A casting slip of 1.9 specific gravity. Should we use it?

Friday 20th July 2012

A hydrometer is being used to check the insight-live.com/glossary/86">specific gravity of a ceramic casting slip in a graduated cylinder. Common traditional clay-containing ceramic slips are usually maintained around 1.75-1.8. In this case the slurry was too heavy, almost 1.9. Yet it is very fluid, why is this? It has both too much clay and too much deflocculant. While it is possible to use such a slip, it will not drain as well and it will gel too quickly as it stands. It is better to settle for a lower specific gravity (where you can control the thixotropy and it is easier to use). It might have been better to simply fill a 100cc cylinder and weigh it to get the specific gravity (slurries that are very viscous do not permit hydrometers to float freely).

Pages that reference this post in the Digitalfire Reference Library:

Understanding the Deflocculation Process in Slip Casting, Specific gravity, Deflocculation, Rheology

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