Expert: Leisha Hiester - 12/28/2008

Question
Hello Leisha,

You mentioned that some translucent glazes would tend to run and that I should do something about it with wax.
Are you referring to simply waxing the bottom of the piece and the lowest 1/4 inch on the piece or are we talking about places where the glazes might pool?

I don't know if the studio owner will fire this, when glazed, vertically, like a vase  or horizontally, like a platter or a tray. If it is vertically, would I wax some of the ends of the grooves that are in the piece to keep it from running. For example if I have run a comb through a piece for 5 or 6 inches and put an oxide in the grooves and then sponged it off, would I want to spread some wax right below the end of the grooves to keep it from pooling?

I have a lot of time invested in this and hope to work on it soon.


Steven

Answer
Steven,
I know the amount of time it takes for a project like this. I'm excited for you & hope you'll shoot me a photo of the finished piece. I would definitely try to get this fired flat. #1. It helps avoid any warpage. #2. It helps against the pooling.
If you think about anywhere you don't want the glaze to move too much, that is where you can utilize wax to help keep it in place. Oxide doesn't generally run by itself, but if you place a glaze over top of it you'd want to be careful there.
Any way I can help, glad to.
Leisha