KEN NORDLING on sun 16 jun 96
Dear Fellow Potters:
After 20 years of working with C/10 reduction
glazes and a gas kiln, I'm now relegated to an
electric kiln and would like to consider C/3-6
glazes.
Are any of you familiar with a good book about
this range of electric fired glazes or do you
have recipes you would not mind sharing?
Any help or advice would be welcomed and
appreciated!
This ClayArt group is sure appreciated here
in Sedona, Arizona's land of the red rock country!
Many thanks, Joan
365 Oak Creek Drive
Sedona, AZ 86351
khnord@sedona.net
Paula Coleman on mon 17 jun 96
At 08:46 PM 6/16/96 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Dear Fellow Potters:
> After 20 years of working with C/10 reduction
> glazes and a gas kiln, I'm now relegated to an
> electric kiln and would like to consider C/3-6
> glazes.
> Are any of you familiar with a good book about
> this range of electric fired glazes or do you
> have recipes you would not mind sharing?
Try "The Potter's Complete Book of Clay and Glazes" by James Chappell. I
have had a lot of success with his recipes.
Paula Coleman
PJLewing@aol.com on tue 18 jun 96
I made that switch about 10 years ago, and let me tell you, you are in for at
least 3 years of constant testing no matter what books and other help you
get. At ^10 reduction, texture is easy and color is hard- at mid-range
oxidation the opposite is true. Now after 10 years of compulsive glaze
testing (and the arrival of glaze calculation software, I feel like I've got
a handle on it. In fact, I now actually like the lower temp and oxidation
better. But I always was trying to get both effects at the same time. And
the texture is easier to get in oxidation than the color is in reduction.
But you asked about books. The best I have found is Emmanuel Cooper's
"Electric Kiln Ceramics". Lots of good tips, a focus only on electric firing
and some good glaze recipes. I just got "Out of the Earth Into the Fire", by
Mimi Obstler. Great technical book, with lots of recipes (none of which I
have tried yet) and suggested modifications. Then there's always John
Conrad's "Complete Compendium of Ceramic Formulas". I use a number of glazes
out of there. And I recently got some good results from taking the recipes
out of theback of my old "Clay & Glazes for the Potter" by Dan Rhodes. Had
to convert them from Oxford feldspar, colemanite, and such to what I have
now, though. And the best book about color in glazes, which will be your
biggest kick, is Robin Hopper's "Ceramic Spectrum". Take 3 years, do all the
experiments he suggests, and your glazes will be the envy of all your
friends, and you'll be rich, famous, and happy, and true love will find you.
I know, because I was making glaze tests when I asked my wife out on our
first date. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last week.
Happy testing (and more testing, and more testing)
Paul Lewing
Melissa Carpenter on wed 19 jun 96
When moving from high fire reduction to ^6 electric, the biggest mistake I
made was trying to make the ^6 glazes look and act like reduction glazes.
They are not the same and I felt I lost several years of glaze testing
searching for something that was just not possible. Lots of nice glazes out
there and I learned a tremendous amount of info with all the testing I did,
but I finially have come to appreciate the electric kiln for what it does
best. It provides a complete oxidation firing environment where colors are
true. I now do slip trailing and cover the work with clear. I have about
six colored glazes, but have learned that even this is too much and would
like to decide three. My advice as you make the switch is start simple -
decide on a body that truely matures at the temp you pick and from one base
glaze develop several compatible glazes. I highly recomend Zakin's and
Cooper's books ... "Electric Kiln Pottery" and "Electric Kiln Ceramics" I
also recommend Robin Hopper's book the "Ceramic Spectrum" One last note on
color and glazes and I would appreciate feed back on this. I have found that
stains produce great color in slips and clay bodies, but provide no "depth"
for glazes and I therefore recomend combinations of oxides for developing
colors in glazes. Has anyone found an addition to stains that provide more
interest when used in glazes?
Melissa Carpenter
ClayTime Studio
In Central PA where my entire basement is now a wet box after the down pour
yesterday.
Kathy McDonald on wed 19 jun 96
At 01:32 PM 6/17/96 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>At 08:46 PM 6/16/96 EDT, you wrote:
>>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> Dear Fellow Potters:
>> After 20 years of working with C/10 reduction
>> glazes and a gas kiln, I'm now relegated to an
>> electric kiln and would like to consider C/3-6
>> glazes.
>> Are any of you familiar with a good book about
>> this range of electric fired glazes or do you
>> have recipes you would not mind sharing.
I have used Richard Zakin's books on Electric Kiln Ceramics
for these type of glazes.....please e-mail me and i will
send you the complete references.
Kathy McDonald
mcdonaldk@docker.com
Teri and Bill Seeley on wed 19 jun 96
After spending my first four years firing pots in reduction kilns,
I set up my first studio with an electric kiln, firing oxidation
to cone 9. I used many of the cone 9-10 glazes from my college
years but was disappointed at first because they appeared too
shiny and lacked depth. It took a while to realize that the
real problem was not with atmosphere, but with the cooling
characteristics of electric kilns vs fuel fired kilns. The latter
tend to be larger and much more massive because of the fire boxes
and flues and hence cool much more slowly. Much of the character of
so called "reduction glazes" derives from this slower cooling cycle.
I would suggest experimenting with "firing down" after the cones
bend. Using your pyrometer to track temperature, gradually reduce
the switch settings over a period of several hours and carefully
record the settings and the temperatures. If you have a
computerized controller, you can program the cooling cycle.
After some experimentation you'll find your gloss glazes will have
more depth, and the "buttery" matts associated with high fire
reduction can be achieved in oxidation. This technique works
especially well with saturated iron red glazes, tenmokus, and
other glazes which depend on crytal formation for their character.
Bill
--
Theresa and William Seeley 410 486-3171 (voice)
Villa Nova Pottery 410 484-6273 (fax)
4015 Buckingham Rd. Baltimore, MD 21207
"186,000 miles/second is not just a good idea - its the law!"
| |
|
