Sunday, February 12, 2012

~~GLAZED~~

No doughnuts here!  Only tiles, tiles and more tiles!  I spent my week doing a glaze experiment for two different cones.  I mixed 1600 grams of a cone 10 clear glaze and another 1600 grams of a cone 6 clear glaze-which I created myself. J The experiment is to test the coloring and durability of mason stain when added to clear glazes.  The initial assignment only called for a cone 10 test but I always like to step it up a bit, so I added the cone 6 as well.  Yes, it has doubled my workload, but I believe it will be very beneficial in the end.  Mainly because I prefer to fire in cone 6 and so do other wonderful artists I know (so why keep it only in cone 10?)

The testing is comprised of 100g of dry clear glaze with a 5% (5g) of mason stain mixed in.  I am testing fifteen separate mason stains for each cone.  So, there is a total of thirty individual test tiles.  The cone 10 set will be fired in Big Eddie at a cone 10 reduction, while I will most likely be firing the cone 6 set in my home kiln in cone 6 oxidation.  I might be able to establish a cone 6 firing at school, but it doesn’t bother me to do it at home.  I will be doing a cone 6 firing at home fairly soon anyhow, so why not just add them to it? J

Doing this experiment is giving me the opportunity to practice with the mason stains a little more before I begin my endeavor of making the colored engobes.  I cannot wait to see how this experiment turns out!




Here are some photos of the experiment process so far.  I will post the fired results soon! J

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