Hi Tom, Your teapots look amazing. I am sure you would have been hesitant to open the kiln knowing that you did not have time to test the glazes first, but elated when they turned out to be so lovely. Good photographs too. Your students work is also great. Love the project idea and the results. I used four little side plates as a test recently and had some good results too with the SH glazes. When I get some time, I will show you the results. Thanks for sharing yours. Talk soon.
I'm having the same problem with Laguna Cone 10 B-Mix. Probably 40% of my pieces have pinholes particularly those using Cobalt Carbonate but some others as well. I've adjusted my bisquing schedule to slow it down and hold at Cone 04. I've tried hosing down all my pots to get dust off the bisqueware. I have tried switching from cobalt carbonate to cobalt oxide and have tried other brands of Whiting which is calcium carbonate thinking too many carbonates outgassing and I still get pinholes. I'm going to try some porcelain as Steven Hill suggests and try that to see if it is the clay. Very frustrating if you are trying to achived a high percentage of pieces for sale. I hate having to take the hammer to pinholed pieces which are otherwise very nice.
Tom, I've tried slowing down the cooling from Cone 6 down to 1700 and then 1800, holding at those levels to increase time to let out gassing occur. I've slowed down the bisqueing process and holding at levels that should burn out organics. I agree that it very well may be the Strontium Crystal Magic used in conjunction with certain clay bodies. I don't have many Porcelain options with my local clay supplier. I think they carry Laguna Dave's Porcelain, but I'd like to get a few boxes of Tom Coleman's Porcelain to try out. Problem is I'd have to special order it and probably have to bring in at least 500 lbs of it to get it here without exorbitant cost. Let's stay in touch cause I need to get this problem solved. Too high of a "Hammer" cost at the moment to try and get to making a high percentage of salable product. My email is info@the-five-elements.com. Let's stay in touch on this problem.
Jan Wallace
Hi Tom, Your teapots look amazing. I am sure you would have been hesitant to open the kiln knowing that you did not have time to test the glazes first, but elated when they turned out to be so lovely. Good photographs too. Your students work is also great. Love the project idea and the results. I used four little side plates as a test recently and had some good results too with the SH glazes. When I get some time, I will show you the results. Thanks for sharing yours. Talk soon.
May 26, 2012
Brian Dean
Tom,
I'm having the same problem with Laguna Cone 10 B-Mix. Probably 40% of my pieces have pinholes particularly those using Cobalt Carbonate but some others as well. I've adjusted my bisquing schedule to slow it down and hold at Cone 04. I've tried hosing down all my pots to get dust off the bisqueware. I have tried switching from cobalt carbonate to cobalt oxide and have tried other brands of Whiting which is calcium carbonate thinking too many carbonates outgassing and I still get pinholes. I'm going to try some porcelain as Steven Hill suggests and try that to see if it is the clay. Very frustrating if you are trying to achived a high percentage of pieces for sale. I hate having to take the hammer to pinholed pieces which are otherwise very nice.
Dec 1, 2013
Brian Dean
Tom, I've tried slowing down the cooling from Cone 6 down to 1700 and then 1800, holding at those levels to increase time to let out gassing occur. I've slowed down the bisqueing process and holding at levels that should burn out organics. I agree that it very well may be the Strontium Crystal Magic used in conjunction with certain clay bodies. I don't have many Porcelain options with my local clay supplier. I think they carry Laguna Dave's Porcelain, but I'd like to get a few boxes of Tom Coleman's Porcelain to try out. Problem is I'd have to special order it and probably have to bring in at least 500 lbs of it to get it here without exorbitant cost. Let's stay in touch cause I need to get this problem solved. Too high of a "Hammer" cost at the moment to try and get to making a high percentage of salable product. My email is info@the-five-elements.com. Let's stay in touch on this problem.
Dec 1, 2013