Kiln wash as bead release? anyone do this

lisabk · #1 2010-04-02, 9:57am

Was reading Cindy Jenkins book and she mentions kiln wash can be used as bead release? anyone do this? I have a bucket full of that!
Thanks

margaretz · #2 2010-04-02, 10:05am

Which kiln wash?

I used Alice's stained glass bead release/ kiln wash for years. Alice's is brittle and grainy, but so easy to remove beads from the mandrel. Mix thicker than you'd use for kiln wash- go for a melting milkshake/ pancake batter consistency.

Now I mix it 50/50 with FPI, which holds up to long periods of shaping better than Alice's alone.

lisabk · #3 2010-04-02, 10:25am

Bullseye. It is what I use to coat my kiln shelves with.
For that I mix 5 water to 1 powder.
Cindy's book gives a 2 t 1 ratio.

tammydownunder · #4 2010-04-02, 3:21pm

I just water down my bead release (fusion mixed with Foster Fire) and paint the kiln with that about every 6 months or so.

houptdavid · #5 2010-04-02, 3:29pm

When they mention kiln wash they are talking the type for pottery not the BE hifire

When I started I had about 5# of kiln wash and used that until christmas when I was Secret santa'd some bead release.

"Homemade" release
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178545
http://www.glassline.net/forums/showthread.php?p=728

Alaska · #6 2010-04-02, 8:19pm

Did give kiln wash mixed with white china clay a try and it did work. Now using a much more complicated formula for mandrel release and it seems to be working out fine.

ozarkcat · #7 2010-04-02, 10:15pm

Yes! I get it from a local pottery supply place, a pound of that & a pound of alumina (sp?) hydrate, mix it together 1:1 and then add water to the consistency that I want. Provides at least a couple quarts of bead release (I'm still going through my first two pounds of dry mix) and the damage to the pocketbook is about $4.50 with tax.

I'm pretty happy with it all in all, though I haven't had a chance to play with anything fancy. It definitely beats flameworks (I think that's the brand they sell at Hobby Lobby) hands down.

Yahoo, a question I can actually contribute an answer to! I'm starting to feel a little less the newbie & a little more like I know what I'm doing

Sorry if I seem a bit bubblier & annoying than usual, we just had our first lamb of the season born about 30 minutes ago, and I'm still on the "new baby" high

tammydownunder · #8 2010-04-02, 10:55pm

Oops, my bad. I read the question backwards and interpreted as bead release to be used as kiln wash. Cat has the same recipe that several of the Ozzie bead makers use as postage is very pricey on the imported bead release.

Potter · #9 2010-04-03, 11:40am

not sure about what exactly is in bead release, but the kiln wash we use in the ceramics studio is 50/50 alumina and ball clay (we mix our own - and china clay would sub for the ball clay) though i haven't tried it as release yet... i may do that next time I make beads i shall try

jaci · #10 2010-04-04, 8:10am

I did it. It worked well once I found the right consistency. You will have to play with it. I put mine in a starbucks frappicchino bottle (the big one, perfect for a good dip) I just shake it up. Its the pink powder. I did not add anything to it. I hear you can add DE (diatanious earth.. found at pool supply) or graphite or allum or a combo of them, but in a pinch it will do well on its own. Its not very strong, and i found it was more prone to change based on humidity. I cant remember but i think depending on the weather I would dip them and let them air dry or hold them in the kiln for a few sec's... I remember either re-dipping 3 day old mandrels, or having to wait a day to use fresh dipped ones.. but I cant remember if this had to do with the weather or not!!! haha.. anyways it does work. really really. You could even add a bit of other release to the kiln wash too. Make your own mix.

OH and if you think you added too much water, dont add more powder, just wait till it separates and pour off the top. that way you dont have more than you planned to make. I know that in my starbucks bottle there was always about 1in of pink water at the top if it settled when I had made a good batch. (then just shake and dip... pit beads or marbles in jar to mix it up better)

cheng076 · #11 2010-04-04, 9:49am

A little gum arabic will keep the seperation down.

MelanieG · #12 2010-04-04, 10:36am

I used it when I first started, and it works fine but I found that it's harder to get out of the beads than regular bead release. I have no idea what kind I was using though... the guy who taught me my first class was using it (and apparently still is) so it must have some appeal that is now lost on me after trying Fusion.

Astrid Riedel · #13 2010-04-06, 1:50am

You know I always used glasskiln wash until I finally mixed up the little bottle of smooth bead release which had been standing around for years!
I find that the commercial bead release is beautifully smooth, but does not hold up much better when pressing beads than the kiln wash. So I am hunting for another product, any recommendations?

jaci · #14 2010-04-08, 4:06am

foster fire or fusion works GREAT!