August 6, 2010

  • GLAZES

    I just mixed up some glazes and slips to test out various hues of red, blue and yellow to be fired to cone 6 and cone 10. Even though the ceramics studio already has those colors made up, I want to personalize them a bit more and learn more about different ways to get various shades and intensities of those hues.  This is so fun! I feel like a Mad Scientist!

     

    I mixed up a cone 6 gloss white base -- but left out the white colorant zircopax so that I can substitute different coloring oxides to the base glaze.  I'm going to try cobalt, and dark red, and lobster and praesidium yellow and vanadium yellow, and also turquoise.

     

    This is really so fun. 

    I already took the Helmar slip I made and put 5 tablespoons in a little container, then added 5 quarter teaspoons of dark red -- I mean -- THAT color is gonna come out RED!! I put it one a couple of greenware teabowls, just to see how they will do.

    I've already put three coats of Amaco Velvet snapdragon red on oa bisqued teabowl.  

    I have not added any colorants to the glaze base that I mixed.  I put it in bentonite water, but I think one cup of water was too much for the 200 grams of glaze that I made, so I am leaving it open in the studio to evaporate and thicken before I mess with it.

    For the first time all summer, I turned on the air conditioner in the studio.  The big fan is now blowing the airconditioned air from the glaze mixing room into the wheel room.  I worked in the glazing room to put the coats of slip on the teabowls.  They are sitting on their respective shelves now, drying.  Hope it all works out good.  I really need to get to glazing a ton of stuff, because there will be a highfire when I go to Kodiak, so I need to have stuff done before I leave.

    Anyway, that's about all for right now

    much love

    me