FAQ

Find answers to frequently asked questions

• During the winter
• Clay and Glazes

During the winter

Do you ship clay during the winter months?

The clay: The properties of the clay are not damaged by frost, but the water in the clay freezes/expands and separates from the clay, which can lead to holes/breaks in the packaging and the clay can dry out or leak. Once the clay is exposed to frost, the water separates from the clay and needs to be kneaded thoroughly to mix the water and clay again. The clay then regains its original plasticity. The molding clay can take great damage that makes it unusable in case of frost. Therefore, we ship during the frost period only at your own risk.

Are there other products that are damaged by frost?

Wax resist/wax emulsion: The properties of the product are destroyed by frost and it becomes unusable. We only ship the product at your own risk during the frost period.

Wax Off: The product's properties are destroyed by frost and it becomes unusable. We ship the product only at your own risk during the frost period.

Latex, Amaco: The product's properties are destroyed by frost and it becomes unusable. We ship the product only at your own risk during the frost period.

Bisque Fix, Amaco: The properties of the product are destroyed by frost and it becomes unusable. We ship the product at your own risk only during the frost period.

Lee's Liquid Soup: The product's properties are destroyed by frost and it becomes unusable. We ship the product at your own risk only during the frost period.

Clay and Glazes

When are Goerg&Schneider clays densely sintered?

Georg&Schneider shows its clays in color shade depending on temperature (1000°C-1240-80°C).

You can see when the clay is densely sintered on the specification found under DOCUMENTS on the product page of each clay.

A clay is densely sintered when the water absorption is less than 2%.

See in the column of the table: Water absorption.

What does not food safe mean?

It means that the glazed and fired ware is not compatible with food or cutlery. Glazes that are not food safe show this symbol on the label and/or on the product description on our website.

With a glaze that is not food safe, the following can happen:

It becomes discolored in contact with acidic food.

It gets ugly marks from cutlery that do not come off when you wash the dishes.

It cracks on contact with hot/boiling water.

It has a rough/cracked surface in which food can get stuck, leading to unhygienic goods.

What is the food safety of mixing two different glazes on the same goods?

If you mix two different glazes together, you need to test their food safety. This can be done as follows: you make a test firing of the desired combination and after that you put a slice of lemon on the glazed surface overnight, subject it to thermal shock (you pour hot water on it) and go for it with cutlery. If the surface remains unchanged after that, it is safe to eat.

Why does the glaze not look like the picture?

Generally, we recommend to make test firings with our glazes before application on production. Different outcomes of the glaze can depend on the firing curve/temperature, the clay, how old the kiln is, how many layers and how thick the glaze was applied. On the samples you see on our website, the glaze was applied with a soft goat hair brush in 2-4 layers and fired on white clay at 1020°C (for earthenware) and 1220°C (for stoneware). The layers of application are only a reference, as it is individual how to handle the application with the brush and which brush is used. It is best to test yourself by rolling out a strip of clay and applying the glaze with the desired brush in up to 5 layers. All of our glazes can be fired at higher temperatures and many perform well with the same results as if they were fired at 1020°C/1220°C, but some may change color, become runny and/or crack.

Why has a glaze that was previously purchased without a warning label suddenly been given warning labels?

In most cases, the glazes have not become more toxic or changed, but EU rules on the labeling of chemical products have changed, requiring immediate labeling of the contents. Our glazes are not toxic or dangerous after firing. When working with glazes/clays, it is important to avoid dust formation (or protect yourself against it), not to eat, drink or smoke while working and not to release glaze residues into the environment/drains. Clean the workplace and the goods with a damp cloth instead of using sandpaper.