View Larger Image Affixing wax handles to the bottom of a difficult-to-dip pot will make glazing quick, neat and simple.

March 28, 2008

Tip of the Week: Wax On, Wax Off

by Peter Sharpe | Read Comments (3)

Anyone who has ever struggled with unwieldy glazing tongs or dropped a piece into the glaze bucket because they lost their grip on the foot will appreciate this week’s Tip of the Week. Peter Sharpe of Rimbey, Alberta, Canada, came up with this clever solution for glazing difficult-to-dip pots. Thanks Peter!

Dipping a bowl in a glaze bucket can be frustrating if the sides of the bowl are steep, and if the foot is difficult to grasp. After I wax the foot, I attach a 3-inch length of red extruded wax that is sold for bronze-casting sprews. An internet search for extruded wax for bronze casting should help locate suppliers. The wax is available in 1/4 and 1/2-inch diameters, and is very strong. I use a small soldering iron to affix the red wax to the waxed base of the bowl, and then dip the pot in the glaze as desired. After the glaze is dry, I simply snap off the red wax cylinder and reuse it. For heavier vessels, I bend the 1/2-inch diameter wax cylinder into a handle shape, so it attaches to the base in two places.

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