Insight-Live

[Norm Stuart]

If a link does not appear under each raw material you add to a glaze recipe, after saving, the chemistry does not calculate correctly.

In this example,  Frit 3134  is not recognized as a raw material.

If this happens, click the blue "Our Materials" tab and check "Show Reference Materials" to look-up the correct term for the raw material.

Searching for Frit 3134 provides the correct raw material names, with Ferro Frit 3134 being one possible choice.

My preference is to add bentonite to the main glaze recipe because it alters the glaze chemistry, but others sometimes make a different choice.

George Lewter also would prefer us not to click on the Auto-Assign link for C6G, C6S, C6B, until after someone has uploaded a photo of the glaze.  In this example, C6G-1299 was assigned for glaze 3M-4 prior to uploading a photo example.

[Chantay Poulsen]

Thanks for this info Norm.  I will be testing glazes this week.  I have added a couple of glazes in the past.  Hope to post pictures to the successful reciepes in two weeks.  I had one I could not get to work even after two tries.  Should I make a note in the comments section of the issues? (blisters)

[Norm Stuart]

When I first started working with glaze recipes I quickly realized that there are many "glaze recipes" posted on the internet which are either:

1.) missing one or more ingredients;

2.) intended for a different cone;

3.) intended for reduction rather than oxidation;

4.) were never an actual glaze in the first place.

I call these "rumors of a glaze".

It's not hard to imagine how mistakes can be made and accumulate as recipes are retyped and passed from one person to another over time.

Unless I can figure out what is wrong with the failed glaze recipe, it's not really a glaze recipe. So it doesn't get auto-numbered and I eventually delete it.

But I do trial new glazes on various clays.

I've been periodically amazed at how differently a "reliable glaze" can suddenly fire completely differently when someone at our studio tries it on a different clay.  This is worth noting.  Every time we order clay we purchase old favorites and a couple of new types Laguna has on offer.

We've also previously had problems using cone 10 clays at cone 6 which remains too porous, resulting in continuous off-gassing and pin-holing with some glazes, often those with a lithium flux, as the glaze interacts with the interior of the "clay sponge".

We recently had bloating problems with WC-403 Speckled Buff, as the granular manganese inclusions (the brown speckles) begin to off-gas at Cone 6, as noted in Digitalfire.  — http://digitalfire.com/4sight/troubleshooting/ceramic_troubleshooti...

In the Orange Street recipe I note the significant difference in gloss when using the glaze on an iron containing clay rather than a white clay with a photo of each.

I've also contributed glaze photos from glazes fast-cooled and later from slow-cooled kilns when we switched our firing schedule. I had to reformulate a few glazes with additional high-flux frit to accommodate the changes created by our slow-cooling schedule — so these are all essential parts of the recipe, just as what range of cone it's intended for.

[Chantay Poulsen]

Norm,

This information hit me like a load of bricks.  I have been having a terrible year clay wise.  I moved and since have not been able to get my clay and glazes to work like in the past.  I have since been trying out new clays and new glazes.  It has been one disaster after another.  Last load I threw away 90% of the pots in my 9 cubic ft. kiln.  I have only tried reciepes that come from reliable sources.  The one I have been having so much trouble with I used at a community studio.   I have since begun to question my clays.  Was using Standard 181, cone 6 to 10.  Several of my glazes will only fire up to cone 5 1/2.  Going to my clay suppliers website I only saw one clay that was said to vitrify at cone 5.  Further research and I discovered that the clay companies have other clays, my supplier just didn't carry them.  The nightmare continues.  I was hoping to do some spring craft shows. Not happening now. 

So I will try out new clays this week, new glazes, and we will see what happens.

As always, I appreciate your help and advice.