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shinos/glaze tests

updated tue 30 apr 96

 

Meunier Joyce Lee on fri 26 apr 96

Thank you,clayarters, for your generosity in sharing glazes. I just opened
the kiln from recent tests and like them all. As a novice potter, I am
amazed at the difference in a glaze's appearance on a dark claybody or a
light claybody. Shino #1013 AND #1188 on three difference claybodies were
most impressive, as were some of the purples, and Heer's black- breaking
-cream, somebody's 3D. I also tested some of Robin Hopper's Oriental Iron
Glazes with different colorants. Beautiful ! We'll see how they look on
pots now. I'm taking clayarters' advice and putting them on small pots
first. (I don't have a lot of pot choices, actually. It's not as if I
throw a great variety of sizes. I'm STILL at the
center-a-mound-of-clay-and-see-what-happens stage.)

Questions: When firing shinos at cones 8-10, are there specific actions I
need to take in order to have the best firing ? I'm firing blind, with
little experience and easily impressed with my own work. Should shinos be
fired separately from other glazes? The kiln (small reduction gas) still
scares me, but I'm a little more in control so may be able to follow
suggestions...

Thank you for any tidbits or whalebits you may have for me. You have been
great!

Joyce
Hot Mojave (Hotter still when I can't stand it another minute and open the
kiln too early.)

June Perry on sat 27 apr 96

Dear Joyce:

To get good shinos I reduce quite early - around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. I
don't reduce very heavily at this stage but enough to get good body
reduction. I maintain reduction throughout the firing alternating between
light and medium to heavy reduction. I never reduce so heavily as to see
heavy black smoke coming out of the kiln.
You need the early body reduction to get those good red shinos. The amount of
reduction will determine whether the red shino will go either a lovely peach
tone to a deep reddish orange. Applying those recipes I gave you on the thin
side to get more of the red colors.

Sounds like your first tests went fine! Good luck with the pots!

Regards,
June Perry