Anyone using Kiln Wash to keep dross from sticking???

[Craig]

I have played with hi temp lubes and other products to try to keep dross from forming for a year now, with little luck. Then after pulling slivers of dross out of my shoe I though there must be something to reduce this. Then I remembered that before I started working with metal I used to work in ceramics and there was a product that you would coat the shelves of the kiln with so that glaze would not drip off your work and stick to the shelves. Kiln wash is basically, Kaolin (the clay that makes porcelain white) and either Silica (Silicon rust) or Alumina Hydrate (aluminum rust) mixed in a 50/50 ratio. Then combined with water to make a thin paste. I have been experimenting over the last few days and have found that it also helps reduce splatter from MIG welding; because it's painted on it can be strategically located to protect things like threads. Make sure that it dries before cutting or it will not work! You might need 2 coats if your mix is too thin. Clean up it very easy you can use water to rinse off excess wash or a rag. Just remember that kiln wash is only non-toxic in liquid form as a powder it can pose a breathing hazard so wear your respirator.

Anyone ever try this? P.S. included pictures of the results.

Craig Johnson

[Craig]

Another pic

[muzza]

Thanks for the tip Craig but I'd suggest that something must be seriously out in your speed or height to get that much dross. I do a lot of cutting in light gauge and up to 10mm. I get virtually zero dross on the heavier and on the light gauge a quick run over with the wire wheel and it's gone. I use a PM 45 pretty much at or within 20% of book spec, the only time I get dross that's a bit stubborn is on arty type stuff where the torch slows right down to change direction ie leaves. A spiral, long curve or straight line would have very minimal if any as the speed stays up there.
I used to have a bit of a dross problem quite a while back as I thought the book cut speeds were unreasonable and operated well below them. Jim was constantly telling people the cut speeds they should be running so I thought he might just be right and kept upping them, the closer I got to the book the better they were looking to the point where now I run at pretty much what Hypertherm recommend.
Thanks again for your tip but in my opinion if you fix the cause you won't need a solution.
Murray

[Gamelord]

That is very interesting for sure, really cool....but I would have to agree with Muzza on this, that is a ton of dross and it should not be anything near that. Until I got my height control dialed and cleaned up my air supply I was having issues with dross. Now, dross is nearly non-existent and any dross I go get usually drops off with a light tap or gets eaten off in the acid. If I do get a totally stubborn blotch of dross, a couple seconds with a wire wheel or grinder knocks it off instantly.

[Craig]

Thanks Murray, you are right I did slow down the speed to get extra dross I wanted to show how well it worked even with heavy dross. I did not know that near zero dross was possible? I always seem to get some and I follow the PM65 manual exactly.

Craig Johnson

[bwshop]

Where can a Guy buy that stuff
Thanks' for the tip

[Craig]

Any ceramics supply place especially ones that sell glazes and firing equipment.

Craig Johnson

[smutboy420]

Hey I like that Ideal for keeping weld spatter off of threads. I happen to make kilns and there are a few things this would be awesome for in the process.

[beefy]

Sometimes piercing thicker plate I get a big fat lump of slag, so thick that the torch actually scrapes on top of it.

It's been recommended to use anti-spatter spray on pierce points but I wonder if that stuff is even better.

Keith.

[HaasMetalDesigns]

Anyone else use this stuff?