Autumn Downey on wed 19 aug 98
Have been getting interested in rocks lately - they certainly are most of
the landscape up here.
The potentially hazardous thing I was thinking of doing was using small
rocks <1" as knobs for lids by making a well for the glaze and rock on the
lid and firing it in place -cone 6.) I know some rocks are likely to
shatter but don't suppose they all do. (Soapstone is ok, I know). There is
lots of quartz, granite, basalt(?) and various other rocks here - not to
mention some fairly splashy lookng fool's gold.
I realize it's probably best if I just try some in a closed container and
see what happens, but wondered if anyone else had tried this or had
suggestions/cautions. I was imagining that smaller grain size, relatively
homogenous type igneous rocks would have the best chances.
Thanks for any help on this.
Autumn Downey
downeya@internorth.com
Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
Marcia Selsor on thu 20 aug 98
I had a sculptutre student who rakued sandstone about 15 years ago.
Air cool or it will dissolve when quenched!
Marcia in Montana
Autumn Downey wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Have been getting interested in rocks lately - they certainly are most of
> the landscape up here.
>
> The potentially hazardous thing I was thinking of doing was using small
> rocks <1" as knobs for lids by making a well for the glaze and rock on the
> lid and firing it in place -cone 6.) I know some rocks are likely to
> shatter but don't suppose they all do. (Soapstone is ok, I know). There is
> lots of quartz, granite, basalt(?) and various other rocks here - not to
> mention some fairly splashy lookng fool's gold.
>
> I realize it's probably best if I just try some in a closed container and
> see what happens, but wondered if anyone else had tried this or had
> suggestions/cautions. I was imagining that smaller grain size, relatively
> homogenous type igneous rocks would have the best chances.
>
> Thanks for any help on this.
>
> Autumn Downey
> downeya@internorth.com
> Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
Phyllis E. Tilton on fri 21 aug 98
My fall issue of American Style just came and there is an article about
Barbara Sorensen. She works in clay doing some pretty interesting things. One
was using riverbed stones embedded in the clay . They erupt during the
firing"forming a texture that emulates that of the earth".(quote). I could not
tell which had the stones from the pictures. That would be interesting to see
and even moreso--what happened to anything else in the kiln with the stones
popping out.
She has a museum like collection and the financial resources to support it. I
also wondered what size kiln she had. Maybe it says in the article-I should
reread-it was late last night when I settled down to it.
Phyllis Tilton
Daisypet@aol.com
Milton Markey on fri 21 aug 98
Hi Autumn!
I mixed pebbles (real small, coarse fragments) of some rocks I found on a
camping trip, into a glaze mixture some time ago. The fragments were found in
Arizona, near an old copper mine, so I knew there was a possibility I had some
flux available in the fragments themselves.
The result was this gorgeous, rough textured surface on the tiles I coated
with the glaze. There was a little running noted, possibly from the flux in
the rock, or the reaction between the glaze ingredients and the rock
fragments. The color around the rock was a green-brown (I added no colorants
to the glaze formula, though I used zircopax as an opacifier).
I recommend you try this, using a small quantity of the rock fragments you
found mixed into.your favorite glaze recipie, on a test chip. This might also
give you an indication of how a larger piece of the same rock may react to
glazes and the intense heat of your kiln.
This is what I love about ceramics--experimentation with the unknown! Some of
my more interesting textured glazes are from using unorthodox glaze materials,
such as rock fragments, metal fragments, and other "raw" materials.
When one experiments with small quantities of an unknown ingredient in a
glaze, it is best to coat the surface of either throw-away bisque ware, or
test tiles. I recommend using old kiln shelves directly under the test tiles
or ware, to catch drips.
Best of luck to you!
Milton MiltonsLin@AOL.COM
Yucca Valley, CA
Bobbi Bassett on sat 22 aug 98
Milton.....
You didn't say what cone you fired to.
I've thought about trying some rocks on a plate to avoid running, but have
been afraid of "flying missles" in the kiln. I guess I could use a saggar.
When I was in school and wanted to try some outlandish thing the prof (whose
name appears here occasionally) made me build a saggar to insure that my
"crazies" didn't affect other students pots. After ALL THESE YEARS I still
have the saggar and will give it a whirl. You all have peaked my curiosity.
Bobbi in PA
Valice Raffi on sat 22 aug 98
Hi Autumn!
I have fired slate to ^04 in my kiln with no problems... with or without
glaze on them, natural (off the mountain) or mined (as in slate tile).
Darrol Shillinburg, who may not be on the list anymore, has also fired
rocks. Some blew up, some didn't.
Valice
in Sacramento, where the weather has dropped to the 80's and I'm freezing!
Kelley Webb Randel on sat 22 aug 98
Hey All!
I've never fired rocks, but I have added sand and crushed shells to clay as a
grog and then made a dozen little pinch pots which I rakud. Gave them as gifts
at christmas. It was fabulous. Oh, I also was experimenting in textured clay,
and layed slabs in small gravel, and on trees, and brick streets, etc. There
was all kinds of small rocks and garbage in there, but I recollect they all
turned out without blowing in the kiln. I tend to soak weird stuff overnight
before firing.
Good luck!
Kelley Webb Randel
Mike Gordon on sun 23 aug 98
Hi Valice,
Did you fire in a gas or electric kiln?? I know what you mean about the
temperature drop! Mike in Walnut Creek!
Joy Holdread on sun 23 aug 98
> --------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Have been getting interested in rocks lately - they certainly are most of
> the landscape up here.
>
> The potentially hazardous thing I was thinking of doing was using small
> rocks <1" as knobs for lids by making a well for the glaze and rock on the
> lid and firing it in place -cone 6.) I know some rocks are likely to
> shatter but don't suppose they all do. (Soapstone is ok, I know). There
is
> lots of quartz, granite, basalt(?) and various other rocks here - not to
> mention some fairly splashy lookng fool's gold.
>
> I realize it's probably best if I just try some in a closed container and
> see what happens, but wondered if anyone else had tried this or had
> suggestions/cautions. I was imagining that smaller grain size, relatively
> homogenous type igneous rocks would have the best chances.
>
> Thanks for any help on this.
>
> Autumn Downey
> downeya@internorth.com
> Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
Autumn,
Last year I fired some sandstone for a guy who wanted to inlay glazes in his
etchings. The 06 firing escalated the natural geological process & the stone
began delaminating sp. or breaking apart. I have used the sludge from stone
tumbling & came up with fun oxides under clear glazes better at cone 06 than 6
or 10.
You might consider epoxy for your handles or knobs.
JOY in Tucson
Milton Markey on tue 25 aug 98
Hi Everybody!
I fired the experimental glaze with "copper earth" to cone 10 reduction. The
glaze I used was a community mixture called "Schacter Purple." I was assisting
the instructors of first year students at a community college at the time I
made the posted experiment.
I plan to be in N. California over Labor Day. If I remember to do so, I'll
copy "the wall" (where the community glaze recipies were displayed), when I
visit my friends and fellow old-timers at this facility. I'll report the
recipie in a future posting.
Thanks to all who wrote me! It was like a geography lesson, seeing that the
farthest response was from across the Pacific Ocean, and the closest one was
from San Diego. Small world via the net!
Milton MiltonsLin@AOL.COM
Yucca Valley is bracing for a storm! Wind speed is 30 MPH, gusting from the
south. Cumulus clouds provide an eerie backdrop to Ruby Mountain, a peak to
the north of the ranch.
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