Sheilah Bliss on wed 16 sep 98
Hello Diane -
RE: Floating Blue Glaze -- My first firing with this glaze was real similar to
your description. And I got to practice my blue and purple word vocabulary
after viewing the disgruntling results. I'd say this glaze is kind of an
exception to the usual "dipped-glaze-looks-best" concept. In Chappell's book
Clay and Glazes it's recommended to brush several layers on, as many as you
feel you can get away with. Dipping gets you the transparent sort of brown,
which is a nice glaze result in its own right, but not nice when that's NOT
what your aiming for.
Floating Blue, when layers are brushed on, can offer some really nice mottled
results. You probably already know this next part, but I'll say it just to
cover my heiney: When you layer, be sure to leave the thickness of the glaze
at the upper areas of the piece, taper off to a thinner coverage toward the
foot... this Floating Blue can actually float -- right down the pot, and onto
the kiln shelf. I leave +/-1" towards the foot where just a layer or 2 of
glaze gets applied.
Your 1st firing may not be lost.... it's just waiting to be completed. All it
needs is some more glaze and another firing. If you can warm the pieces up in
your oven - maybe around 200 F or more - and pull one out at a time when good
and warm (don't let your fingers touch the warmed piece... 'course at that
temp, odds are you have no inclination to) with tongs (or something non-greasy
and non-dusty) and brush the glaze on. Then brush more on. And some more.
I use a Haike brush. And alter the directions of the brush strokes. Course
you need to not get it SOOOO thick that it's not reasonable or rational to try
to fire it, but with brushing, the layers pile up different than the dipped
glaze layers. Oh...and I brush with Floating Blue glaze that's more the
consistency of cream than thin.
A little soak at the end of firing cycle followed by a slow, leisurly cool-
down, and I'll bet your beautiful pots will get your pottery soul a-whistling
again :-*
Sheilah Bliss
Bliss Pottery
blisspots@aol.com
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