Since I’m in the laundry room I usually use some laundry detergent, and I throw in a tablespoon of Borax. I’m not sure if that makes a difference or not. Sometimes I let them soak for an hour, sometimes for days (when I forget about them). Some labels slide right off (Lockwood Cabernet). Others are a pain. These days if the labels don’t scrape off easily, I trow them out. Time is money. I use a little plastic scrapper to scrape the labels off. It’s the little white thingy in the picture next to the sponge. This usually goes quickly. Then I use some Ajax on a sponge to get the last bit of goo off.
Devit… well…. I’ve stopped firing brown bottles. They gave me the most problems. The green ones probably devit 1 in 10. I still think it may be because the bottle isn’t clean. Sometimes the bottle looks clean, but when it’s wet you can see where the label was. Are you holding too long in the 1300 degree range?
Don’t know how to get the label off to repaste. I would try a heat gun to see if it will soften the glue engough to carefully peel the label. Would you use a decoupage medium to glue back on?
i’ve found borax on the down side makes it stick to the wash. i have better luck placing the bottle on a shelf and using an artists 3/4″ diameter paint brush to paint on borax solution trying to only get it on the 1/2 of the bottle surface. any drips and i get sticking on the back.
i get devit on all color bottles except blue and grey goose, no matter what temp/time i use if i don’t use borax.
i tried my wife’s hair dryer to get off labels. it doesn’t work so well and takes a long time. yes, i’d use some sort of decoupage paste to glue it back on, making it be non-washable i guess. they’d just be for display though, not use.
I tried a heat gun from the craft store. It gets hotter than a hair dryer. It seems to work well with some labels, but not well with others. Depends on the type of glue used.
The borax I use is just in the soak water. I think it helps soften things up in our hard water and helps the labels come off.
I tried the borax as a devit spray once and it left streaks on the bottle. Never used it again. Also, I don’t know if it makes any difference, but before I put my bottles in the kiln I spray them with vinegar and wipe dry.
What kind of kiln do you have?
If you are willing to share, I’m curious about the schedule you are using.
just warm water and soap? how long? i’ve not had good luck getting labels off without leaving goo that has to be scraped off.
did you solve the devit problem? i don’t think i’ve gotten a slumped bottle to not have devit.
any idea how to get the label off to repaste it back on? i have some that i’d like to have the original label back on.
Since I’m in the laundry room I usually use some laundry detergent, and I throw in a tablespoon of Borax. I’m not sure if that makes a difference or not. Sometimes I let them soak for an hour, sometimes for days (when I forget about them). Some labels slide right off (Lockwood Cabernet). Others are a pain. These days if the labels don’t scrape off easily, I trow them out. Time is money. I use a little plastic scrapper to scrape the labels off. It’s the little white thingy in the picture next to the sponge. This usually goes quickly. Then I use some Ajax on a sponge to get the last bit of goo off.
Devit… well…. I’ve stopped firing brown bottles. They gave me the most problems. The green ones probably devit 1 in 10. I still think it may be because the bottle isn’t clean. Sometimes the bottle looks clean, but when it’s wet you can see where the label was. Are you holding too long in the 1300 degree range?
Don’t know how to get the label off to repaste. I would try a heat gun to see if it will soften the glue engough to carefully peel the label. Would you use a decoupage medium to glue back on?
i’ve found borax on the down side makes it stick to the wash. i have better luck placing the bottle on a shelf and using an artists 3/4″ diameter paint brush to paint on borax solution trying to only get it on the 1/2 of the bottle surface. any drips and i get sticking on the back.
i get devit on all color bottles except blue and grey goose, no matter what temp/time i use if i don’t use borax.
i tried my wife’s hair dryer to get off labels. it doesn’t work so well and takes a long time. yes, i’d use some sort of decoupage paste to glue it back on, making it be non-washable i guess. they’d just be for display though, not use.
I tried a heat gun from the craft store. It gets hotter than a hair dryer. It seems to work well with some labels, but not well with others. Depends on the type of glue used.
The borax I use is just in the soak water. I think it helps soften things up in our hard water and helps the labels come off.
I tried the borax as a devit spray once and it left streaks on the bottle. Never used it again. Also, I don’t know if it makes any difference, but before I put my bottles in the kiln I spray them with vinegar and wipe dry.
What kind of kiln do you have?
If you are willing to share, I’m curious about the schedule you are using.