John Post on thu 5 jul 07
As far as glaze dipping goes, I find that glazes that are high in clay
content tend to go on more smoothly with few if any drips. Most of the
glazes I use have between 10-20% clay in them. I won't uses glazes with
less than 10% clay in them since I hate the way the slurry behaves in
the bucket. Glazes with less than 10% often settle out and are thin
when applied.
When it comes to spraying, here are a few tips. Use a banding wheel and
turn it constantly as you spray. If you want to keep track of where you
started and stopped, you can put a nickel on the wheel and use it to see
how many times the wheel has been spun around. It is also important to
have the spray nozzle at a 90 degree angle to the part of the pot being
sprayed. The spray should be aimed directly at the pot and not hit it
at an angle. With the glazes I use, I try to get a fuzzy texture on the
pot. This lets me know that I have enough built up.
and like everyone else said... practice, practice etc...
John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan
>, but I hate glazing--because, of course, I don't know how to do it
>right. I've tried dipping and don't like the runs I get; I've tried
>spraying and still get runs or poor coverage or both on the same piece!
>I've tried brushing and get streaking.
>
>
Gay Judson on thu 5 jul 07
I love throwing and I really like trimming. I even like mixing up my
glazes, but I hate glazing--because, of course, I don't know how to do it
right. I've tried dipping and don't like the runs I get; I've tried
spraying and still get runs or poor coverage or both on the same piece!
I've tried brushing and get streaking. I know it is a matter of
experience--practice. But my experience is not producing what I want to
practice getting! There does not seem to much literature on the subject.
Lots on making glazes, on throwing, on decorating but it seems that applying
the glaze is something assumed to be natural or obvious. Help?
Gay Judson in San Antonio, TX
Elizabeth Priddy on thu 5 jul 07
Alright, Gay, here's the down and dirty on glazing, about
which I am teaching a one day workshop in New Bern NC,
two Saturdays from now. $85 per person, call if you are
interested. The gist is below but there is nothing like being
there in the room for this particular potter's lesson. If you
can't do as Lee suggests and just watch for a long time, you
could do much worse than taking a one day course on it.
In the class I will discuss brushes, timing, humidity and a lot
of other things that need a room and eyes to cover.
But here goes.
The enemy of glazing is the standard studio potter's
set-up. There is rarely a clear area of tablespace for
setting up the glaze mis-en-place. You need a clear area.
Then you need a three part rack system, one for the bisque,
one for the dry-footed, one for the glazed, then return to the
first for the glazed and cleaned. This can be three boards.
But you have to have a place to put all of them, and NOT where you
just took it from.
If you are waxing, you wax all of them at once, not piecemeal.
Hold your bisque firing until you are ready to glaze and then fire
a whole load. You can then glaze without washing the pots. You
have to get the dust off if you let them sit around. Solution is to
put them on boards and wrap with large seran wrap, like caterers
do the plates they send out to sites. Room humidity also is a problem.
Straight out of the kiln, they are nice and dry.
Get a big enough bucket or large stainless steel bowls, bigger and
deeper than the pots you are glazing. If you have small amounts of
glaze, you transfer it to a stainless steel bowl and thin it to dipping
consistency. Then you can ladle, pour, splatter, drip and mess to your
heart's content without making a mess of your clear area. Plastic
containers work as well, but I prefer the stainless. I also prefer a large
open bowl shape to a bucket. Elbows are freer to move in stainless.
I use a large decanted glaze setup even when using a hake brush to
glaze because it forces me to mix my glaze thoroughly. I use a large
super stiff dedicated toilet brush ala mel to get it all out of the bucket
and a rubber spatula to get it back into the bucket. Very little waste.
Wash your hands before you begin with detergent soap, like Dawn, it
stops your grease from your face and skin from making resist marks.
Keep a large bucket of clean water next to your set-up to rinse whisks
and stirrers and ladles and such between glazes.
Do all of this outside when you can so that you can hose down the whole
business when you are done.
Have a plan. If you are layering, do all of one bit and then the next and then
the next, do not go one pot through all of it and then the next pot. Only if
you need a wet on wet application of glaze layering for a particular effect
would you do one pot all the way at one time. And in that case, you need
at least two bowl set-ups, one for each glaze, each with dedicated ladles or
brushes or cups or tongs.
You need CLEAN sponges, dry towel for hand, wet towel for spills, tongs,
ladles, cups, whisks, newspaper for table if you are messy, a large bucket
of water, a rubber spatula, and a flat spatula for large sudden spills, and a
clean large stainless bowl for each glaze you are using.
So you are clean, set up in a roomy area, you have all your bits and pieces
where you will need to grab them, you know where you will sit anything you
have picked up and your pots are fresh from firing and ready to go.
Now here's the tricky part. Consistency. You dip and submerge the whole
area you want a particular color for a full slow count of five. Then a second
color gets a count of 3, then a third variation gets a count of 2-3 . Total of
9-10 seconds. If your glaze is not thick enough per this paradigm, thicken
it up. If it is too thick, thin it down. You need your glazes to work at your
speed, not you to theirs. Read that three times. You are to be accommodated,
not some finicky glaze. Things evaporate, things settle. When you decant
your glaze to the bowl for glazing, you are to check it, stir it and get it to the
right consistency BEFORE you begin to glaze. I am sure you CAN do this
but convinced that you have not. Now the total time is cumulative, so one
pass though to get the base on, then one pass through to get the second
color and then one for the decorative bit.
Even if you use a small jar of glaze, you should still decant and then glaze
although for small quantities of glaze or slip, I use a small stick blender
rather than a whisk or brush. It is easy to clean in between glazes as you have
that handy bucket of clean water right there.
Decanting sounds like a chore until you reflect long and hard on all the trouble
you have experienced with various ill shaped containers and how much faster
and easier it would have been if only you had had a clean set of stainless steel
pans sitting idle on a shelf with all the glaze paraphrenalia sitting there in them
waiting for you whenever you wanted them.
You said you wanted to know. Somewhere in the miasma above is what you
are not doing. Or maybe I have left something out...
This is just the stuff off the top of my head, which has been preparing a lecture
on glaze application for the last few days, so lucky us!
If you start with this, your glaze chances are very good that it will come out
well or better than you have experienced so far. Else come see me and I
will have you glazing like a pro in two days, tops. And you can fire the small
wood kiln!
Tomorrow on "how to do it!", we make soup!
In all seriousness, I hope this helps.
E
Elizabeth Priddy
Beaufort, NC - USA
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7973282@N03/
On 7/5/07, Gay Judson wrote:
> practice getting! There does not seem to much literature on the subject.
> Lots on making glazes, on throwing, on decorating but it seems that applying
> the glaze is something assumed to be natural or obvious. Help?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html
Gay Judson on thu 5 jul 07
Of course, that is not what I wished to hear. However, it is more than I
expected to hear. I think it is an almost impossible question to 'answer'.
I do think I need to focus on a very small number of glazes and 'get to
know' them very well. I have glazed small rice bowls--and they come out
OK--it is mostly the larger pieces that I just can't manage to get a nice
covering on. And I must confess that my record keeping is sporadic and not
usually very complete. Seems that what I did not note is what I need to
know later!
But thanks for the encouragement to keep on working at it.
Gay Judson
Dannon Rhudy on thu 5 jul 07
It isn't natural, and it isn't obvious. You've already started to
learn: practice. Practice, practice, and keep notes on what
you have done - each peice. Boring, eh? Maybe. Certainly
many of my students have been reluctant about glazing - annoyed
with results, etc. Many turn to low-fire salt -no glazing; or wood
firing - no glazing. Still, whatever method of finish you choose,
the learning curve is steep and hilly. You must learn your glazes,
how they behave alone and in concert with others, plus how to
fire each - it is time consuming. You might want to consider
making a large series of small pieces that you glaze as
consistently as you are able, keeping notes, and firing to a
schedule. There really aren't short cuts: whether you use your
own glazes or commercial ones, you have to learn them. It's
like scales in music - some every day, no matter how advanced
you are.
I know you did not wish to hear that. But it is my experience.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
> I love throwing and I really like trimming. I even like mixing up my
> glazes, but I hate glazing--
Lee Love on thu 5 jul 07
On 7/5/07, Gay Judson wrote:
> practice getting! There does not seem to much literature on the subject.
> Lots on making glazes, on throwing, on decorating but it seems that applying
> the glaze is something assumed to be natural or obvious. Help?
Is it possible for you to visit a professional pottery, watch
how they do it? Just sitting quietly and watching how they do it.
I am not a fan of glazing either, and that is why I like
unglazed woodfring. I learned a lot about glazing during my
apprenticeship. All of it "just watching." No doing, no
explainations. Osmosis. Duppei! (Mashiko dialect for Is! or desu)
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." -
Henry David Thoreau
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
John Post on fri 6 jul 07
>Three glazes that have been
>most successful for me (thought not 100%) are:
>Floating Blue (Chappell) which has 5.4% EPK
>Zavier's Warm Green Jade (Hesselberth version) has 10% EPK
>Nutmeg (Richard Basch/PMI) has 24% OM 4
>
>
>
The reason the floating blue works with such a low amount of clay is
that it contains a significant amount of Gerstley Borate which causes
the clay to gel. It can lead to problems if left in the bucket a long
time but usually works pretty good the first day you mix it up. The
other two work because the clay helps to create a good slurry. Glazes
that have less than 10% clay often have bentonite added to the recipe in
an attempt to make the slurry better. In my experience, these glazes
don't go on as smoothly as ones with 10% clay or more.
>I am also wondering about the pressure on the compressor
>gauge--what should that be?
>
I use a critter spray gun and set the pressure at 40psi.
I am an intermittent sprayer. I don't do all of my pots this way since
it is a bit time intensive. I usually just spray one glaze over another
or spray the top 1/3 of a pot with a different glaze.
Try throwing a bunch of little pots and then spray some of them
lightly. Then spray some with what you consider to be an even coating,
then spray some with what you consider to be too much glaze (do this
near the top of them).
Take digital pics of these pots and then fire them. By doing this you
will learn how much you need to spray using your method and you'll have
a visual record of what you did.
Keep plugging away at it.
John Post
Tom at Hutchtel.net on fri 6 jul 07
A big part of getting consistent results in glazing, is consistency in
application.
1. Your glaze must be the same density (specific gravity) everytime. This
means the proportion of suspended solids in the water must be the same, not
only every batch, but every time you start a glazing session.
You CANNOT use a hydrometer to measure glaze density. You MUST weigh a
known quantity accurately.
This has been discussed and described over and over on ClayArt.
2. Your glaze must be mixed (dry to wet) properly to begin with. Dipping
the finger to coat the fingernail is just the beginning. Ron R came here
one time and showed us how to get it mixed right the first time, and use
flocculants and deflocculants to get the correct density and proper coating
characteristics. (Ron, yuo should write a book on all this...proper mixing
and application! Give you something to do!)
3. Get your dipping or application method so it is repeatable and
consistent. Dip...3 seconds....out to start losing sheen...another in and
out....or whatever, but it has to be consisten.
4. Get your throwing and trimming consistent so most pots are about the
same thickness.
5. Get your bisque firing consistent. A variance of 1 cone will make a big
difference in absorption by the bisque.
6. Make certain teh bisque is the same dampness (from cleaning) everytime.
No one said this clay stuff was easy. And just about the time everything's
going well, something will change and you start over. There are a hundred
small things that all add up. You can vary one of these small things, maybe
two, maybe four, and then wham, the 'add up' is big enough to change the
result. Now you've got to go back and reconstruct everyting to find out
where the problem is.
Or, you could woodfire. 'Course then, you'd have to look like Tony C!
Tom Wirt
Hutchinson, MN
twirt@hutchtel.net
www.claycoyote.com
Hey Tony....hope the weekend is terrific for you and Sheila!
Tom at Hutchtel.net on fri 6 jul 07
>Subject: Re: I hate glazing
> schedule. There really aren't short cuts: whether you use your
> own glazes or commercial ones, you have to learn them. It's
> like scales in music - some every day, no matter how advanced
> you are.
>
> I know you did not wish to hear that. But it is my experience.
>
> regards
>
> Dannon Rhudy
I have to tag on to Dannon's note, because I sense in this "I hate
trimming....glazing...whatever" thread, the current day desire for instant
results.
In clay, it ain't gonna happen. You're dealing with literally a hundred
variables from start to finish, and you have to master everyone. As Dannon
said, there are no shortcuts.
I often tell the tale, and probably have here on clayart, that when I
started 17 or 18 years ago, I'd ask potters about "when does my 'style'
appear". The nice ones would smile knowingly and say, well, you get to
throw, time, glaze, fire for 6 or 7 years, everyday, and then you will know
how to use the materials well enough to BEGIN to worry about style.
And darned if that didn't end up to be pretty true.
Tom Wirt
Hutchinson, MN
twirt@hutchtel.net
www.claycoyote.com
Gay Judson on fri 6 jul 07
On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 22:29:43 -0400, John Post wrote:
>As far as glaze dipping goes, I find that glazes that are high in clay
>content tend to go on more smoothly with few if any drips. Most of the
>glazes I use have between 10-20% clay in them.
I like this hint because it is so concrete! I can really hang on to that
one! I went through recipes that I have used. Three glazes that have been
most successful for me (thought not 100%) are:
Floating Blue (Chappell) which has 5.4% EPK
Zavier's Warm Green Jade (Hesselberth version) has 10% EPK
Nutmeg (Richard Basch/PMI) has 24% OM 4
I also noted that most of the Hesselberth/Roy recipes have 10% or higher
clay. As do the recipes of Bill Van Gilder from his show. Since these are
aimed at novice potters it is interesting that they also suggest glazes with
high clay content. But that was something I had not noticed--I will now!
>
With the glazes I use, I try to get a fuzzy texture on the
>pot. This lets me know that I have enough built up.
>
I thought that the fuzzy texture indicated that I had not yet applied enough
of the glaze. I am also wondering about the pressure on the compressor
gauge--what should that be? And I wonder if I have too heavy of flow so I
don't have as good control--those questions just occurred to me during my
last spraying event!
Thanks for your suggestions! Gay
Gay Judson on fri 6 jul 07
Elizabeth, Thank you for generously sharing your notes for the upcoming
workshop. I need to live closer to NC! Lots of good stuff going on there,
it seems.
I do my glazing in my carport--so I set up fresh for each session. (The
carport is enclosed on two sides.) And do set up lots of tables to
accommodate the process. Two points you made that I have been concerned
about. 1)The large bowls might be a help for me. I am trying to dip into
the buckets that I store the glazes in. I do strain the glazes before using
it for the first time in a session and then use a brush or drill to stir
during the glazing session. 2)But the big puzzle is the humidity. Our
newspaper noted that we have had 40 days of rain non stop! Usually, we are
pretty dry here. So there is a variable I have not taken into account. I
have read in Clayart that one should dampen each piece before glazing. Some
wrote of dunking the piece in a sink of water though most suggested wiping
with a wet sponge. I don't understand the purpose of the wetting of the piece.
I am gratefully surprised at the help I am getting from what seemed a way
too general, broad plea. What would I (we) do without this incredible
resource. Thanks to all! Gay
Taylor Hendrix on sat 7 jul 07
Hey Gay,
Since we are ClayArt cohorts, joining about the same time, I want to
help solve all your problems. You know you've already read some
fantastic advice. I can't offer any better as I've not glazed in over
a year, but I can invite you down.
Come down to Rockport with a kiln load of bisque ware, your recipes
(or dry glaze) and we'll fill up my kiln with our glazed work and work
out the techniques together. Bring the ball-and-chain, lots to see in
in the Coastal Bend. While the electric is chugging along with our
glazed ware, we can saggar or pit fire.
You better get to making bisque because we need full kilns and pits.
My A99-B is about 7cu ft., pit holds at least 12 cu ft of pots, and
the saggar kiln is 17 by 17 by 17 inches or so. C'mon down to my
house, to my house.
Sister-in-law has moved away from San Antonio, so guess who's coming
to camp in your front yard come October and the Texas Clay Festival?
Taylor, in Rockport TX
On 7/5/07, Gay Judson wrote:
> I love throwing and I really like trimming. I even like mixing up my
> glazes, but I hate glazing--because, of course, I don't know how to do it
> right. I've tried dipping and don't like the runs I get; I've tried
> spraying and still get runs or poor coverage or both on the same piece!
> I've tried brushing and get streaking. I know it is a matter of
> experience--practice.
Marcia Selsor on sat 7 jul 07
Hi Gay,
to answer a few more of your questions..
dampening the pot before glazing makes the glaze go on
smoother..doesn't get sucked in to the thirsty pours.
The pressure for your sprayer should be advised by the manual for
whatever spayer you are using.
My ez sprayer requires about 25 lbs pressure.
The fuzzy texture is the buildup of a good spray application...some
actually say 1/32 of an inch fuzziness.
As with everything in clay ..it all depends.....
Humidity is something to get use to.
Montana was very dry 15-20% maybe and here in southmost Texas it is
80% or more some days.
Best wishes,,,may be up to San Antonio in Sept.
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
Mildred Herot on mon 9 jul 07
With reference to "I Hate Glazing" I must admit that I feel like a charter
member of the club. My solution (?) is to put on two coats of glaze on
green ware - brush on the first and stipple on the second. After bisque
firing I then pour the inside and spray on the outside with Cushing satin
mat which blends into the bisqued glaze giving a very nice finish with my
blues and turquoise. It works for me.....Mildred Herot
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Parker"
To:
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 1:53 PM
Subject: Re: I hate glazing
> Gay:
>
> I just returned from several days away from Clayart, read your posting and
> had to reply. I haven't been at it all that long, but what you wrote
> sounded exactly like me when I began glazing. I managed to find a method
> that works for me in spite of all my personal idiosyncracies in mixing,
> spraying, pouring etc.
>
> I don't have a studio all in one place. I throw and mix glazes in the
> basement, and glaze and fire in the carport. This means a complete change
> of gears between making pots and glazing pots. I have to lug 5 gallon
> buckets of glaze, along with plastic pans, sieves, an HVLP sprayer,
> brushes etc. upstairs when I glaze, then back down again. If that weren't
> pain enough, I also found that glazing demands a different attitude.
> Can't really explain this one, but when I throw, it takes awhile to get
> into the swing of glazing; and after glazing, it takes awhile to get back
> into the swing of throwing.
>
> Then, there is the problem of remembering what I did when I glazed
> something I really liked -- or disliked -- so I could either repeat or
> avoid that process in the future. With too much time between glazings, I
> simply forgot, and so each glazing was almost like starting over.
>
> Add to all of this the fact that I am pretty much self-taught when it
> comes to glazing. Never had a class or workshop for glazing, but I've
> read a bunch of books and begged a lot of advice from Clayart members.
> All of this adds up to what I am sure are many systemic problems in my
> procedures -- mistakes I don't even know I am making.
>
> My solution -- and one that works very well for me -- is to be patient and
> NOT glaze until I have fired several kilnloads of bisque. I just go into
> my "throwing" attitude, make a lot of stuff, bisque it and store it in the
> utility room until I'm ready to glaze. WHen I can't wait any longer, I
> lug everything up from the basement, get set up for glazing and spend
> several days doing nothing else but glazing and firing. I try to glaze
> the lesser pots first, then fire them. Open the kiln and inspect. WHat I
> learn from that load I apply to the next batch. Invariably, the next
> batch looks better. What I learn from that one, I apply to the third and
> so on.
>
> This method makes it immediately apparent that I am spraying too thinly,
> allowing drips that don't flatter a particular glaze or not cleaning pots
> sufficiently before glazing. It also somewhat compensates for the many
> errors I must be making without realizing it. The good part is that I get
> the feedback just as I am glazing another batch. No problem with
> forgetting or getting confused about what I did with the previous batch.
>
> It takes patience to do this, of course. Even if you can't manage that
> part of it, you might try putting a few bisqued pots aside from each batch
> until you get a couple of glaze loads saved up. It works for me...
>
> Good luck,
>
> Fred Parker
>
>
> P.S.
> Re spraying, try reducing air pressure. Too much air pressure causes
> excessive atomization which might enhance certain automotive or furniture
> finishes, but is deadly for glazes. You want a wet surface. It doesn't
> matter if the sprayed droplets are coarse. Too much air pressure only
> blows your glaze off into the atmosphere and results in a thin, very dry
> glaze deposit on the pot.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
>
Fred Parker on mon 9 jul 07
Gay:
I just returned from several days away from Clayart, read your posting and
had to reply. I haven't been at it all that long, but what you wrote
sounded exactly like me when I began glazing. I managed to find a method
that works for me in spite of all my personal idiosyncracies in mixing,
spraying, pouring etc.
I don't have a studio all in one place. I throw and mix glazes in the
basement, and glaze and fire in the carport. This means a complete change
of gears between making pots and glazing pots. I have to lug 5 gallon
buckets of glaze, along with plastic pans, sieves, an HVLP sprayer,
brushes etc. upstairs when I glaze, then back down again. If that weren't
pain enough, I also found that glazing demands a different attitude.
Can't really explain this one, but when I throw, it takes awhile to get
into the swing of glazing; and after glazing, it takes awhile to get back
into the swing of throwing.
Then, there is the problem of remembering what I did when I glazed
something I really liked -- or disliked -- so I could either repeat or
avoid that process in the future. With too much time between glazings, I
simply forgot, and so each glazing was almost like starting over.
Add to all of this the fact that I am pretty much self-taught when it
comes to glazing. Never had a class or workshop for glazing, but I've
read a bunch of books and begged a lot of advice from Clayart members.
All of this adds up to what I am sure are many systemic problems in my
procedures -- mistakes I don't even know I am making.
My solution -- and one that works very well for me -- is to be patient and
NOT glaze until I have fired several kilnloads of bisque. I just go into
my "throwing" attitude, make a lot of stuff, bisque it and store it in the
utility room until I'm ready to glaze. WHen I can't wait any longer, I
lug everything up from the basement, get set up for glazing and spend
several days doing nothing else but glazing and firing. I try to glaze
the lesser pots first, then fire them. Open the kiln and inspect. WHat I
learn from that load I apply to the next batch. Invariably, the next
batch looks better. What I learn from that one, I apply to the third and
so on.
This method makes it immediately apparent that I am spraying too thinly,
allowing drips that don't flatter a particular glaze or not cleaning pots
sufficiently before glazing. It also somewhat compensates for the many
errors I must be making without realizing it. The good part is that I get
the feedback just as I am glazing another batch. No problem with
forgetting or getting confused about what I did with the previous batch.
It takes patience to do this, of course. Even if you can't manage that
part of it, you might try putting a few bisqued pots aside from each batch
until you get a couple of glaze loads saved up. It works for me...
Good luck,
Fred Parker
P.S.
Re spraying, try reducing air pressure. Too much air pressure causes
excessive atomization which might enhance certain automotive or furniture
finishes, but is deadly for glazes. You want a wet surface. It doesn't
matter if the sprayed droplets are coarse. Too much air pressure only
blows your glaze off into the atmosphere and results in a thin, very dry
glaze deposit on the pot.
Alisa Clausen on thu 12 jul 07
Hi Gay
I know that you have come a long, long way since you began mixing your own
glazes.
You know that saying, that ignorance is bliss. I cannot think of anything
more true in the glaze lab. You, like myself, are finding out, that as
you learn, you realize how MUCH you need to learn!
I take on glazing like everything else I do in the studio. Systems.
I can remember when I glazed a load and I was so tired because it had
taken me so long, that by the time I went to bed, I was hungry again, my
feet felt like cement canoes and my tiredness felt like jet lag.
What I improved on this was approach glazing in steps.
I used to pick up a piece, glaze it, onward to the next. By this method,
I made a hard job, much harder. I had to put down the bisque ware as soon
as I picked it up, to mix a bucket up, maybe mix up a whole new glaze,
latex some feet, look for a brush, fetch more water, remember how I got
that great effect from the last firing, inevitably dump something over,
loose a pot or two off the glaze tongs, and it went on and on. Chaos.
Now, I prepare the studio for glazing like I do for throwing or glaze
testing. Everything I can think of is ready before I start dipping pots.
For me that means, I mix up all of my glazes to the consistency they need,
even the ones I am not sure I will use, I have all of my utensils at hand,
I have the bisque pots sorted into groups of similar eventual glaze
treatments, I have my tables cleared for transferring pots from the bisque
area to the glazed area, and I have Time!!! Surplus time. If I think it
will take all day, it usually takes two.
I work in a cycle with 3 modes in the studio: Wet, where I throw until I
have no more orders or space. Then Dry: Trimming, handles, finishing and
ready for the bisque. Glazing. As I described.
For myself, I find making systems, and being familiar, and eventually
accustomed to what it takes to get the job done efficiently (and also time
for inserting the unexpected whether it is a little accident or an
impromptu desire to try something new), is what takes the anxiety out of
glazing pots, for me. I approach glazing as something, in a way, I like
because I have to do it to get the pots I like. Where I used to approach
it like pure zigzagging around the studio, making mistakes by haste and
frustration, is now much a smooth operation: Prepare Studio,Glaze pots.
You have learned so much about glazing because you wanted good glazes for
your pots. Now you will learn much more about applying glaze because you
know the results you want., It takes time to to the learn the discipline
to get those chores streamlined, but you have done it in the past and I am
sure that you will succeed.
Good luck and best regards
From Alisa in Denmark
(really in NJ)
--
Alisa Clausen
Varn=E6svej 171
DK 6200 Aabenraa
Denmark
45 7461 3640
www.alisapots.dk
Judy Rohrbaugh on thu 12 jul 07
I found this glaze discussion on the clayart webpage after not receiving any mail for weeks.
When I glaze, I'm at it for days and it does get tiring.
I often glaze two or even three likn loads at a time, for effieciency, and also because once I
get going, it's easier to just keep glazing.
I have found some relief in cutting my work up; glazing until I can't take it any longer, then taking a break and coming back and working on something else.
Since I always have bisque laying around, I will also just sit down and work on glazing for
an hour or so here and there, in between my other tasks, such as packing for shows.
Judy Rohrbaugh
Fine Art Stoneware
Ohio
Ron Roy on fri 13 jul 07
All true but there are other things to do as well.
Subbing in Ball clay for kaolin works well because there is less alumina in
ball clays and they float a glaze better. In order to get the same amount
of alumina you have to use more ball clay -and less silica - best to do use
calculation to keep the alumina silica ratio the same - it's quite easy to
do!
Bentonite works better with ball clays to keep glazes floated if it's still
needed.
If there is still a problem then Epson salts will do the trick.
Also - using a frit with no alumina in it - like 3134 or 3278 alows more
clay to be added - again - best to use calculation to keep all oxides the
same as the original.
RR
>>Three glazes that have been
>>most successful for me (thought not 100%) are:
>>Floating Blue (Chappell) which has 5.4% EPK
>>Zavier's Warm Green Jade (Hesselberth version) has 10% EPK
>>Nutmeg (Richard Basch/PMI) has 24% OM 4
>>
>>
>>
>The reason the floating blue works with such a low amount of clay is
>that it contains a significant amount of Gerstley Borate which causes
>the clay to gel. It can lead to problems if left in the bucket a long
>time but usually works pretty good the first day you mix it up. The
>other two work because the clay helps to create a good slurry. Glazes
>that have less than 10% clay often have bentonite added to the recipe in
>an attempt to make the slurry better. In my experience, these glazes
>don't go on as smoothly as ones with 10% clay or more.
Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Susan Stern on thu 26 jul 07
In a message dated 7/5/2007 11:45:58 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
gjudson@SBCGLOBAL.NET writes:
I love throwing and I really like trimming. I even like mixing up my
glazes, but I hate glazing--because, of course, I don't know how to do it
right. I've tried dipping and don't like the runs I get; I've tried
spraying and still get runs or poor coverage or both on the same piece!
I've tried brushing and get streaking. I know it is a matter of
experience--practice. But my experience is not producing what I want to
practice getting! There does not seem to much literature on the subject.
Lots on making glazes, on throwing, on decorating but it seems that applying
the glaze is something assumed to be natural or obvious. Help?
Gay Judson in San Antonio, TX
Hi Gay,
I have a thought to share on this one.
When I first started playing with clay I had trouble with consistent results
in my glazing, too. It just killed me when my first precious pieces were
ruined by bad glazing. So I took my teacher's advice and made a boatload of
test tiles and got to work. I dipped, sprayed and brushed those puppies and
had a notebook on the table next to me. I wrote everything down and kept good
notes. And I got good at it pretty fast because I needed to have that data
to know what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. Without the
notes, there wasn't any real way to remember what I'd done to get good or bad
results.
The reason it worked so well was because I wasn't using my work as test
tiles either. There wasn't the angst of seeing a beautifully shaped piece go
into the garbage because of a nightmare glazing. Test on test tiles. Glaze
your work.
And if you have dribbles that you need to remove, use tulle. It's the
bridal-veil, tutu material that you can get at fabric stores. It's the perfect
sandpaper for delicate glazes when you need to gently remove something.
Susie
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
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Gay Judson on thu 26 jul 07
Susie, Thanks for your note. I have gotten the message that PRACTICE,
PRACTICE, PRACTICE is the answer! And I understand that to be true. I'm
working on that part now. I make small bowls for my test tiles now--the
flat tiles, even through made to stand up in the kiln, just don't tell me
enough. But the real trouble comes in trying to glaze the larger pieces...
I also see that being ORGANIZED for the job and giving great ATTENTION to
the task at hand have made a huge difference, also. And deciding that
somehow I CAN conquer this challenge has helped.
But I especially appreciate the suggestion of using tulle for brushing off
the drips! I've been so frustrated trying to rub them off with my finger
which then leaves a mark of some sort. I went to the hardware store and
asked if they had 'flexible sandpaper'. The guy thought I was totally
crazy! Tulle is the perfect answer!
I am amazed at the wonderful suggestions and real help I have received on
this subject--what generosity in the Clayart community! I hope there are
others who have profited from this discussion as much as I have. It has
been a HUGE help to me. Thanks to all, again!
Gay Judson
James and Sherron Bowen on thu 26 jul 07
We were visiting the Van Briggle Pottery in Colorado Springs yesterday and
we saw the glazing operation. The main base glaze coat is applied by
dipping, but first the glazer dips the bisqued pot into water then onto the
glaze. We saw him touch up only an occasional run. So practice is what you
need regardless of the method you use. I have a friend who brushes on his
glazes. The glaze coat is always perfect. He brushes on seven coats of
glaze.
JB
From: "Susan Stern"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 10:22 PM
Subject: Re: I hate glazing
Sue Cline on thu 26 jul 07
Just one more thought on test tiles, etc., and in follow-up to Mel's suggestion to make tall tubes for glaze tests:
I make small forms as glaze tests -- bowls, vases, cups -- because I like to see how a glaze or combination works on a real piece. I always use some texture at some place on the piece. I then photograph each piece. If they look good and the form is good, I sell them, telling the public that they are largely test pieces. If they are awful, then there is not much lost.
This has the additional advantage of giving me practice throwing off the hump. Even if I don't get the cutoff right, I can still use the piece for a test, and they fit nicely in the kiln among the larger pieces.
Sue Cline
Cincinnati, OH
-----Original Message-----
>From: Gay Judson
>Sent: Jul 26, 2007 10:40 AM
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: I hate glazing
>
>Susie, Thanks for your note. I have gotten the message that PRACTICE,
>PRACTICE, PRACTICE is the answer! And I understand that to be true. I'm
>working on that part now. I make small bowls for my test tiles now--the
>flat tiles, even through made to stand up in the kiln, just don't tell me
>enough. But the real trouble comes in trying to glaze the larger pieces...
>
>I also see that being ORGANIZED for the job and giving great ATTENTION to
>the task at hand have made a huge difference, also. And deciding that
>somehow I CAN conquer this challenge has helped.
>
>But I especially appreciate the suggestion of using tulle for brushing off
>the drips! I've been so frustrated trying to rub them off with my finger
>which then leaves a mark of some sort. I went to the hardware store and
>asked if they had 'flexible sandpaper'. The guy thought I was totally
>crazy! Tulle is the perfect answer!
>
>I am amazed at the wonderful suggestions and real help I have received on
>this subject--what generosity in the Clayart community! I hope there are
>others who have profited from this discussion as much as I have. It has
>been a HUGE help to me. Thanks to all, again!
>Gay Judson
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Bev Lev on fri 27 jul 07
I really do appreciate the I hate glazing discussion simply because I
share the frustration. I feel like a glaze coach /therapist to watch over
my shoulder would be helpful. I know practice is the way to learn, but I
must be doing the same mistakes repeatedly and missing the boat. If anyone
does a glaze workshop featuring alot of hands on glaze application, I'd
love to know. Gay,if you want to share the learning curve (trials and
successes) off list, please do.
Thanks to all for the helpful suggestions. now... back to practice
practice practice.
bev
Jason Zwierzchowski on sat 28 jul 07
Sounds like you all got it right. Practice. I make sets of everything and
use the pieces that don't quite measure up to test new layerings in spraying
or use a glaze I've decided to change. I try not to rely on memory alone.
Keeping things consistent, like what others have said.. consistency of the
glaze and a proper bisque (I've begun to bisque about a 1/2 cone hotter than
I was previously used to..I like it). The hotter bisque gives me more
control by it not sucking up and drying the glaze so quickly which can
result in over-glazing. Mix glaze well before every use even if you mixed it
five minutes ago.
Best O Luck
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