Dismal test results. . . nothing much

Well not at all what I was hoping for.  The Chrom Ox and Tin with the Licorice Black base glaze 2 (MC6G Glossy base 2) just came up shades of YUCKY GREEN.

The Lobster Red Mason Stain, with same base glaze just came up PINK not the red I wanted.

THe last 2 tiles are a purple and raspberry which I have a good response from on any clay color and firing up 5-7 no problem there with Qiuck or slow cooling.  HUmmmmmm back t o thinking and later focuse on red, too expensive to keep testing with poor results. . .

Fired up the Kiln

Early this morning, still cold outside, I fired up my kiln in the garage.  I know temps should be above freezing today and so my kiln was ready.   I put in the test tiles for RED RED RED Cone 6 Oxidation (26 tiles total) so I should have results and a few pictures on Friday sometime.  I had other work as well and had it loaded and turned on by 7AM   Whew!

Looking back on my test tiles, it still is interesting to me that Purple, Raspberry and Hopefully red mix up in my tupper ware GREEN.  I still think it should be a red color but both my raspberry and Jeannie’s purple have green buckets of glaze so I think I might be on the right track.  Or my tests could reveal the UGLIEST green I have ever seen.  hehehehe We’ll see. . . .

Putting it together and strong!~

   

I use a small hand held extruder for a triangle shaped piece of clay.  I use that in the joints of the sides of a box on the inside to hold the piece and make it stronger as it drys plus if it will hold water (like for a plant) the joints seal the seams so it is unlike there will be any leaks.  I made the 2 vases the same size but laid one down so it is WIDER and the other is TALLER.  Sonal, let me know if you would prefer 2 vases the same size.

The third one I did just for fun since I was focused on square vases. . . Hummmmm

How do I do that?

Linda asked in a email “can you show me how you do that?”  Adding texture to Platters,bowls, or vases.

Well here’ s the process on a square Vase as an example:

I wanted a slanted texture on this square vase.  I was making vases for some clients and thought this might be fun to make.  Since I already had the bowls and platters, I thought I could show you as well as make something I was currently working on.  A 2-fer sort of heheheheh.

   

So in the 1920’s, my grandmother (who was a GORALE from the Tatra mtn’s in Poland) came over on the boat to NEW YORK as a young 12 year old girl looking for a better life.  She had the skill of Sewing and Lace making and so she began her journey.  The Lace is something she has left me, and I honor her in my clay work from time to time.  This vase, is using her LACE pattern, it is unique to my Grandmother, made with her own hands, and now in my clay as a design in texture.

I start with a Slab of about 3/8 thick, but you could roll it out with measuring sticks and a rolling pin.  I cut my shape for the vase in the clay 8 x9x 2 for this vase.

I roll out a pattern from the lace in the clay with a rolling pin but you could press it in like a “stamp”.  It would go well on mugs,bowls,platters,etc.  If I am using a bowl or platter, the slap would be hump or slumped after my design is applied.

I also use the bottom of a paint brush for my “leather punched” look which is unique for me. 

When the clay is leather Hard, I put together my vase, or add handles and feet to a bowl ,mug, or platter. . . you get the idea!

Vases for Sonal

Sonal Gandhi emailed me and said she’d like 2 vases to use for her Orchids.  She saw some of mine on my blog and sent a picture of which one she’d like.

 

Sonal, Here are the begining stages of your vases.  They are designed and setting up before I put them together this evening.  They need to be leather hard so that the shape will remain the same.

Below Zero are u Kidding me?

OK so it’s Really cold and there is no sense firing up the kiln in the garge when it’s so cold outside.  It will have to wait until this week-end when we begin to THAW!

So since I am not working on my Color “RED” for the moment I decided to explore platters bowls and texture.  I went for a really Large Round Platter with feet on the bottom and a Round flat rim with a depression in the middle bowl and my oval platter.  I have 2 glazes that I really like and the break nicely over texture so I thought I would explore that alittle more on these.  Hummmm

Testing Cone 6 Ox red glaze part 2

Next I took 5 containers with 200 grams of the Glossy Base 2 glaze (from MC6G Licorice base glaze)  and Now I am using the Lobster Red Mason stain as my colorant.  I did it similar in that I used 10 grams in the middle container and went down and up on the side containers (.1 and .05) Than (.15 and .20g) 

  This is the color I am testing for LOBSTER RED! 

I am hoping that between the 2 tests, I will come up with a glaze that fits my clay body well and has the Shinny red that I am looking for.   I am also testing both upright clay chips and flat clay chips that both have a pattern design on each and a smooth area as well.  I want to see how the test will look on a vase or platter so I wanted to test both at the same time.

Whew!  Ok so that means I have 10 containers of glazes to test plus 10 sets of testing clay chips per each grp  (20 clay test tiles total.)

As a functional potter, I want to test  glazes with some thought as to the probable outcome not a grid of say 30 tiles and maybe only 4-6 would work.  I also want to work from a base glaze I know already works well with my dark clay body at different temperatures,etc.  I want that base to be as problem free as possible to begin my testing.

I’ll post results as soon as I mix the glazes,80 mesh, and coat my tiles along with filling the rest of my kiln with work.  Should be in a few days from today!

Getting organized to Test Cone 6 Ox Red Glaze

My method is not really scientific but I think I can reproduce my results which would be the goal if the test comes out like I hope.  I am not really using a 5 x5 grid nor am I really using Volumetric line blending.  I am using a bit of both  testing and we will see if I am way off or close.  I am using the 4 rules that John and Ron talk about in their book MC6G(Mastering Cone 6 Glazes).

The 4 rules for forming a stable glaze are:

1.  have enough silica

2.  have enough alumina

3.  throughly melt the glaze

4.  use moderate levels of colorants and Opacifiers

“In general, a level of colorants that is soluble in the base glaze will not cause stability problems.  If the base glaze itself is stable.” quote pg 55

Ok so what I do know is that licorice (MC6G) a shinny black glaze fits my dark clay body very well.  I like the glaze because I can fire it from cone 5-6 in oxidation and with slow or fast cooling.  When I fire it and slow down the cooling trying for matt glazes in the kiln, this glaze remains tried and true (always shinny black)  It covers well both sponged over,dipped, or unevenly coated.

So I choose that base glaze for my experiments using the GLOSSY BASE 2from that glaze as my base glaze.  I have 10 containers with 200 grams each of that Glossy Base 2 Glaze in them.  The first set of 5 containers will have different grams of colorants and opacifiers in them.  The 2 I have choose are TIN OXIDE and  GREEN CHROMIUM OXIDE.

I know that in my Rasberry Glaze, the Tin Ox is 5.0 and the Chromium Ox is 0.2  So my thinking is that in a 200 gram batch, the Tin Ox would be 10.0 and the Chromium would be 0.3

  I also know that in MC6G the Raspberry Glaze has a 0.4 Chromium Ox and 7.5 Tin Ox if I were using a 200 gram batch.  I also have read that the Chromium Ox should be between 0.1-0.5% otherwise you could get an ULGY GREEN when you aretrying for a deeper red color.

So I put the 10. Tin Ox  in the middle container and went down .05 and .01 in the other containers and up .15 and .20 on the other side.  Using what I know to be already working in the middle.  I kept the Chromium Ox at .3 in all 5 containers.  I am hoping that the middle container (similar in colorants to a glaze I know already works) will be balanced with a little on the low side and a little on the high side to see.  Plus the base glaze, I am pretty confident already fits my dark clay body.

Home Show a Success!

Joanne Taylor (Director of Membership Development) hosted a “Artist in the HOME” show at her lovely home last night.  I was the featured Artist and brought along my Pottery to display.  A good friend, Terri-Ann Stoeckle, made the Appetizers and brought along some wine.  She is amazing and what a good CHEF she is!  Yummmy!

Joanne’s home was lovely and the space was great ,right inside the front doors ,for everyone entering to see.  We had a great time and several pottery items were bought by participating guests.

Here’s a link to the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerence.

http://www.castlerock.org/membership.asp

Cone 6 Oxidation Glaze Pictures

Come Closer. . .