Comment

Comment by Jan Wallace on June 27, 2011 at 3:27pm

I certainly will.

Comment by Carl Ray Crutchfield on June 27, 2011 at 7:33am

I hope you will post the results of your test here or elsewhere, anxious to see how they turn out.  -carl

Comment by Jan Wallace on June 27, 2011 at 12:34am

I went to college about eleven years ago and during that time also had an electric kiln, a raku kiln and a small catenary arch wood kiln that I build myself(which I only fired it 5 or 6 times then moved). I used to make a few of my own glazes and bought a commercial clear and did what you do with mixing in colourants or using clear over underglaze and oxides. I never got into a great deal of testing. At college, it was the same for me with Cone 10 reduction glazes used by most students. I have now mixed my own Cone 6 glazes and doing my final bisque firing as we speak, with all the test tiles I need to start. Some from this site and others that i have picked up from here and there. I would really like to just concentrate on Cone 6, raku and eventually build a small soda kiln. As you know with pottery, there can be just as many times that we can be disappointed as we are delighted with the results. So , I think that is why i am nervous as I dont want to be disappointed. There is so much to learn with this craft. We could spend a life time learning. That is why i love it i guess. Or, I am just mad. I look forward to seeing some more of your work.

Comment by Carl Ray Crutchfield on June 26, 2011 at 8:14pm

Your background sounds very much like my own.  I've only been using my my own kiln for about a year.  All my previous work was in college at cone 10 and that was a long time ago.  I did get in two semesters of cone 10 work in little rock arkansas during 2009.  It is both nervous and exciting as you said, and a great deal of fun.  Good luck in you glaze test.  Will you be mixing your own glazes or are you going to use commercial glazes?   I have opted for an in between mode, I buy dry clear commercial glaze then test addition of colorants to get a glaze I like.  Hope to do the same with some Creamy White Matt glaze before long.

Comment by Jan Wallace on June 26, 2011 at 4:35pm

I did not notice the blistering until i had a closer look. Yes, I do recall having blistering when I have used high concentration of oxides in a wash over glazes. I guess as Rutile is a little more refractory (from what i understand), so it is possibly more likely to occur. I have so much to learn with respect to glazing really. I have had some experience with making my own glazes at home, but most of my experience was at college where all glazes were premixed and the kilns fired for us. You really dont learn much that way. I had a break for some years since then and now have my own kiln at home, so the real challenge for me begins. Have one more bisque firing to do then starting my Cone 6 glaze tests. A little nervous and excited to see what happens.  

Comment by Carl Ray Crutchfield on June 26, 2011 at 10:32am

Thanks, Jan.  I was pleased with the way it turned out.  There are some blisters in the brushwork, seems to be in the rutile area.  The spearmint glaze has 4% rutile and the oxide wash is equal parts rutile and clear glaze.  Maybe it was just too much with the oxide wash laid over the glaze.  I did put it on a little thick.  I will try this again and cut back on the wash a little, or may try putting the oxide wash under the glaze, but I really prefer working on top of the glaze.  Have you had problems with rutile blistering?

Comment by Jan Wallace on June 25, 2011 at 11:48pm

Very Nice Carl