Neon-Cat on fri 11 mar 11
Sig & a Flying Dog
Hi all!
Here are a couple of examples of an exquisite cone 010 lustre glaze I
made =3D96 it fires at 1652 F (900 C). In oxidation it=3D92s a glossy lumin=
ous
clear and with a dash of copper it=3D92s a gorgeous glossy turquoise.
Reduced it=3D92s a spectacular copper-silver color. There are photos on
Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon-cat/) of the glaze in
oxidation on two pieces (=3D93Expectant=3D94 and =3D93Phoenix=3D94) and on =
several
test tiles using a variety of clay bodies. There=3D92s just one small
sample of the reduction version =3D96 on the unused inside of a terra
sigillata experiment with selenium (the selenium made wee black specs
in oxidation on the outside of the piece but the entire outside of the
vessel picked up quite a lot of carbon during reduction that now
obscures the selenium).
I reduced the one example of the lustre glaze along with other piece
in my enclosed wood-fired pit that reached a peak at 1498 F at the
lower air intake at peripheral of the fire (I treated myself to a very
nice pyrometer from Seattle Pottery, a dual lead digital Tenma). The
rear of the kiln was reading 300-400 degrees higher, also at the
peripheral of the fire. Pieces were fired on a raised grate in the
center of the kiln and they were shielded by wire mesh. The wood was
piled over top of the ware. Although the kiln has a number of gaps,
good reduction at the appropriate temperature was achieved with
additives to enhance the reduction atmosphere. The clay bodies were
all a half red/half white mix of local native calcareous clays. The
reduction example had previously been fired to maturity in my electric
kiln. The pit enclosure fires too fast, went to too high a
temperature, and had far too much ash and particulate for good glaze
results on other pieces, but it was fine for reducing the already
oxidation-fired lustre glaze. A few other small pit-fired vessels
exhibits some lustre where it was sparing applied. It was a brutal
fire.
The in-glaze lustre is a base glaze =3D96 it contains no copper or other
colorants. No lead =3D96 it=3D92s an easy, safe glaze that works well over =
all
kinds of clay bodies (porcelain, white stoneware, dark manganese-iron
earthenware, and red earthenware). I didn=3D92t sieve it, let it sit
around for long before using, and it isn=3D92t picky about application or
even clean bisque ware. Its silica to alumina ratio is 1.274 : 0.066.
I have had an interest in lustre since I first saw photos three years
ago. I finally got a chance to sit down and jot down a glaze of my own
=3D96 a beautiful and very well behaved one at that. It is within limits
for a raw lead glaze at this temperature =3D96 I had nothing else to
compare its formula to. It=3D92s hard, well-adhered, and glossy in both
oxidation and reduction.
The Cat sent a few postcards that I made into tiles (tile-making is
something new to me).
After a joyous jaunt up North, the Cat did make the Statue of Liberty
where she serenely sat viewing the wondrous sights stretched out
before her. See her on Flickr in the work called =3D93Cat Atop the Statue
of Liberty=3D94.
The Cat had some high times in Boston after leaving Liberty =3D96 and got
carried away swishing through the city at all hours of the day and
night with her paramour while singing the one (and only) phrase from a
90=3D92s tune by Drum Club =3D96 =3D93U Make Me Feel So Good=3D94. A litter=
of kitt=3D
ens
was safely delivered during a brief sojourn by the Cat here and then
the Cat departed, heading overseas with her Boston paramour. The tile
called =3D93Expectant=3D94 is from a postcard the Cat sent a week before h=
er
kittens were born.
Of well over 20 terra sigillata experiments, I did post a few of my
favorites. I was researching and testing different environments for
the oxides I tried =3D96 as in alkaline, boron, barium, etc. One I like
quite a lot uses vanadium for a super smooth, satiny variegated yellow
surface. Another is a tin-white crackle with enhanced crackle
definition. Some examples of these are on my Flickr web site. A few
got splashes of lustre where I splashed a little lustre glaze on them.
And last, the =3D93Flying Dog=3D94. A golden. She=3D92s flying through a wh=
irlwin=3D
d
of perlite embedded in the tile surface. The tile and Flying Dog use a
native red clay body with 10 % perlite for great texture (the perlite
I used is a 4-8 mesh volcanic glass material used in potting soils to
promote water retention). Copper metal shavings were sprinkled
liberally on the tile surface around Flying Dog; Flying Dog herself
was coated with white terra sigillata made from local clay with added
rutile. =3D93Flying Dog=3D94 is also on Flickr.
Hope all is well with everyone!
It=3D92s back to clay work for me...saggar and colorant experiments for
the lustre glaze next -- this is all so much fun if not bunches of
work!
Marian Gooding
Neon-Cat Ceramics
www.neon-cat.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon-cat/
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