labor-
intensive. If anyone else does, I 'd love to
hear about it, too.
-Snail
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