Okay, tell me what I'm doing wrong. I've got a new stainless floral former, and wanted to put kiln wash on it. As I understand it, the drill is to heat it to 500 degrees and then spray on the kiln wash. Doesn't look like I expected it to, so I'm wondering what went wrong.
I'm using Hotline kiln wash in a spray bottle (same as I use for my bisque molds). I heated it up, sprayed it, and some seemed to stick and some ran off in areas. What stuck is in a very thin layer.
Is this normal for the first coat? How many coats do I need, should I have sanded the mold first, and do I need to heat between coats? Any other ideas?
The first time you apply kilnwash to a stainless mold nothing wants to stick.
Try sanding the mold to rough up the surface and then fire it in the kiln to about 1200-1300, before trying to apply the wash. Firing will burn off any oils and slightly oxidize the surface to better hold the kilnwash.
Another trick I use is heat the mold with a heatgun or blow dryer while you apply the spray. Heating in the kiln takes too much time and it cools too quickly for me.
There is also a product by Hotline called Mold Armor. According to the label on the bottle, you apply a thin coat with either brush or spray onto a cold mold, fire to 1100-1292 degrees Fahrenheit to cure, and smooth by hand or with fine steel wool when cool. I remember reading that the armor is good for up to 60 firings.
Okay, phase 2. I sanded the floral former and fired to about 1200. Then I tried spraying again. I had more success this time--no blank spots--but the coating still seems thin to me.
Also, how many coats is "enough" for draping over this shape? Do you heat between coats?
You shouldn't be able to see any metal through the kilnwash. If you ned to add more just reheat and spray more on. Once you get a good coat it should last for a long time except for a little touchup where the glass is in direct contact at the top.
