Hobby colorobbia 004D dipping glaze
- Lead-Free
- Low Thermal Expansion
- VERY strong
- Fits multiple bisque surfaces
- Beautifully Clear
- Dishwasher friendly
- Easy to use
- Ready Mixed
- Minimal-Separation formulation
- Manufactured by the same Italian company that mines, refines and distributes the clay that most Italian bisque is made from
- Ridiculously well priced!
This 'Super Clear' glaze has been developed specifically for the 'Contemporary Ceramic' market. Not simply 'as good' as it's 'Leaded' predecessor's, but better! A Great Clear Glaze is the cornerstone of a successful Ceramic decorating business. It is the first thing that your customers will see when they collect their work from you, choosing the right glaze is paramount to a successful business. Many a potential masterpiece can be so easily ruined by using a dull, unstable or ineffective clear glaze. In addition, what can appear a flat and uninspiring design before firing can be spectacularly enhanced by a simple coat of this clear glaze. Exceeding your customers expectations = Repeat Business ! Removing the Lead content from a clear glaze is a tricky business, the lead was put there for good reason, so removing it meant not only re-working the ingredients list, but also rethinking the old methods of production to accommodate the alternative elements, ingeniously added to this glaze. The result, is a superb, bright, non-toxic, strong clear glaze which is supplied ready mixed, very simple to use, and all this at an extremely competitive price. Exclusively from Hobby Ceramicraft, there is no glaze quite like 004!
The Glaze is, but the bisque probably isn't, combine the two and we have the most durable item we could possibly wish for. A dishwasher cycle is a harsh test of a ceramic item's strength, the heat, the moisture and the aggressive detergents can have a dramatic impact on delicate pieces. As part of the development of this glaze, regular tests are carried out on the fired surface which simulate 500 Dishwasher cycles. The low Thermal expansion of this glaze gives the fired surface an unsurpassed strength which will better withstand the regular stresses experienced within a dishwasher. Conventional wisdom would lead us to assume regular 'Leaded' glazes can have a more 'brilliant' appearance than 'non-leaded' versions, yet with the disadvantage of being softer. 004 now reverses that assumption, having the same brightness of a leaded glaze, but much 'harder' than you would expect. Because we are working with a porous clay body, handwashing items will always be better.
This is the most tolerant glaze we have come across in over 20 years in the hobby ceramic market, it has an enviable reluctance to craze and shiver, yet it is essential to understand that crazing is not only due to the glaze. 'Delayed' crazing primarily occurs due to the mechanic expansion of bisque absorbing humidity and moisture from the foot during the washing process. As this moisture heats up, it needs to expand, if the glaze is not strong enough or if the expansion is too much, the glaze will craze. Matching the expansion and contraction rates of the bisque to the glaze (Coeffecient of Expansion, COE) is important, yet 004 has a remarkable COE tolerance that will allow it to sit perfectly on an astonishing range of bisque items where other glazes fail. Keep the glazed item dry and crazing will become a most rare event.hobby Colorobbia is the 'hobby' division of a much larger group of companies within the expansive 'Colorobbia' family. With over 100 years of experience supplying the industrial ceramics market as well as individual artisans, Colorobbia today employs around 1800 employees all across the world, mining the raw materials, refining them, as well as combining them into some of the finest colours and glazes to the 'hobby' market. Glaze is made from special ceramic 'frits' which melt at varying temperatures to give either transparent or opaque finishes to the ceramic surface. Colorobbia started producing frits in 1946 and, after nearly 60 years of research, they have built an envious treasure of about 1500 different frits, with a total production of about 217,000 tons per year! The majority of all the fine bisque that is imported from Italy will have been made using one of the clays that Colorobbia produces. With complete control over the compostion of the clay, Colorobbia has become a master in fitting glaze with clay: the thermal expansion must be tested and controlled every time a new production campaign begins. Most of you will understand only too well how important this is, being confident that your glaze has the perfect fit for your bisque. 'Crazing' and 'Shivering' are unacceptable in any business! Hobby Ceramicraft has a long, well established, co-operative (& friendly!) relationship with hobby Colorobbia. 004D, Superclear, is truly the jewel in the crown of their current range, however, we continue to work closely with them to help develop new products that will continue to inspire contemporary ceramic artisans of the future.
"...this is a 'revolution' in glazes !!!"
Dr. Gabriele Montanari, Research & Development, Colorobbia. (developed the recipe for 004)
"This is the main difference we find when we compare Colorobbia with all our competitors in the hobby industry; No one of our competitors is a' frit' producer so they have to search among the suppliers for what is suitable for them. It's quite impossible for a big frit producer to develop a new frit [specifically] for the hobby market.too small !......"
Guido Bitossi, President, hobby Colorobbia.
Guido Bitossi, President, hobby Colorobbia.