Neal on mon 18 may 09
Lili: Thanks for the posting the other recipes. I've saved
them for possible glaze tests in the future. The recipe I
posted had 0.5 percent cobalt carbonate, not 0.05 percent.
I converted your Robin's Egg Blue to percentages and came
out with 0.7 percent cobalt.
And yes, I probably could have found the answer to my
question in a book. I've read Mastering Cone 6 Glazes, The
Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes, The Ceramic Spectrum,
etc. I know I'm never going to devote the time and study
it would take to be the next John Hesselberth, Ron Roy,
John Britt, Robin Hopper, Dave Finkelnburg, Alisa Clausen
or Lili Krakowski. It's easier for someone like me to ask
the experts than to sift through the books to find the
answer--especially since there's a resource like Clayart
at my fingertips.
Glazes are not my passion. I want just enough to give me a
little bit of variety. I have been using four basic colors
for five years--since my kiln was new. I have supplemented
these with a few purchased ones for my small pieces. I do
a few glaze tests now and then.
My city arts centers use the original green version of
this glaze. I don't want my pieces to look like the pieces
of all the potters who fire at the city arts centers, which
is one reason I varied the colorants. It's the same reason
I haven't made the glazes in Mastering Cone 6 Glazes. Too
many potters in my area use those glazes.
The result of of my ignorance is a pretty lavender glaze
instead of a light blue-green one. Would I be a better potter
if I had known ahead of time what my change to the original
recipe would effect? Sure. And one of these days I'd like to
take a glaze course with John Britt or someone else who can
teach me these things. In the meantime, I'm happy just to sit
and throw a few more pots and see what will come out of the
kiln the next time I mix up something new.
Neal W. O'Briant
Raleigh, N.C.
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