John Baymore on fri 11 apr 97
Ron Roy wrote (in part):
.......I do know it is in in many Shino glazes and I believe it's
there to try to correct crazing.
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The old japanese shino glazes didn't have any appriciable lithium content.
Most were apparently made with two basic materials....... a ground rock and
wood ash. Sometimes just a little clay, depending on the rock sample. I
was just in the Seto/Tajima area in October/November and visited a shino
potter who confirmed this idea. (Might only be his way of doing it though
.)
The main rock in the raw form looked like a cross between white granite and
a more pure feldspar. These glazes were (are) highly fluxed by Na2O and
K20. So....... they crazed to beat the band over most anything. This
crazing eventually "stains in" and the resulting crackle lines were (and
are) appreciated as improving the look of the piece with time and use.
Long firings seem to be another key in the traditional glaze.
American "shino" glazes are sort of like American "raku". We took a
concept, and then made it "bigger than life". The lithium does fix the
crazing if you get the proportion just right. But I feel that it changes
the glazes from the original a bit more than I would like. Grander
effects....... more "dramatic" flashing. Subtle surface character change
to the "lusterous" tactile quality.
The more subtle, closer to "tradiitional" glazes without the Li2O, for me,
are nicer.
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752
JBaymore@Compuserve.com
76506.3102@Compuserve.com
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