Question:
How do I clean Greenware?
Greenware breakage
Having a problem breaking greenware when you are cleaning? You can prevent this by creating ‘soft bisque'. This is done by firing your greenware pieces to cone 018 before you start to clean. The bisque will still be soft enough to clean, yet hard enough to allow you to handle without easily being broken.
Mold lines
If you have a mold line that is difficult to remove from a piece of greenware, dampen the piece slightly. It will come off easier and lessen the chance of breakage
Filling a crack
If you are filling a crack in greenware with slip, be sure to work the slip into the cracks as deeply as possible to form a solid bond. You may find using a stiff brush will help, using a back and forth movement of the bristles.
Final step
The final step in cleaning is to sponge your piece lightly with a damp sponge. This will guarantee smooth greenware and remove excess dust.
Common faults
Heavy seams in greenware can be the result of not banding your molds tightly enough.
If pieces collapse when removed from the mold, try putting a foam rubber piece inside of the greenware and nesting them in shredded paper to dry.
Cracks around the pour hole of a greenware piece are commonly caused by tearing, rather than cutting, the spare off and may only appear after firing.
Save Debris:Mender
While you are cleaning a number of pieces, be sure to save the greenware bits that you cleaned off. When you finish, catch all the scrapings in a bisque cup and fire. This residue can be used as a fine grog that can be used to fill in cracks in bisque.
The importance
The first stop in doing cast ceramics is the most important and that is the cleaning of greenware.
It is true that greenware is fragile, but it is nothing to be afraid of when cleaning.
When holding a piece of greenware, do it firmly enough to hold it securely, but not hare enough to crack it.
The primary function of cleaning a piece of greenware is to remove the seam line caused by molds in the casting process.
Over-sponging
Do not over-sponge your piece in the cleaning process. It is possible to make a piece too smooth, closing the pores, and preventing the piece from taking colour later after it has been fired
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| Guru Spotlight |
| Jolyn Wells-Moran |
