Hotline Primo Primer test review

[Bert Weiss]

I received a sample of Hotline Primo Primer kiln wash to test.

I used it on shelves for my Bullseye dichro project. I give it high marks. It is removable with a paper towel, which is a trait I value, given that my preferred process is to remove and apply fresh kiln wash each time I fuse fire.

I couldn't find my haik brush so I picked up a big ole 4" cheapo house painting brush to apply the wash. I dipped the brush and brushed the whole shelf in one direction. I have small shelves. I dipped again and did the perpendicular direction, then smoothed it out with a pass or 2. The wash dried easily and very smoothly. I did not rub it with my fingers. It seemed fine without messing around with it. The texture seemed to flatten out, not accentuating the brush strokes.

Nothing stuck to any wrong places, the glass was easily cleanable.

So all the points seemed good. Berty likes it.

[tom suter]

I use the Primo also for in the jewlery kiln and have had no problem with my results. The only thing I don't like it could possibly be a bad mix ratio when I mixed it up a gallon at a time. I pour it in small canning jar and it settles fast and if it sits it get extremely hard to mix back up. It goes on fairly watery and drys veryfast and I coat in all four direction. Cleans off fast. But on my big shelf I use the other style shelf primer I do not recoat after every firing but after 3 or four high firing.

[Bert Weiss]

I use the Primo also for in the jewlery kiln and have had no problem with my results. The only thing I don't like it could possibly be a bad mix ratio when I mixed it up a gallon at a time. I pour it in small canning jar and it settles fast and if it sits it get extremely hard to mix back up. It goes on fairly watery and drys veryfast and I coat in all four direction. Cleans off fast. But on my big shelf I use the other style shelf primer I do not recoat after every firing but after 3 or four high firing.

Tom

It did settle out for me. I mixed less than a pint, maybe around a cup. I don't measure. I just put some powder in a container and add a lot of water to it. Mine took a bit more effort to remix but not too much and it did remix. I added some more water and painted away. The ratio of water to powder is pretty loose. Lots of water is good to me.

In my float work, I mix very thin and use 1 coat. For the BE I applied more coats on recommendation of Brock and other board folks.

[Jackie Beckman]

I'm wondering how accurate your test results using the tiles will be Bert, simply because you mentioned you used irid to the shelf, didn't you? Irid towards the shelf makes for an easy release with any kilnwash, I think. Throw a little spring green or red opal - (or worse yet - white) on there next time and let us know how that comes off. Although, I guess I've just been lucky. I don't get that kilnwash sticking problem anyway. (Not in a normal firing - highfire temps are much worse.) I use BE kilnwash and lots of opals, and so far, so good. (I probably just jinxed myself)

Jackie

[Cynthia]

I have used it with BE opals with better success than I typically experience using BE kilnwash. No sticking so far with cobalt, yellows, oranges or red, but did have a little sticking on white at temps not higher than 1470. I haven't used it a bunch (maybe a few dozen times), nor have I tried it on any other shelf material besides my mullite shelf since I always use paper on my Magnaform shelf.

Just a tidbit from my limited firings with Primo. Love the ease of cleaning. I that it settles into a near cement-like sludge when you mix up more than a single use amount.

Just one more bit to add to the mix.

[dee]

I received a sample of Hotline Primo Primer kiln wash to test.

I used it on shelves for my Bullseye dichro project. I give it high marks. It is removable with a paper towel, which is a trait I value, given that my preferred process is to remove and apply fresh kiln wash each time I fuse fire.

I couldn't find my haik brush so I picked up a big ole 4" cheapo house painting brush to apply the wash. I dipped the brush and brushed the whole shelf in one direction. I have small shelves. I dipped again and did the perpendicular direction, then smoothed it out with a pass or 2. The wash dried easily and very smoothly. I did not rub it with my fingers. It seemed fine without messing around with it. The texture seemed to flatten out, not accentuating the brush strokes.

Nothing stuck to any wrong places, the glass was easily cleanable.

So all the points seemed good. Berty likes it.

bert - is this their "new and improved" version? i have had inconsistent results with the original primo tho' the cleanup is wonderfully quick and i have noticed that it flows and smooths itself tho' i don't believe i get quite as smooth a finish on the back of pieces as when hand smoothing their hotfire pink stuff which is what i'm using for production work - my dichro inclusion coaster line is fired so that the bottom becomes the top and with a fiber paper circle to create the depression and i had some problems when i first got it with mucking up around the edges on the bottom and requiring too much rework to make the coasters saleable - i also get it creating a haze on the bottoms of things i fire over 1500 - cabs is about the only thing i fire this hot - so i am using it primarily for r&d work - and i'm using be cathedrals primarily with black in some pieces....
D