Kiln wash

[Susan]

I am firing Spectrum together to fuse completely - two pieces, bringing the temp to 1415 degrees. I have several small pieces in the kiln on a newly kiln washed surface, sprayed several layers & dry. Almost all the pieces
have kiln wash stuck to them, except two which are larger than the others and have no wash stuck to them at all. Can someone explain this or help
so I don't get the wash stuck to the glass. I also use vinegar to take the Kiln wash off, is there something better?

[Tyler Frisby]

ARE THE TWO oTHER Larger peices clear irredecent, Through my experience, kiln wash doesnt stick as much on that type ogf glass.



hope i answerd youR Q for ya

[Geri Comstock]

I am firing Spectrum together to fuse completely - two pieces, bringing the temp to 1415 degrees. I have several small pieces in the kiln on a newly kiln washed surface, sprayed several layers & dry. Almost all the pieces
have kiln wash stuck to them, except two which are larger than the others and have no wash stuck to them at all. Can someone explain this or help
so I don't get the wash stuck to the glass. I also use vinegar to take the Kiln wash off, is there something better?

Limeaway will also work to remove the stuck kilnwash.

I don't use Spectrum glass, but I've found with BE glass that two things cause sticking. One is that for some reason, the opal glasses almost always have areas where kiln wash sticks to the back of them. Firing on some kind of fiber paper, such as Thin Fire, 550-J, or whatever will prevent this.

The other reason that the glass get kilnwash stuck to it sometimes is that I accidentally put a slightly damp piece of glass onto the shelf.

Good luck!

Geri

[Tom White]

Are the elements in your kiln located in the lid or on the wall of the kiln? I would locate the larger items in the center of the shelf with smaller ones around the edges. If your elements are on the wall of the kiln it is very possible that items near the edge of the shelf are getting hotter faster than ones in the center of the shelf. Hotter glass = stickier glass. It might work better for you if the pieces were all near the same size. As Geri said opals (opaques) tend to stick to the kilnwash more than cathedrals (transparents). I make my own kilnwash using 85% finely ground alumina hydrate and 15% kaolin. I use this to 1700 F for mini pot melts with minimal sticking. In my experience the more kaolin in the kilnwash the more it sticks to the glass. If you could get the results you are looking for with a slightly lower temperature with a longer hold you might get less sticking.

Best wishes,
Tom in Texas

[molly]

Seems I always kiln wash stuck to the back of my jewelry pieces, and sometimes it is prety bad. I have tried CLR and Limeaway on the pieces, and they work OK. However, I left some of my pieces in a bowl of vinegar the other day, and went to work. When I came home, I rinsed and brushed the backs of them with an old toothbrush, and...Voila! Clean as a whistle!

[Cynthia]

...Almost all the pieces have kiln wash stuck to them, except two which are larger than the others and have no wash stuck to them at all. Can someone explain this or help
so I don't get the wash stuck to the glass. I also use vinegar to take the Kiln wash off, is there something better?

Some glasses, more than others, will stick to the primer given the same set of conditions. Opals will be more prone to stick than transparents...white always sticks in my world as does neo lav and greens and yellows...The hotter the firing, the more likely you will get sticking. Irids fired to the shelf side will not stick because the coating acts as a separator. Art glasses seem to stick more readily than glasses intended for fusing with the exception of float, which doesn't seem to stick ever when I've fired it...

So, the question might be, what else, besides size could be different in these pieces? That might give you some clues and/or answers too .

[Judd]

I have noticed that Spectrum does seem to pick up more kiln wash than other glasses. Putting the iridized side down does help (as mentioned above).
Good luck,
Judd

[Barbara Muth]

when elbow grease isn't enough to get off kiln wash, sandblasting is a good option.

Barbara

[gone]

Hi Susan,

First off, what brand of kiln wash are you using? I use both spectrum and bullseye glasses and have no problems with sticking with either, using bullseye kiln wash. Some people can go more than one firing per application, but I will get sticking or a ghost of the previous firing on the back unless they're scraped off completely between firings. 1415 does not seem high enough to be overfired. Are you holding it for a very long time? In my experience, Spectrum does better when you go a little hotter, but don't hold it too long.