Help, Please!

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Glass Fever
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Re: Help, Please!

Post by Glass Fever »

It's not residue, it's etching from the vinegar, so no amount of scrubbing is going to get it off. I did it once myself with lime away. You could probably sandblast & fire polish. What kiln wash are you using? I was having terrible sticking when I first started out and was using the kiln wash that came with the kiln. I switched to BE's kiln wash & have had much better luck with it. HTH.
Jeanette Yielding
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Re: Help, Please!

Post by Jeanette Yielding »

Hi

Thanks for the reply.

So,the "rainbow" effect is the etching process starting? Some of the pieces are still shiny, but have this rainbow or irid water mark on them. The others are probably etched, which is probably why they look scummy?

I'm using HotFire kiln wash, which did come with the kiln. I'd better get the BE one. I've been using this same wash, and this is the first time I'd had this much problem with my pieces sticking.

I don't have a sandblaster, so is there another way to scuff them up by hand?

Thanks!
Morganica
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Re: Help, Please!

Post by Morganica »

Jeanette Yielding wrote:Hi

Thanks for the reply.

I don't have a sandblaster, so is there another way to scuff them up by hand?

Thanks!
Yes--get yourself some wet-dry sandpaper at the hardware store, or check online at places like HIS Glassworks for diamond hand-pads. I use 400-grit and switch to 600-grit if I'm not fire-polishing. If you don't fire-polish, leaves a velvety-satin finish. Obviously, it's easier to do this when the glass is flat, but you can do a pretty good job as long as there's not a lot of heavy texture in the work. I use flexible hand-pads and wet-dry sandpaper on my sculptures all the time. Kinda nice to stick a video in the TV, and sand while I watch.

Wet-dry sandpaper is pretty cheap--try a small pack first and see if you like the results.
Cynthia Morgan
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Barbara Muth
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Re: Help, Please!

Post by Barbara Muth »

Your schedules may also be a problem with the sticking. Try soaking longer at a lower temperature to achieve the same effect with less sticking.
Barbara
Check out the glass manufacturer's recommended firing schedules...
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