I am having trouble with old forge floating blue glaze

[Dante here]

I'm trying to mix Old Forge Floating Blue glaze, but I'm stuck. I followed the recipe, added around 85% water by weight, aiming for 1.42 SG, but the mix is way too thick, it is almost like whipped cream. It's tough to sieve, dries slowly on test tiles, and develops fine cracks. I tried deflocculating with sodium silicate, but it only got worse, gelling over time. Viscosity testing failed since the glaze wouldn't drain. Any suggestions to fix this? I'm completely stumped.

 

[Glasingvasing]

How are you adding the sodium silicate? Ideally, you'd want to add it by fraction because adding it all at once or in bigger batches causes gelling. Also, you might want to try with sodium polyacrylate dispersants and see if that helps reduce the thickness.

TO be fair, it's weird that you're having 1.42 sg, but still a thick mix.

 

[madaboutmud]

I'm trying to mix Old Forge Floating Blue glaze, but I'm stuck. I followed the recipe, added around 85% water by weight, aiming for 1.42 SG, but the mix is way too thick, it is almost like whipped cream. It's tough to sieve, dries slowly on test tiles, and develops fine cracks. I tried deflocculating with sodium silicate, but it only got worse, gelling over time. Viscosity testing failed since the glaze wouldn't drain. Any suggestions to fix this? I'm completely stumped.

I understand it can be frustrating but it's a common issue with that specific glaze.
Old Forge Floating Blue is notorious for its thixotropic nature, that it thickens when it sits still.
The whipped cream texture you're seeing is a classic sign.
Instead of adding more water and risking a watery mix, try using a small amount of Darvan 7.
It's a much better deflocculant for this type of glaze and should help thin it out without causing the gelling you saw with sodium silicate.
Add it in very small increments, stirring well each time until you get a more manageable consistency.
Another thing to consider is the brand of nepheline syenite you're using as some can cause this thickening more than others.

 

[LadyMae]

If sodium silicate didn't help, it might be too much or added too early, try a small test batch and slowly add Darvan 7 or Darvan 811, drop by drop, mixing well between each just until it starts to thin out.