New Thinfire Problem

[Lisa Allen]

A friend and I split a roll of the new thinfire and while I have had no problems, she had something weird happen.

Her piece was BE, with opaque red as the base. The bottom after firing had many whitish patches that would not come off, like the glass had incorporated the thinfire in places. She took it to 1470 and it was the second use of the thinfire. She likes to fire on a layer of 1/8th" fiber paper with the thinfire on top of that. This is something she did all the time with the old thinfire with no problems.

Any ideas? Or should she just plan on using the new thinfire only once. I ask because I have seen a few posts mentioning repeated use of the new stuff with no problems and I am wondring what the set up was that allowed for successful re-use.

Thanks, Lisa

[Paul Tarlow]

I use it for multiple firings only when I'm refiring the same piece and dont have to remove it from the shelf between firings.

- Paul

[Jerry Cave]

Using thinfire "AT ALL" has been a question in my studio. For my jewelry work I don't touch the stuff. Just make sure the shelf is primered well.

My question is, what is the general consensus of using shelf paper?

[DonMcClennen]

I agree with Jerry......I don't like the smell, the contamination in the kiln and the messy cleanup after using thinfire. Kiln wash may be a little more work but it is my preference.
Don

[kelly alge]

I've only been able to reuse thinfire with transparent, small fused pieces. Never works on opals.

[S. Klein]

I'm having a similar problem, but, with the old thinfire. In one kiln I fire on 2" rigidized fibreboard, 1/8" fiber paper and thinfire. My top temp is 1490. I get a white hazing on the back of these pieces that will not come off except by sandblasting. In the other kiln I use a kiln shelf (instead of the board) 1/8" fiber and thinfire and the back is perfect. Same thinfire and the same batch of 1/8" fiber. Does the board or the rigidizer release something?? Still testing, No answer yet....................steve

[Lisa Allen]

I'm having a similar problem, but, with the old thinfire. In one kiln I fire on 2" rigidized fibreboard, 1/8" fiber paper and thinfire. My top temp is 1490. I get a white hazing on the back of these pieces that will not come off except by sandblasting. In the other kiln I use a kiln shelf (instead of the board) 1/8" fiber and thinfire and the back is perfect. Same thinfire and the same batch of 1/8" fiber. Does the board or the rigidizer release something?? Still testing, No answer yet....................steve

Interesting.......She is using new thinfire on 1/8th" paper on top of a mullite kiln shelf and getting the same white hazing. But only on the second fire. With the old, she used the same set up and was fine for 2 or 3 firings.

I use a 2" HD, unrigidized board as a shelf in my kiln and put the thinfire on top of that and have had no hazing problems with old or new. My biggest problem with the old was that the blasted stuff tore terribly under anything big or heavy and left icky rivers where the paper seperated. That is completely eliminated with the new. i never got a second fire out of the old because of the tearing, so I guess I resigned myself to always having to cut a new piece of paper for every firing.

Also, I find with my set up that the new stuff is toast after one firing without the 1/8th" giving it a more stable surface to disintegrate into, where the old might have held up longer on just the board, if it hadn't always torn. The old paper was noticably hardier after firing than this new stuff, but for me, the elimination of tearing is worth not having to option of using it twice. Saves me always having to plan on an extra "river flattening" firing before I could slump.

Lisa

[Cynthia]

Using thinfire "AT ALL" has been a question in my studio. For my jewelry work I don't touch the stuff. Just make sure the shelf is primered well.

My question is, what is the general consensus of using shelf paper?

If you don't have to use it as a shelf separator, don't. It's very useful for lots of applications though for texture, as a separator, bas relief, holes...

I would love to eliminate my use of thinfire. It's expensive, messy and a bit of a hazard... but I have a magnaform shelf in my fiber kiln. Some opals stick to the wash even at lower processing temps, and when the glass sticks to the wash it pulls apart the shelf as well. Thinfire is the only defense I have to protect my shelf, and I don't have any other options at present for a clay shelf that is one continuous slab that is 30" x 60". In the future when I am endowed with great wealth and an assistant, I will invest in an extruded shelf from the UK (They float my boat just like the Skutt Clamshell...can't afford that right yet either). Right now it's not in my budget, and I am not psychologically prepared to alter my known firing schedules that will undoubtably change when I change the shelf (It's probable that to put clay shelf in my fiber kiln isn't a great idea in terms of it being a heat sink). In my brick kiln I use a primed mullite shelf exclusively. If the wash sticks...what the hey. I don't have that luxury on the fiber shelf.

I was given a sample of the Primo kiln wash by Hotline. I have loved it in the brick kiln, and am going to use an old magnaform shelf primed with the Primo to see if I can use that and avoid the problems of sticking and tearing with this primer. IF it works. I'm switiching...or I'll make my own. Then so long Thinfire...if wishes were horses, beggars...

[Stuart Clayman]

Thinfire is the only defense I have to protect my shelf, and I don't have any other options at present for a clay shelf that is one continuous slab that is 30" x 60". .

Have you tried using sand box sand as a seperator? It works great if you don't care about the back.

[Brad Walker]

Have you tried using sand box sand as a seperator? It works great if you don't care about the back.

I know this sounds crazy, but have you ever read the MSDS for children's play sand? Or even read the warnings on the label? Here's a sample, from the MSDS for play sand made by Quickrete: "Contains silica dust that can cause severe and permanent lung damage and other diseases." It also warns that you shouldn't breathe the dust and recommends a respirator if you're around it a lot. Here's the details: http://www.quikrete.com/downloads/MSDS% ... gravel.pdf

Now this could just be a bunch of governmental malarkey, but on the other hand it's certainly true that silica dust is bad for you. If it were up to me and I wanted to use sand as a separator, I'd find something other than regular play sand. Why take the chance?

[charlie]

how many kids to you see wearing respirators in the sand box, or even on the beach?