Warning! This will happen to you if you don't use these methods to prevent it. In this video,
I'll show you four methods to protect your kiln shells from that dreaded melting glaze.
If you own your own kiln or you're using someone else's you want to be careful not to damage the
kiln shelf. You want to take good care of your investment. When glaze melts on the shelf there's
a slim chance your pottery will survive and the kiln shell now has melted glaze on it.
Not everyone can afford those top-of-the-line kiln shelves, and not all of us want to spend
money on new ones. If you don't take precautions you'll be wasting time trying to get the glaze
off your shelf or you may even have to buy a new shelf. Protecting your kiln shelves is an
important part of pottery making. No one wants to scrape, chisel, or grind the glaze off. Or have
to buy a new one. All the supplies used in this video are listed for you in the show notes below.
There are several ways to protect your shelves from melting glaze. Let's take a look at the
pros and cons and the do's and don'ts as we go through each method of protecting your kiln shelf.
The first method is kiln wash. Kiln wash is a liquid resistant substance that you
brush on your kiln shelf to help protect your shelves. If glaze melts on your shelf
the glaze should lift right off. This is a basic kiln wash the basic kiln wash contains
Kalin and Flint. When mixing the powder with water make sure it's as thick as milk.
When mixing any powdered substance in pottery you should always wear a dust mask.
Now that it's no longer in the powder form you can take your dust mask off.
You can brush, roll, or spray on the kiln wash.
you should have a separate brush or roller for your kiln wash only. Apply thin even coats.
If you're finding any value in this video hit the like button at any time during the video.
Wait about a half an hour for the kiln wash to dry before applying another coat.
Two coats are best. You don't want the kiln wash to be too thick. One coat in one direction and the
second coat in another direction. Some potters do one coat and some do three. It's best not
to apply more than two layers because there's a greater chance of the kiln wash flaking. When you
do drip glaze or see kiln wash start to flake you need to reapply. Scrape off any glaze drippings or
flaking of the kiln wash. And always wear eye protection and a dust mask when doing this.
Then reapply the kiln wash by dabbing some on the bare spots. Depending on how hot you fire
the kiln and how often you fire will determine how often you need to reapply the kiln wash.
There is a downside to kiln wash. Your shelves may end up looking like this.
If the kiln wash is applied too thick, after a while it will flake and the flakes will fly around
inside your kiln and stick to your pottery. Over time the kiln wash will start to chip
and pit like this. Then you have to scrape and grind or even chisel it off.
Whenever removing kiln wash from your kiln shelf always wear protective glasses and a dust mask.
These pieces can fly up and hit you in the eye and the Flint and Kalin
is in dry form and it's not good to breathe in so keep that in mind.
See how the kiln wash chipped off
after you remove all of the kiln wash. That can be removed then you can reapply some fresh kiln wash.
There are a few important things to be aware of when using kiln wash. Never apply the kiln
wash to both sides of your shelf, and never apply it to the soft brick on the bottom
and sides of your kiln. The upside to kiln wash is when it's properly maintained it does a great job
of protecting your shelves. Once the glaze hits the shelf it does prevent the glaze from sticking.
The second method is Wax Resist. When glazing your pottery it's important to make sure there's
no glaze on the bottom of your pottery. Glaze can be hard to get off the bottom
of your pottery and you end up spending a lot of time trying to get it all off,
and sometimes it can be missed because the dry glaze may match the color of your bisque ware.
Any area you don't want glaze to stick to put wax resist on.
Just one thin coat will do. The wax makes it much easier
to wipe the glaze off the bottom of your pottery. Like water off a duck's back.
Just a few wipes with a clean damp sponge and your bottoms are glaze-free.
The wax will burn right off in the kiln leaving the bottoms nice and clean. I also
have an article at pottery crafter's website on different ways that you can use wax resist.
For even more protection you can apply wax resist at least a quarter of the way up on the
bottom rim. Be careful not to get any wax on your glazing area because it will leave resist spots.
The downside of wax resist is that it doesn't protect your kiln shelf from drippy glazes.
If the glaze is running it will run right past the waxed area and right onto your kiln shelf.
You can do double protection use cookies and wax resist, or kiln wash and wax resist. The
upside is wax resist does work great when using stable glazes and it's much easier to wipe off the
unwanted glaze areas. The third method is Cookies. Cookies are clay slabs that are placed under
the glazed pottery pieces to protect your kiln shelf. Cookies should be even and not too small.
If the glaze drips the cookie has to be large enough to catch the glaze, but not too big that'll
take up most of the real estate in your kiln. Your cookies should be at least an eighth of an
inch thick. A quarter is better because they last longer. You want to bisque fire them before using
them. Bisque firing shrinks the cookie, takes the moisture out, and makes sure that they don't warp.
When making cookies you want to have different sizes for different sized pottery.
The downside is you have to take time to make them and make sure they don't warp in the process.
I have a step-by-step video on how to make kiln cookies that will help with that.
The link is down below in the show notes for you. They don't protect your pottery.
If the glaze melts onto the cookie your pottery will fuse to the cookie like this.
But they will protect the kiln shelf. You can also apply kiln wash to your cookies.
Applying kiln wash will prevent the glaze from sticking to the cookie but the glaze will still
be all over the bottom of your pottery. If the glaze didn't melt too badly you may be
able to grind it off with a rotary tool and save your pottery. The diamond bits work the best.
The upside is you don't need maintenance and nothing flakes off the cookie that can
land on your pottery. Cookies are still a great line of defense in protecting your kiln shelf.
Look at how this one saved my shelf. It would have melted all over the kiln shelf.
If you're new to this channel welcome to Pottery Crafters. You can say hello in the comments
section below, and to see more videos like this in the future hit the subscribe button to get
notified anytime a new video comes out. Now for the fourth method in protecting your kiln shelf.
The fourth method is Kiln stilts. A good way to protect your kiln she f from the
glaze sticking to it is to use kiln stilts. Stilts support your pottery while being fired.
Stilts come in many different shapes and sizes. There's Y shape, round, triangular,
vertical and they've finely pointed. The sharp points leave almost no mark on your pottery.
When using kiln stilts you can glaze the whole piece and your pottery won't stick to the kiln
shelf. I have an article on Pottery Crafter's website with more detailed information on how to
glaze the bottom of your pottery. I left a link for you below. The downside of kiln stilts is
if the glaze does drip off of your pottery it will hit your kiln shelf. If your glaze is not stable
you'll want to use a cookie underneath or kiln wash for extra protection. The upside is they're
great for glazing pottery all over like this honey dipper. For more detailed information on all four
ways to keep the glaze off of your kiln shelves you can check out my article on How to Protect
your Kiln Shelf from melting glaze. I left a link for you below in the show notes. Choosing one or
more of these four methods will save you time in the long run and money on new kiln shelves.
With creating anything there's always clean-up and maintenance involved
but it's worth it. I hope I've helped you in choosing the method or methods that are right for
you. Don't forget to give this video a thumbs up. Also if you want to see me cover any other topics
on this channel leave a note down below. I'll see you next time and as always let's stay dirty.