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November 16, 2007

Tip of the Week: Acrylic Varnish is an Easy, Fast Alternative to Wax

by Judith Enright | Read Comments (0)

Many ceramic artists use emulsified wax; however, it can take from 30 minutes to an hour for emulsified wax to dry depending on the temperature in the room, thickness of wax application and a myriad of other conditions. As an alternative, for the past ten years I've been using acrylic varnish, a product used by fine artists to extend their paints or to protect the finish of their paintings. It looks milky white and dries clear, so add a drop of food coloring in the bottle to help you see where you've applied it on a pot. I've found that acrylic varnish applies beautifully because it's thin. In addition, it dries in seconds, you can scrub out unwanted spots with mineral spirits or nail polish remover, and treated items can be stacked on top of each other since the hard-coat varnish won't transfer. Also, acrylic varnish burns out during firing with much less odor and fumes, and you can use it for masking and layering broad areas (it doesn't do as well for fine lines). When finished applying the varnish, simply wash out your brush with warm water and soap. Thanks Judith!

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Other great tips
1. Popouts in bisqueware can be patched with high-temperature, heat-setting kiln mortar. Simply dig out any of the offending material from the bottom of the crater that may still remain, dampen the area and fill with mortar. The pot may again be bisqued or glaze. Visibility of the patch will depend on the type of glaze and color of the clay body. The mortar can be darkened with iron to more closely match stoneware.

2. Positioning a large piece inside a container for post firing reduction is often difficult. It seems easier to place the container over the piece, but how does one keep the combustibles inside? A simple solution is to fill the container with paper shreds, then tape a sheet of paper over the container's opening. When the container is inverted over the piece, the combustibles are held back by the paper. The hot piece then burns through the paper barrier as the container is lowered.

3. For potters with smaller studios, creating adequate table space and shelving is troublesome; however, a few card tables (which fold up and store out of the way) could help immeasurably. They fit nicely over stacked 5-gallon glaze buckets or boxes of clay when you need more space for greenware. They also fit nicely above wheels when glazing. Shelving can be temporarily expanded by stacking shelf boards with 2x4s cut to the width of the board. Such shelving can be easily adjusted for height or dismantled for storage.

4. Twist-top white-glue bottles can make wonderful slip or glaze trailers. When the airtight orange top is twisted shut, the slip or glaze remains ready indefinitely for the next use.

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You can find definitions and explanations for more than 500 ceramic terms—from agateware to zirconium—in the Ceramic Arts Daily Glossary.