Achieving atmospheric glaze effects in electric kilns at mid-fire temperatures, through the layering of sprayed glazes. The starting point recipes are given in two discussions "Strontium Crystal Magic . . ." and "The Companion Glazes"
Nice photos! Although Steven doesn't use a respirator when spraying (inside or outside), please be aware that it is the safest way to go about it. Some of his glazes (or any other glazes) have some toxic elements you don't really want to be breathing.
Yes, the home page pot and the Facebook photos are truly fired to cone 6. He and I reformulated all his glazes to work at this temperature. He no longer fires to cone 8.
As a resident artist I have to send you to www.stevenhillpottery.com and ask you to email him directly from the sight. I do not have the authority to release his info. But I know he will be happy to discuss everything with you.
This group was set up in Sept. of 09 after I attended Steven's Oxidation vs. Reduction workshop. It was my hope that he would participate and take a leadership role here, but for his own reasons or time constraints he does not participate.
Rather than asking for Steven and his resident artist to give us the results and benefits of their work, we should be continuing to work on our own taking the work forward. The base recipes are published at Lakeside Pottery. Strontium Crystal Magic has strontium, lithium, calcium, and alumina, which are all crystal forming components in addition to their fluxing or stabilizing properties in the glaze melt. We know that SCM will melt at cone 6, but that is at the very low end of it's range and it might not give all the interative effects that we see when it's fired higher. Our job is to lower the melting point just a little, and retain the interactive qualities that are so desirable. Any one have any ideas on how we might do that? Anyone willing to do some testing to check out those ideas?
I can tell you that SCM, the watercolors, the juicy fruits and pier black have not been changed. Ferro Frit 3124 and 3134 work well in the lowering process. We due to my tests have even added a few new cone 6 glazes which all of you can do since they are so numerous.
It is my recommendation that you all use Hyerglaze or Insight to balance your formulas (recipes). It's not hard just time consuming.
George I am just trying to get everyone excited not give all the answers. I was a member before before I was his resident. But I agree that everyone should be doing their own work and not depending on someone to tell them what to do or hold their hands. I cannot due to proprietary restraints.
I guess I do whole-heartedly agree with you! Everyone get to work.
REMEMBER HIS EMAIL IS ON HIS WEBSITE...www.stevenhillpotteyr.com.
Steven is on the road but has an iPhone now so he can bet text and emails. sahill@me.com. He is great returning emails. Just takes a few days sometimes.
Another casserole with Steven's glazes and Coyote's, on stoneware at cone six. (I use Coyote's Rust Brown and Shino for the orange/tawny color, as I've had trouble with spotted black.) SCM base, Hannah's fake ash very lightly, Rust Brown, splash of Shino, MC6G Spearmint, 2D blue.
Thanks, still working out the kinks. My husband built a spray booth using an "all house" fan and some pvc piping to run water down the walls. He has plans to build an improved version this winter. Works pretty well.
Teresa, thanks for showing your beautiful work. I have been having trouble with the spotted black also. How are you using both the Shino and Rust Brown to obtain the orange, are they layered one over the other or used independently. Which gives you the richest orange?
Michele, spraying the Coyote Rust Brown over SCMO will give a nice soft matte warm brown surface with some almost dark plum margins. I wanted more orange, so tried spraying a streak of Coyote Shino over the Rust Brown, and it gives a nice gloss orange splash. MC6G Spearmint gives a soft green, think I'll apply it heavier next time.
One of the effects I like is the sparse "snowflakes" that Steven was getting by very lightly laying 2D blue over the other glazes. I haven't gotten it to work for me. Is this working for anyone else? Do you have any specific info on how to get it to work? Should it be large droplets or a fine mist that gathers together? Which other glazes does it work with?
2D blue works for me on most all glazes. I spray it lightly. My sprayers don't make a fine mist...more of an atomized mist but not big droplets. A couple things I've noted if it is sprayed heavily...makes a big splotch instead of snowflakes; and if on a gloss glaze on porcelain will run like crazy.
Does anyone have the colorant percentage for Water Color Blue? I have the green recipe, but not the blue.
I am fresh off of a Steven Hill workshop 4/10/2011. If the recipe you have for WC Green has 8% copper carb, reduce that to 6% copper carb and add 1% cobalt carb per Steven Hill.
I will be attending Steven's workshop this summer and I am looking forward to reading about others results post workshop. I would also like to ask previous attendees how many bisque pieces they took for glazing.
I expect this will be limited more by where you are taking the workshop than by the workshop format itself. In my instance, the workshop flier said bring up to (lol) two small pots to glaze and fire. Since the workshop was local to me, and I intended to fire my own pots, I asked the workshop's venue director if the limitation was for firing or glaze amount. He indicated firing, so I asked him if I could discretely fire two more, to which he agreed. The glazing was set up in 11 spraying workstations, so my adding a couple more didn't affect anyone else. I also saw a number of folks glazing more than two, some many more. My workshop was a two day, one day Steven demonstrating throwing, the next glazing. Firing was post workshop, so no next day critiques.
I just started the micro-crystalline glazing techniques used by Steven Hill. Attached is a photo of Lager glasses glazed with SCM, White Satin Matte and Randy's Red. Note the gold crystals in the RR.Lager.jpg
This is a bowl with SCM and Weathered Bronze Green (Pete Pinnell). Pretty dry. Considering the base for Weathered Bronze Green is Pinnell Strontium Matte. I'm going to be trying the Pinnell Strontium Matte as you would with SCM. It has double the Strontium. We'll see.SCM &
I took to heart Steven's advice and example of putting flanged glaze catcher feet on most pots, and it works most of the time to stop glazes from running off my pots. If you are pushing the envelope of glaze layering effects, you are inevitably going to be chipping, scraping, and grinding shelves on occasion. If that isn't happening with some regularity, then you may be too timid with your application of glazes, and will likely miss some spectacular effects.
George, I don't have the recipe for SCM close by, but if it has potash feldspar, try subbing Neph Sye for the Custer, or other spar. That can lower the maturation of the glaze by two cones. That's one quick fox to try. If that isn't enough, you can lower the clay content by 5, for instance, and up the frit by 5. These are qucik fixes to try without having to run the glaze through a glaze chemistry software.
Often, glazes listed as cone 10 for instance, may actually work one or two cones lower or higher, and the Neph Sy substitution may be enough to reach a desire result.
Just watched Steven's new video ('The Surface Techniques of Steven Hill'). He has a nice clear demo on spraying glazes that this group might find helpful.
Dave, yes I think it does. At least it says "firing schedules and recipes" on the bonus features. I haven't looked at them yet. But as Tracy just suggested, the firing schedules for bisque and greenware are different. The main difference is that the greenware program will ramp slowly and will essentially put a slow "bisque" ahead of the main firing program. At least that's my impression.
I use the smaller of the two Harbor Freight guns for all my spraying. The nozzle right up front of you , if you turn it all the way in , will spray a perfect circle instead of a wide vertical/horizontal line... Excellent way to spray for the detail accent colors...!
I've used the spray guns from Harbor Freight. It's ok but seems to clog often. I've since bought a gravity feed spray gun from an auto detail shop...better quality spray gun for about $120.00 Works much better, no clogging and saves me time and aggravation.
I use the Harbor Freight HVLP guns, and I use their Detail Gun (HF Item 92126) for accent colors as recommended by Steven and the bigger gun to lay down SCM and other bigger coverage glazes. I was having a clogging problem before the workshop and Steven told me to take out the little plastic filter. That cured most of my problem, and an occasional block of the tip and backpressure of air to the cup cures the rest. I use a 60 mesh sieve before putting the glaze in the gun.
I've used the Harbor Freight Professional (64 oz.) HVLP gun for several years. It has a pressurized detached pot that makes using the gun much easier than having to hold up a quart or so of liquid. Spraying a odd angles is much easier. Clogging is usually (for me) a matter of sieving the glaze prior to spraying. I had read that Steven had some tendonitis problems with his hands caused by holding the spray guns for long periods of time.
Just use your claybody and sieve it through a kitchen strainer to remove lumps. If you want to deflocculate it, you can use Darvan 7, adding few drops at a time till you get it the way you want it, which may take a bit of practice. Too much and the slip won't hold shape and too little, or too thick slip and the slip won't move the way you want.
Recipe for easy, foolproof slip: (1) spread out your slop clay .5-1" thick; (2) when bone dry, break into pieces and place in bucket; (3) cover with water which will quickly be absorbed by the clay; (4) use hand-held mixer to get smooth consistency (may need to add more water); (5) use rib to push it through 80 mesh sieve.
I had thought that all of Steven Hill's Glazes are food proof..as far as liners, I have been using the Baily's Red, the white glaze. But Steven uses all his glazes for plates, bowls to serve food.
Teresa Wooden
Oct 14, 2010
CM Partin
Oct 18, 2010
Robert Seele
Oct 19, 2010
CM Partin
Oct 22, 2010
CM Partin
Oct 28, 2010
CM Partin
Oct 29, 2010
CM Partin
Oct 30, 2010
George Lewter
Rather than asking for Steven and his resident artist to give us the results and benefits of their work, we should be continuing to work on our own taking the work forward. The base recipes are published at Lakeside Pottery. Strontium Crystal Magic has strontium, lithium, calcium, and alumina, which are all crystal forming components in addition to their fluxing or stabilizing properties in the glaze melt. We know that SCM will melt at cone 6, but that is at the very low end of it's range and it might not give all the interative effects that we see when it's fired higher. Our job is to lower the melting point just a little, and retain the interactive qualities that are so desirable. Any one have any ideas on how we might do that? Anyone willing to do some testing to check out those ideas?
Oct 30, 2010
CM Partin
It is my recommendation that you all use Hyerglaze or Insight to balance your formulas (recipes). It's not hard just time consuming.
George I am just trying to get everyone excited not give all the answers. I was a member before before I was his resident. But I agree that everyone should be doing their own work and not depending on someone to tell them what to do or hold their hands. I cannot due to proprietary restraints.
I guess I do whole-heartedly agree with you! Everyone get to work.
REMEMBER HIS EMAIL IS ON HIS WEBSITE...www.stevenhillpotteyr.com.
Oct 30, 2010
CM Partin
Oct 30, 2010
CM Partin
Nov 10, 2010
Teresa Wooden
Nov 19, 2010
Teresa Wooden
Nov 19, 2010
Teresa Wooden
Nov 19, 2010
CM Partin
Nov 20, 2010
Teresa Wooden
Nov 20, 2010
Dave Hodapp
Beautiful cassaroles. Both style and glazing. May I ask what is SCMO? I am familiar with the other glazes but don't recognize SCMO.
Thanks
Nov 23, 2010
Teresa Wooden
Nov 24, 2010
Michele Hartung
Dec 3, 2010
Teresa Wooden
Dec 3, 2010
George Lewter
One of the effects I like is the sparse "snowflakes" that Steven was getting by very lightly laying 2D blue over the other glazes. I haven't gotten it to work for me. Is this working for anyone else? Do you have any specific info on how to get it to work? Should it be large droplets or a fine mist that gathers together? Which other glazes does it work with?
Dec 12, 2010
George Lewter
Does anyone have the colorant percentage for Water Color Blue? I have the green recipe, but not the blue.
Dec 12, 2010
Teresa Wooden
2D blue works for me on most all glazes. I spray it lightly. My sprayers don't make a fine mist...more of an atomized mist but not big droplets. A couple things I've noted if it is sprayed heavily...makes a big splotch instead of snowflakes; and if on a gloss glaze on porcelain will run like crazy.
Dec 12, 2010
John Lowes
Question on December 12, 2010 at 3:27pm :
Does anyone have the colorant percentage for Water Color Blue? I have the green recipe, but not the blue.
I am fresh off of a Steven Hill workshop 4/10/2011. If the recipe you have for WC Green has 8% copper carb, reduce that to 6% copper carb and add 1% cobalt carb per Steven Hill.
Apr 11, 2011
J dubats
May 17, 2011
John Lowes
May 17, 2011
Joe Shaw
I just started the micro-crystalline glazing techniques used by Steven Hill. Attached is a photo of Lager glasses glazed with SCM, White Satin Matte and Randy's Red. Note the gold crystals in the RR.Lager.jpg
May 17, 2011
Joe Shaw
May 17, 2011
Joe Shaw
May 19, 2011
George Lewter
May 19, 2011
June Perry
George, Wright's Water color blue:
(Cone 1–6)
Lithium Carbonate. 3 %
Strontium Carbonate. 9
Frit 3110 . 59
Edgar Plastic Kaolin . 12
Flint. 17
100 %
Add: Bentonite. 2 %
Copper Carbonate. 5 %
Jul 5, 2011
June Perry
George, I don't have the recipe for SCM close by, but if it has potash feldspar, try subbing Neph Sye for the Custer, or other spar. That can lower the maturation of the glaze by two cones. That's one quick fox to try. If that isn't enough, you can lower the clay content by 5, for instance, and up the frit by 5. These are qucik fixes to try without having to run the glaze through a glaze chemistry software.
Often, glazes listed as cone 10 for instance, may actually work one or two cones lower or higher, and the Neph Sy substitution may be enough to reach a desire result.
Jul 6, 2011
Charna Schwartz
have you asked Steven Hill?
Dec 2, 2011
Teresa Wooden
Just watched Steven's new video ('The Surface Techniques of Steven Hill'). He has a nice clear demo on spraying glazes that this group might find helpful.
Dec 4, 2011
pat parker
I have this video also. I wonder if the glaze recipes in this video are suitable for bisque?
Dec 5, 2011
Teresa Wooden
I use Steven's glazes on both bisque and greenware. They should be a little thicker if you're glazing greenware, I think. Otherwise they're fine.
Dec 5, 2011
Dave Hodapp
Does the DVD (The Surface Techniques of Steven Hill) include firing schedules?
Dec 5, 2011
Tracy Minarik
<---- Has firing for both bisque & Greeenware...
tracy@bluewaterspottery.com
Just sayin....
Dec 5, 2011
Teresa Wooden
Dave, yes I think it does. At least it says "firing schedules and recipes" on the bonus features. I haven't looked at them yet. But as Tracy just suggested, the firing schedules for bisque and greenware are different. The main difference is that the greenware program will ramp slowly and will essentially put a slow "bisque" ahead of the main firing program. At least that's my impression.
Dec 5, 2011
Dave Hodapp
Thanks for the responses. I'll go ahead and order the DVD.
Dec 5, 2011
Tracy Minarik
Sarah ~
I use the smaller of the two Harbor Freight guns for all my spraying. The nozzle right up front of you , if you turn it all the way in , will spray a perfect circle instead of a wide vertical/horizontal line... Excellent way to spray for the detail accent colors...!
Dec 9, 2011
Ceci
I've used the spray guns from Harbor Freight. It's ok but seems to clog often. I've since bought a gravity feed spray gun from an auto detail shop...better quality spray gun for about $120.00 Works much better, no clogging and saves me time and aggravation.
Dec 9, 2011
John Lowes
At a workshop in May 2011, Steven Hill was recommending the TCP Global 10 piece set (Part# TCP G7000) at this site:
http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraygundepot/tcpgate.aspx
and, hey, they sell parts for them too!
I use the Harbor Freight HVLP guns, and I use their Detail Gun (HF Item 92126) for accent colors as recommended by Steven and the bigger gun to lay down SCM and other bigger coverage glazes. I was having a clogging problem before the workshop and Steven told me to take out the little plastic filter. That cured most of my problem, and an occasional block of the tip and backpressure of air to the cup cures the rest. I use a 60 mesh sieve before putting the glaze in the gun.
Dec 9, 2011
Joe Shaw
I've used the Harbor Freight Professional (64 oz.) HVLP gun for several years. It has a pressurized detached pot that makes using the gun much easier than having to hold up a quart or so of liquid. Spraying a odd angles is much easier. Clogging is usually (for me) a matter of sieving the glaze prior to spraying. I had read that Steven had some tendonitis problems with his hands caused by holding the spray guns for long periods of time.
Dec 9, 2011
June Perry
Just use your claybody and sieve it through a kitchen strainer to remove lumps. If you want to deflocculate it, you can use Darvan 7, adding few drops at a time till you get it the way you want it, which may take a bit of practice. Too much and the slip won't hold shape and too little, or too thick slip and the slip won't move the way you want.
Dec 11, 2011
Margie Cleveland
Recipe for easy, foolproof slip: (1) spread out your slop clay .5-1" thick; (2) when bone dry, break into pieces and place in bucket; (3) cover with water which will quickly be absorbed by the clay; (4) use hand-held mixer to get smooth consistency (may need to add more water); (5) use rib to push it through 80 mesh sieve.
Dec 12, 2011
cp dunbar
June, why are you using Darvan 7 again ? (sunday morning, brain not working etc ) cp - by the pond
Jan 8, 2012
June Perry
Not sure if I'm the June you're asking, but I'm not currently using Darvan 7 in any of my glazes or slips.
Jan 8, 2012
Charna Schwartz
I had thought that all of Steven Hill's Glazes are food proof..as far as liners, I have been using the Baily's Red, the white glaze. But Steven uses all his glazes for plates, bowls to serve food.
Jan 8, 2012
Joe Shaw
Here's another example of my dipping these glazes - SCM on the rim, Randy's Red and Jen's on the rim (lastly).Cognac%20Gold%20Bowl%20-%20fresh.jpg
Jan 14, 2012