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March 07, 2010
Cone 6 Glazes
I think I have tried just about every brand of glaze out there. I'm constantly on the hunt for new colors. I number the back of each test tile I make and I'm currently up to number 82, so yes, I've sampled several. I think I currently have about 30 different pints in my cupboard. Several of them are only there because I didn't like the color, but can't bear to throw out useable glaze so I keep using them for the insides of mugs and stuff until one day, thankfully, I'll run out and be able to throw it away.
A new friend and fellow potter asked me my favorite brands of glaze and since then, I've thought that I might have to backtrack on my initial answer. I initially said that I love Coyote glazes. But then I made all sorts of exceptions - this one turned out ugly, that one doesn't work the way I like, etc etc.
So I started thinking about if I had to choose only a handful of glazes to keep in my cabinet, which ones would they be?
All of the following observations are based on the results of my medium size kiln (I think it's an 18 inch hexagon, about 3 feet tall, inside dimensions) with a kiln sitter. I put the little cone it and when it melts, the kiln turns off. No soaking, no holding, can't really do that. I've tried using cone 5, cone 5 1/2, and true cone 6.
If I could only use 5 glazes they would be:
1) Albany Slip Brown, Potters Choice. Quite simply, it just works. It's a beautiful color that breaks gold. Looks good over texture and creates its own visual interest if no texture is present. Works the same on cone 5 through cone 6 and doesn't run all over my shelves.
A new friend and fellow potter asked me my favorite brands of glaze and since then, I've thought that I might have to backtrack on my initial answer. I initially said that I love Coyote glazes. But then I made all sorts of exceptions - this one turned out ugly, that one doesn't work the way I like, etc etc.
So I started thinking about if I had to choose only a handful of glazes to keep in my cabinet, which ones would they be?
All of the following observations are based on the results of my medium size kiln (I think it's an 18 inch hexagon, about 3 feet tall, inside dimensions) with a kiln sitter. I put the little cone it and when it melts, the kiln turns off. No soaking, no holding, can't really do that. I've tried using cone 5, cone 5 1/2, and true cone 6.
If I could only use 5 glazes they would be:
1) Albany Slip Brown, Potters Choice. Quite simply, it just works. It's a beautiful color that breaks gold. Looks good over texture and creates its own visual interest if no texture is present. Works the same on cone 5 through cone 6 and doesn't run all over my shelves.
2) Blue Rutile, Potters Choice. Like above, it just works and behaves properly at just about any of my temps. It's a blue that will never go out of style. It needs to be applied thick or you get a brownish black. It does run a little bit (due to being applied very thickly) but you tend to get kind of a bump blob of glaze under the handle of a mug rather than a whole bunch of glaze all over your shelf.
This might be replaced by either Coyotes Mottled Blue or Mayco's Blue Surf. Both of those have brighter blues but I haven't used them enough to be able to predict the outcome when I use them.
3) Blue Hare Fur, Clayart Center. Everyone needs a reliable black. This has blue undertones when applied thick. Another really good behaver in all temps. And it mixes with other glazes REALLY well. If applied over blue rutile, it will exaggerate the visual flow of that glaze without changing the color. If applied under albany slip brown (and some others that I've tested it with), it creates a whole unexpected effect.
Don't have a sample of it by itself, but here it is first under, than over stellar rust. 
4) Clear, Continental Clay. I do a lot of agateware so I want to see the color of the clay itself. It was hard finding a good clear. They tend to be milky or bubbly, or kind of clump up on the pot. I've found continental to be the best of those I've tested. Works at cone 5 1/2 but looks even sharper and clearer at 6.
Hmmmmm, I guess I only had 4 must haves. Ok, here's a list of some new glazes that I've done a test tile for but haven't tested extensively and therefore I can't get them a definite "must have" title yet.
1) Hellfire Red, Kentucky Mudworks. If this one works out, it will shoot high on my list. It's like a deep brown but with a shimmery pink floating on top of that brown. I did the test tile at cone 6 and it's beautiful. I did a firing at cone 5 1/2 where I used it and I kind of had to search for the shimmering color. It came out mostly brown. So I think it needs that extra heat.
2) Deep Firebrick, Potters Choice. It's a deep, non cheesy, brick red. Shows texture pretty well.
3) Stoned Denim, Mayco. Seems to work well, a really nice flowing greenish blue over a black base. Very nice over extreme texture but does need to go on thick so it can obscure softer textures.
4) Merlot, Clayart Center. It's a lovely purple and leans more to the burgandy/red side of the purple spectrum. Goes gray when thin so if applied medium, it's a showcase for texture.
And here are four that I will never ever ever buy again and kind of hope my leftovers accidently fall into the landfill.
1) Sunrise Shino, Coyote. Cedar Shino can go with it. I've tried it at all temperatures and I just get pepto bismal pink. Flat, thick, blech. But sometimes you need a pink which is why I haven't just thrown these two out. 
2) Chun Red, Laguna. I just got a mess. No red, just ick. Threw it out.
3) Eggplant, Coyote. It's matte, kind of an olive green the goes purple when it reaches a hot enough temp. When fired at cone 6 I got more purple and it was more acceptable but just too unpredictable. At cone 5, it came out a really rough texture and just kinda blue.
4) Steel Gray Shino and charcoal satin, Coyote. Came out matte and flat which I don't like. But when I fired one or the other at a real cone 6, I actually got a smoky effect that had some depth. Will have to experiment with the hotter fire more, but if all else fails, out the door they go.
And a few parting notes.
1) Hyacinth, Laguna. When it works, it's the most beautiful glaze. It's a purply, smoky, wonderful colors. But when it doesn't work, ick. It runs if fired too hot. It seems to get some sort of grit that floats in it and when fired, sometimes that grit is just embedded and creates little sharp points (especially prevelant inside mugs for some reason) or it just seems like it burns. I will not include this in cone 6 firings anymore because it runs and ruins shelves pretty much every time. But I'll keep trying to make it work at cone 5 1/2.
2) Coyote glazes in general - I have a feeling that as I see more of them fired to a proper cone 6, I'll like them more. They seem to be coming to life more when I fire them hotter. But I am concerned about Red Gold. It's on so many show pieces for Coyote and yet I'm just not getting the same results. I'm getting a flat brown with runs that kind of glob yellow. I was really looking forward to trying this glaze and I'm very disappointed. I think it must require a hold time or something that I just can't do. And Pam's Blue - I had given up on it because at cone 5 1/2 it was just a flat blue and gray mottled glaze. But when fired at cone 6, it became this wonderfully streaky, full of effects glaze. I'm now considering buying more and trying the Pams Green when I had previously decided not to get any more.
3) Spectrum glazes - I won't buy them anymore. They run like crazy even at cone 5. Texture Oasis would have been lovely but I just couln't make it work. I even did an 8 inch tall planter and the only glaze was a one inch stripe of texture oasis near the top. And it still ran all the way down the pot and onto the shelf.
4) Antique Iron, Opulance. Very nice at cone 5 1/2. Gets some nice variation as the blue and a touch of green kind of burst out of the brown over texture. But fired at cone 6, bye bye kiln shelf. Much more color bursting but it will melt right off your pot.
5) Clayart Center Brand glazes (from a store in Tacoma), these are not the most flashy colors or anything, but they are solid good glazes. I use powder blue, evergreen, and of course blue hare fur. These tend to be solid colors but they behave well and tend to mix with other colors to new effects. But in their pints, they are really thick. Every time I use the evergreen, I replace what I took out with some water to thin the remaining, and I still have a completely full pint that could use some more thinning. I'd say I've used about half of the glaze originally in that pint and replaced it with water and it's still too thick. Then again, more for you money!
And what's really sad? This isn't even all of the glazes that I'm CURRENTLY using. *sigh*
Posted in Tips for Pottery Makers by ugabugabowls on March 07, 2010 at 6:51pm |
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January 25, 2010
What I've been up to
Hey folks,
I haven't been blogging much because it's been boring stressful stuff. So here's a big ole post to catch you up on what's been going on around here.
When we last heard from Buster, he was at the vet. He was a very good boy and took all his medicine. He got very accustomed to hanging out in the laundry room and now tends to follow us into the house whenever he gets the chance. He showed up at just the right times for the week we had to give him meds and he healed very nicely.
Then a few days later, this walks in.
That's not rain water folks, that's mud. Pure mud. Layers and layers of mud.
That's what the towel looked like after the THIRD time wiping him down.
Even brushing him the next day yeilded a big pile of dirt on the floor.
We think some mud got into his eye because it's been watery and a little crusty. We've flushed it out with warm water a few times (oh yeah, he loved that) and have been checking him several times a day. It seems to be pretty much cleared up now.
In other news, the big deal around here has been our electricity. I had the electrician come by to consult about upgrading the wiring in the pottery studio and to find a way to heat the place. While he was here, all of the power in the house blinked and we tracked it down to the primary breaker leading to the house.
Two main circuits power our house and one completely blew out. So for about a week, we were living off extension cords and such so we could get light and computer use in the parts of the house that no longer had power. And all major appliances had to be shut down so no cooking, no laundry, no fun.
After jackhammering a portion of our carport and digging a 4 foot hole in the ground, our power box has been completely replaced! 
Yay! Our house isn't going to burn down now!
As long as we were at it, we went ahead and upgraded the studio.
I know that picture doesn't show much, but it shows what's missing. No more cords and power switches hanging from the ceiling! When I walk in, there's actually a light switch that powers the light! YES! Of course, I still automatically reach up when I walk in the door, but I'm sure I'll get over that soon.
And check it out, a properly installed heating unit. *drool* It works great. I can actually work in the middle winter now! And Buster is thrilled of course. He has his own private heated little house.
So now that I'm able to work again, I'm trying out a new tool. Specifically, The Steve Tool.
Loving it! And it demonstrates my trademark cleanliness as it sits on the counter caked in mud. Oh well. I do a lot of other things well, cleaning isn't one of them.
I'm also working on a lot of lidded forms right now for some reason. So here's a few things I've made with my new tool, in my newly powered studio!
So that's what I've been up to.
Buster thanks you for stopping by!
January 21, 2010
Free Videos
My day job as a videographer has been rather slow, but it's been giving me time to take advantage of the new heater in my studio. I'm finally able to get started doing pottery again.
But I just thought that if anyone was interested, I'd let you know that I actually create videos for a living. Small businesses can really benefit from a video on their website as having a video on your website increases your SEO rankings significantly.
The company that I work through is currently offering a free video promotion. If you'd ever thought of having a video made about your business, you can give it a try for free! Here is how it works:
But I just thought that if anyone was interested, I'd let you know that I actually create videos for a living. Small businesses can really benefit from a video on their website as having a video on your website increases your SEO rankings significantly.
The company that I work through is currently offering a free video promotion. If you'd ever thought of having a video made about your business, you can give it a try for free! Here is how it works:
- Fill out this online form to get a trial started (no payment or credit card is required) http://video.turnhere.com/order/filmmaker
- The filmmaker will contact you to schedule your shoot. The shoot only takes 60-90 minutes. They’ll help you get ready and also interview the owner or other employee about the business. They will shoot footage of the business to match it with the interview.
- Within 10 days of the shoot, you will receive a link to preview the video and send edit requests if necessary.
- Once you’re satisfied with the video, you will receive an embed code to use the video on sites of your choice for 3 months.
Posted in General by ugabugabowls on January 21, 2010 at 10:08pm |
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January 16, 2010
Test Tiles for Glaze Combos
These are test tiles to show what different glaze combinations look like. The problem is that for every glaze you have, the amount of combinations grows exponentially. Wow, didn't think I'd spell that right but my spellchecker is giving the ok.
So if you have a total of three glazes, there are 9 possible combinations (if you include the same glaze for both layers as a combo). If you have 4, there's 16 combos, 5 and 25 combos and so on and so forth. Part of the reason for that is because you want to see how they combine when you apply one glaze on top of the other, as well as the other on top of the one glaze. That is a whole lotta test tiles to make and fire!!
I have a ton of glazes. Seriously, I buy glazes like a Sunday comic strip female buys shoes. There is not enough kiln space in the world to test all of the possible combinations I could test. So we're narrowing this down a bit and making one big tile to test several combos.
Pretty cool eh?
Grab a tool and carve a diagonal divot through each row.
Hole punch a couple of holes at the top in case I want to string it up at some point. Don't think I ever will, but you know, options are good.
Let dry and fire. If it breaks, try to salvage at least a 3x3 section if you can. Very nice to have if you just want to check one or two glazes with each other.
So now you have your fired grids. How do you keep track of what goes where?
It's imperative that each glaze is tested as both the top layer and the bottom layer. Oh you don't think so? Trust me, it is. The same glaze combo might look completely different depending on which one is applied first. Here are the two samples of Blue Hare Fur with Stellar Rust. The one of the left is BHF under SR and the one on the right is SR under BHF. If you only test one combo, you don't actually know what the two glazes are capable of doing together.
So if you have a total of three glazes, there are 9 possible combinations (if you include the same glaze for both layers as a combo). If you have 4, there's 16 combos, 5 and 25 combos and so on and so forth. Part of the reason for that is because you want to see how they combine when you apply one glaze on top of the other, as well as the other on top of the one glaze. That is a whole lotta test tiles to make and fire!!
I have a ton of glazes. Seriously, I buy glazes like a Sunday comic strip female buys shoes. There is not enough kiln space in the world to test all of the possible combinations I could test. So we're narrowing this down a bit and making one big tile to test several combos.
Pretty cool eh?
And before you tell me, yes, that one broke just before being glaze fired and I had to glue it together after the fact. But it still gives me the info I need.
What you're looking at is a test tile of 4 different glazes in every possible combination they could have with each other.
And here's what other information I've designed into the tiles. I use several clays because I make a lot of agateware. Each of my new glazes is tested with a white clay and a dark red clay. But I've never tested with my recycled clay which falls somewhere in the middle. So for my combo glaze tests, I use the recycled stuff! So now I have a test tile of each of these colors individually on recycled clay. See how they are labeled on the diagonal? And each tile as a divot cut out of the center so I can see how the glaze combination breaks. And while you can't see it very well, the lower left segment of each tile has a rubber stamp impression to see if a stamp would be visible under that combo.
Making these things -
Obviously I make a slab. Usually a pretty large one.
I press a wire shelving cube thingy (you know, those wire squares that you can attach to each other to make cube like shelves, really cheap and portable, common in college dorms) into the slab to make approximately 1 inch squares. Then I carve off the edges and see how many squares in each direction I have. If I have more columns than rows, I cut off a column to make it square.
Originally I was going to go for about 7x7 but I found that those broke really easily. That's how I ended up with so many 3x3 kickin around. The largest I've made that has survived as been 5x5 and that ended up splitting in the final glaze firing. Still gives me the info I need though so it's all good.
Hole punch a couple of holes at the top in case I want to string it up at some point. Don't think I ever will, but you know, options are good.
Stamp each lower left portion of tile.
So now you have your fired grids. How do you keep track of what goes where?
It's imperative that each glaze is tested as both the top layer and the bottom layer. Oh you don't think so? Trust me, it is. The same glaze combo might look completely different depending on which one is applied first. Here are the two samples of Blue Hare Fur with Stellar Rust. The one of the left is BHF under SR and the one on the right is SR under BHF. If you only test one combo, you don't actually know what the two glazes are capable of doing together.
Ok, so back to keeping track. I always paint my horizontal lines first. So the horizontal lines will always be the bottom layer. Then, I go back and paint my vertical lines.
By doing this, I end up with this:
Of course, you have to somehow mark the tile when you're applying the glazes so that when it comes out of the kiln, you know what combo is where. I write the glazes in underglaze pencil along the top of the back of the tile. But remember, when you flip the tile over, it's now backwards. So as you write across the top, remember to write it as Glaze 4, Glaze 3, Glaze 2, Glaze 1. So if you put your thumb on the front and your forefinger on the back, the appropriate label will match the tile you're touching.
Then go ahead and label the tiles on the diagonal.
So now you can test your glaze combinations quickly, easily, and efficiently in terms of space and time. All sorts of combos at a glance!
Oh, and I have all of my glazes listed in an excel spreadsheet heading both the columns and the rows. So when I do a tile like this, I can mark off which combos I've already done.
Hope this helps!
Posted in Tips for Pottery Makers by ugabugabowls on January 16, 2010 at 3:38pm |
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January 03, 2010
Bad day for Buster
But apparently he's also a bit of scrapper. As with most outdoor cats, he got himself into a bit of a fight. Nothing out of the ordinary for a kitty like him. He gets new scrapes and such quite often. He's territorial so he's probably the one who starts them.
But this time he got a big ole bite on his paw. He was limping a little bit a few days ago but it got much worse last night. We had an appointment for him to see the vet on Monday but suddenly didn't want to wait. So my awesome vet had me drop him off today so they could fit him in between appointments.
It seems that because the bite was on the paw, there's very little room there for a wound to swell so it hurts quite a bit. They have him on antibiotics now and are getting him thoroughly vaccinated. He was already vaccinated for FIV and Kitty Leukimia so those shouldn't be an issue but they're testing just to make sure.
He cried last night when we locked him in the laundry room. He does not like to be trapped at all. But I didn't want to risk him getting into another fight with a raccoon or something while he was injured. And since it would be too easy for him to escape the laundry room (it's our main point of entrance and exit from the house), we decided to leave him at the vet for a few days. He'll get his meds and we'll try to lock him in the laundry room for a few more days when he gets back, but we'll see how long that lasts.
So yeah, he's fine, but he's not here. Kinda sucks.
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Check out this video of me making an agateware mug! Safe for work cuz there's no sound. No one will know you're watching a video. And feel free to feed the hamster. ___
