[Clayart] the sieve

[mel jacobson]

the use of the sieve is a learning curve. when you need it most
is when you open the kiln and there are small chunks of crap on your best
pots.  often it is just one glaze, not often used, and you forgot
it has crap in it. (or, you did not know.)

same thing in studios with more than one person.  pieces of bisque
fall into the buckets.  (sloppy cleaning of bisque..and land on your pots. or stuff just falls
off tables and into buckets of glaze.

when making glaze i always run my new glaze through a 30 mess screen.
it goes fast. just pour and done.  you catch all the foreign stuff
from the bags of material.  it also mixes your glazes well. (and you
always slap your forehead and say....`where did all that crap come from?`)

when firing high temp, like cone 11,  most stuff gets buried and melts.
it is almost never a problem for me in my stoneware work.

but, i have gotten a good dose of religion since doing mel6 cone 6-7.
it is fussy.  i have to use the 60 mesh sieve with all glazes.
and, it is not uncommon to do it again half way through glazing.

if you are using for example, pure white porcelain, i bet a 80 is just
right.  but, does that ever take time and work. some have very keen
sieves that have paddles etc.  i don't have any of that sort of thing.
using that i would have to use a 3m green pad and rub it through the
screen.

so, there is no magic.  it is like a fart in church, you know right away
you should have used the sieve.
mel




website: www.melpots.com