Congratulations to one of my students for making the Show-Off Shelves at Lillstreet!!! When the studio monitors unload the glaze kiln, they typically pick out their favorite pieces to put on the shelves. And one of my more advanced beginners made it to the shelf this time!!! When I was leaving last night, I saw these two pots by Shea Michals on the shelves. She’s been doing a lot designs with slip trailing… and finally glazed a couple of them. With great success!!!

Unfortunately, a couple weeks ago, she was told by another clay teacher that the amber celadon glaze would just run off and that she shouldn’t use it. Slightly afraid & now paranoid, she washed it all off the pots. She told me the story and I told her that was crazy! The amber celadon glaze is pretty stable, and with all of the raised slip trails, the glaze is going to pool & puddle along the way instead of running off. So we glazed it together last week during class and… apparently I was right!!! Not only did the glaze NOT run off the pot, but it came out beautifully!!! It broke really well and really accentuated the white slip trailing. Nicely done Shea… keep up the good work!!!

Today I did some more “well overdue” glaze testing.
Almost a year ago, former studio neighbor & potter Emily Murphy gave me some test glazes. She asked if I wanted to test them for my studio. Of course I said “yes”… and then promptly forgot all about them.

So now I’m on the glaze testing bandwagon and ready to give them a try. Of course I had to ask Emily to remind me of just what the heck they are?! Apparently they’re cone 10… so we’ll see what they turn out like???

Well, it’s been a few days now that I’ve been living with these new test tiles. They’re spread out all over my dining room table and I keep looking at them. Sometimes picking them up for a closer look. Sometimes to feel the finish, the smoothness, the gloss. I finally took some time today to take pictures to share – and give them a little more critical look to see what’s really going on… and where to go from here.

So here we go. Lots of photos. Lots of tests.
Unfortunately, there are a few of them “missing” a tile. I ran out of bisqued test tiles and had to skip a few of the cone 10 tests.

The top photo is all of the test tiles together.
The second line of photos is cone 6 oxidation – Stoneware left, B-Clay right.
The third line of photos is cone 10 reduction – Stoneware left, B-Clay right.

GLAZE A – This one is stunning. Maybe too much so?! Love how it puddles with a vibrant blue in the grooves & indentations. However, it still looks pretty runny & and a bit too much crazing for my liking.

GLAZE B – I’m not a huge fan of this one, the green doesn’t seem to be doing much and there’s a weird “haze” in there somewhere… plus, I think there are better greens in my tests. It is however a nice base glaze. So I might want to consider switching colorants up a bit.

GLAZE C – A nice Oribe looking green glaze. I think it is a little too “gloppy” in places. And I’m not a huge fan of the metallic sheen.

GLAZE D – Now THIS ONE is my favorite of them all!!! Love the saturated green, the pooling & breaking on textures. Doesn’t do much at cone 10… but I do think this one might be graduating up to a large bucket pretty soon for cone 6 firings!!!

GLAZE E – A bit of a honey amber-ish temoku look. I do like it on B-Clay in cone 6, but that little drip hanging there might become a problem?

GLAZE F – While everyone is looking for a great red glaze, this isn’t it… at least not for me. Not a big fan of how “white” it breaks on the ridges. A bit to much contrast for my liking. I do like it in cone 10 on B-Clay… minus the huge crazing!

GLAZE G – Not much better. Still a little too much white-to-red-contrast for me. Although the cone 10 firing on B-Clay is still nice with less crazing?!

GLAZE H – Pretty even. Not much breaking or pooling. Looks like a pretty safe glaze for cone 6… not so good in cone 6 on stoneware.

GLAZE I – Okay, so these reds are a little better… not so much “white” where it breaks. The real kicker is how much I LOVE the cone 10 on B-Clay grayish-blueish effect. Might be worth mixing a bucket just for that?!

GLAZE J – Very similar to Glaze A – not quite so “over-the-top” dramatic. It’s a bit more subtle… and I like the “greener” on stoneware, “bluer” on B-Clay. Practically two different colors just based on the clay body.

GLAZE K – Deja vu?! Nope, you’re not seeing double. This is NOT a repeat of Glaze J. Although it does appear pretty much the same. The colors are a smidge less vibrant, but makes up for it with lass crazing. I do also like the carbon trapping effects on the cone 10 B-Clay sample.

And then I got a little tired of mixing new glaze recipe tests…
but I figured since I was already doing a test firing, I might as well do some cone 6 tests of the glazes that I already have in my studio. They’re originally cone 10 recipes… but wouldn’t it be great if they worked well at both firing temperatures?

GLAZE L – I do think this one has possibility. The finish is more matte eggshell, but it still feels nice. The colors don’t break quite as well as at cone 10, but is does have some potential

GLAZE M – Nope. Needs to go much hotter to melt in. Still kind of chalky & scratchy. Crackly in places. Not good at cone 6.

GLAZE N – Blah. Blah. Blah… Not a big fan of beige!

GLAZE O – I do think this one has potential as well. It melted fairly well and the colors pool & break pretty well on the stamps. Not a huge difference from what it looks like at cone 10, but good to know if I need to fill a cone 6 kiln and I’m looking for existing glaze buckets to dip into?!

GLAZE P – Not only does it need to go hotter than cone 6, it just kind of looks anemic.

GLAZE Q – Yuck. Feels like rough, plaster wallboard!!! Definitely a no-go!!!

GLAZE R – More beige. More blah.

GLAZE S – Pretty flat & even. Kinda looks like Dijon mustard spread all over it?!

GLAZE T – This one might do in a pinch. Looks like it melts fairly well and has a good finish. Not so sure about the color though?… what do you call it?… Linda Blair Green?

GLAZE U – Works. But not do well. Melts… but that’s about it.

So there they are so far. There are obviously a few that are NOT good at cone 6.
And a few others that have some crazing issues. Now I need to go through and spend some more time analyzing them a bit more critically. And for some of them, considering if the “base” is good and can have other colorants added.

Before the questions start about sharing these glaze recipes, I feel like I need to make sure they are all good, stable, well-firing glazes. And that I have some experience with them, tweak them a bit more, and make sure they are good glazes BEFORE I even consider sharing recipes! And I would hope that other potters would do the same – make sure it’s a good recipe BEFORE they share it with other potters… like me.

Lining up. Matching up.
Stoneware. B-Clay.
Cone 10. Cone Six.
Reduction. Oxidation.
It’s getting kind of exciting…

A little sneak peek into a new box of “kiln candy.” More glaze tests!!!
Can’t wait to dig in & examine them closely. Hoping for a couple winners!!!
From first glance, it looks promising!

So I got my first batch of test tiles back from the cone 10 firing.
I think there are a few really nice results here… and now I can’t wait to see the cone 6 versions. Remember, the glaze recipes are designed for cone 6 – these might just be a “bonus” if the same glaze works well in cone 10 reduction too!!!

And a little bit closer… not a fan of the crazing. Hope that’s gone in cone 6…

Today I mixed up some more glaze tests. Lots of measuring. Lots of chemicals.
Small batches of recipes I’ve collected for cone 6 oxidation firing. I’m hoping that at least a couple of them turn out nice. I’m looking for good translucent colors that pool well, break well and have no crazing.

Just in case, I’m test firing the same glazes at cone 10 reduction to see if they turn into anything cool. Wouldn’t it be great if I got at least one beautiful glaze in cone 6 that ALSO looked different and equally as great at cone 10? Two successful glaze colors from one bucket. Wishful thinking, huh?!!!

Tonight I focused on making more test tiles for some upcoming glaze tests.
Textured with stamps and grooves to “break & pool” the glazes in all the right places.
I made two batches with two different clay bodies… just to see how much difference
the iron content makes!!!

I think I’m going to like the “cleaner-lighter” look of the new glazes on B-Clay.
Just guessing.

I started toying with some new glaze recipes a year ago.
If you recall, I started 2013 with a quest for some new glazes. And look…
here it is 2014 and I’m doing it again…. let’s just say that I kinda lost focus along the way.

So I’m going to try and do a better job this Winter. I need to make some new test tiles with a couple different clay bodies. And then I’m hoping to find a few new cone 6 oxidation glazes that pool well & break well in all of my stamped textures. An added bonus would be if that same glaze recipe also worked in a cone 10 reduction kiln. It would be wonderful to have some new “double-duty” glazes in my studio. Here are a few of the cone 6 glazes I tested during 2013… fewer than I wanted to…

I do believe there are a couple glazes here that are working well at cone 6. I need to do some more testing before I make full batches. And I would love to try a few more recipes to get a few different colors. I think that’s what is drawing me towards cone 6… some brighter colors. That and the fact that I could fill an electric kiln a lot faster & quicker to get a new pop of color into my inventory. Now don’t get me wrong… I love soda-firing. And I don’t expect that to change. I just want to broaden my pottery palette.

Anyone have any suggestions or glaze recipes they would be willing to share?
If you know of a glaze that pools well & breaks well at cone 6, but might be good at cone 10 as well, I’d love to get them. And here’s a deal… if you send me a glaze recipe and I decide to add it into my “repertoire”, I’ll send you a FREE stamped mug glazed in your color!

With my second Holiday Home Show this coming Saturday,
I’ve been getting a few new pieces out of the kiln just in time… limited quantities!
This last batch of glazed pieces comes from a cone 10 reduction gas kiln.
Some of them have some pretty sweet glaze runs & chemical interactions.

You can grab one of these beauties this coming Saturday at my place!
The SECOND Holiday Home Show
Saturday, December 14th from 10:00am-6:00pm.
If you need home address specifics, just send me an e-mail or Facebook message!