ginny bivaletz on tue 7 dec 99
we're getting closer to firing our new kiln. it would
be nice to join in on the millennium firing. one
thing i have been tossing around is having some kind
of item that could be used for firing glaze tests and
then be sold if it is presentable. it would ideally
be not intended for food use, not allow a runny glaze
onto a kiln shelf, easy to dip in a small test batch
container, have a vertical surface to test for running
and easy to wax.
one item that comes to mind is something someone in
our town has begun to make. it is a 1" by 1" cup
centered on a 3" plate. you leave a swatch unglazed
somewhere on the item for striking matches on which
are kept in the little cup. can be kept near the
fireplace or in the bathroom. (folks say that lighting
a match when you've left a stinky behind can be a
compassionate thing to do for the next in line) i
wouldn't know personally, of course. i don't want to
encroach on my neighbors territory and wondered if
anyone had any other ideas. i also thought of a tile
with a line carved around the edge to catch any drips.
but there isn't a vertical surface.
ginny from rainy orcas island - starting to set up a
glazing area in a very chilly section of the studio.
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elizabeth priddy on wed 8 dec 99
try a little flat figurine that you can make or
press mold easily and stand on end. Imagine
a little elephant stamp that is about 1/2 inch
thick so that it will stand up. You can
make a bisque sandwich mold to make both
sides have the pattern-front/back- and crank
them out. You trim the edges. The feet can
have wax and you can fire lots of them in a
plate for the drips. Here in Beaufort, anything
with an Outer Banks pony on it sells, so small
pony figurines in any color go quick. Fish or
Dolphin, also. The texture of the detail gives
you good test for glaze and the flat curved
edge of the piece gives you the smooth glaze
effect. Angels also would work and fly out of
the stores. Those small enough to fit in the
pocket are all the rage here. Leave a space
in your design for a hanger hole and you have
Christmas ornaments, that sell all year.
---
Elizabeth Priddy
email: epriddy@usa.net
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/clayworkshop
Clay: 12,000 yrs and still fresh!
On Tue, 7 Dec 1999 09:10:58 ginny bivaletz wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>we're getting closer to firing our new kiln. it would
>be nice to join in on the millennium firing. one
>thing i have been tossing around is having some kind
>of item that could be used for firing glaze tests and
>then be sold if it is presentable. it would ideally
>be not intended for food use, not allow a runny glaze
>onto a kiln shelf, easy to dip in a small test batch
>container, have a vertical surface to test for running
>and easy to wax.
>
>one item that comes to mind is something someone in
>our town has begun to make. it is a 1" by 1" cup
>centered on a 3" plate. you leave a swatch unglazed
>somewhere on the item for striking matches on which
>are kept in the little cup. can be kept near the
>fireplace or in the bathroom. (folks say that lighting
>a match when you've left a stinky behind can be a
>compassionate thing to do for the next in line) i
>wouldn't know personally, of course. i don't want to
>encroach on my neighbors territory and wondered if
>anyone had any other ideas. i also thought of a tile
>with a line carved around the edge to catch any drips.
>but there isn't a vertical surface.
>ginny from rainy orcas island - starting to set up a
>glazing area in a very chilly section of the studio.
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place.
>Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com
>
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Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Cindy Strnad on thu 9 dec 99
Hi, Ginny.
The cup in the plate sounds like a neat idea. If you like, make the cup into
a candle-holder but keep the striking surface. Cool. You could use a scented
candle for extra stink-busting power. ;)
Another thing that works well is a candle stick with a wide flared base and
narrow stem. Like a goblet stem only without the goblet. These can be as
short or as tall as you like. Keep the base intact to prevent drips from
within. If you're worried about drips on the outside, just wax up a little
farther from the base. The wide, relatively flat base has never allowed
drips onto my kiln shelves.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
Custer, SD
Dennis Freeman on mon 30 oct 00
on 10/30/00 4:32 PM, Roger Bourland at citrus@BOURLAND.COM wrote:
> Like most potters, I have been making test tiles for glazes for several
> years. Never developed any TYPE of tile, just tossed together some, using
> the horse sense system.
>
> At this point, I'd like to have a good system of doing such tiles. Something
> easily made, glazed and fired. Something that would be efficient and neat
> for viewing and keeping. Something that would show the texture of a clay
> piece.
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated.
>
> Best,
>
> Roger
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
Roger - I'm sure this is far from original, but here's what I do:
I throw open rings, about 11" - 12" across, which flare at the bottom. Once
approaching leatherhard, I cut them into 2" sections and press a small
bisque stamp into each one (so that textured or translucent glaze effects
can be seen), and punch a hole near the top w/ a 7mm rifle cartridge.
Once bisque fired, I simply dip them in the glaze or glazes I wish to test
(I usually do 2 or 3 of each & put them in different locations in the kiln,
since I have an old Alpine which doesn't exactly reduce evenly), mark a
number on the bottom with stain & write down on a sheet what each number is.
After firing, I have a tile which can be put on a board w/ hooks or nails,
and I put a label under it. I also wire one or two off to the bails of the
glaze buckets for a quick check. The kids (I teach HS) seem to be able to
figure this out, and I can fire them standing, so that running, etc. can be
seen.
Hope this helps & that I haven't just told you what you already know. -
Dennis in Wyo.
PS - Don't forget to test on each clay body, if you use more than one!
Paul Lewing on mon 30 oct 00
Hi, Roger.
I extrude mine. The die I use was actually designed as a business-card
holder, and I just put a plug in it to avoid extruding the front lip.
There's a picture of one in Diana Pancioli's book, "Extruded Ceramics".
I like to extrude them because I use several hundred test tiles a year,
and nothing else is as fast and easy. They stand up, there's a flat
place at the botom to write on with an underglaze pencil, and there's
some ridges near the top so I can see how the glaze breaks over texture.
I make them about an inch wide so I can easily dip them into the little
mixer I use to make tests in.
Good luck,
Paul Lewing, Seattle
Peg Landham on mon 30 oct 00
Roger,
I know the common wisdom is to throw a broad, low dish and slice it into
free-standing pie pieces, but I have always hated how awkward such tiles are
to store, or even to sort through. Since I do a lot of raku tiles, it made
more sense to me to make flat, rectangular tiles with incised consecutive
numbers and impressed texture (I use an old earring) plus a hanging hole in
one angled corner. (The angled corner facilitates sorting, and makes them
easier to view on a string.) I have cut a pattern out of hard plastic, so I
cut these tiles from scraps anytime I'm doing slab work, and bisque them
with the next load. When they come out, I put them in my tile box in
numerical order and they're ready whenever I need to run some glaze tests.
When I'm ready to fire some test glazes, I pour or brush the glaze on the
tile below the number, double-coat the lower half of the tile, and wipe the
edge drips. I have a glaze-test log book, and as I glaze each tile I record
the glaze information next to the tile number. I have thrown a broad, low
dish from raku clay with added fire clay as my glaze-testing furniture. I
stand the tiles up inside the dish, supported by the perimeter wall, for
firing. This simulates a vertical pot wall, and also prevents a goofy recipe
from messing up my kiln shelves. But the most important aspect for me is
that it enables me to handle post-firing reduction of 8-10 glaze tests in
one move.
When the tiles have cooled, I record the name of the glaze on the back of
the tile with a paint pen, so I won't have to look it up in the book later.
Then I string the tiles into appropriate groups and hang them on nails in my
studio. I'm getting enough of them now that I'm thinking the strings are
going to need tags pretty soon. And some of them could be boxed, at this
point. But the boxes will be full of orderly little soldier tiles. My
engineer husband will be proud.
You mentioned convenient storage, so if you prefer to use thrown tiles,
here's a tip from a friend of mine: before cutting your dish into pie
shapes, score a line around the base joint of the dish. That way, after
firing, you can snap off the foot of the L-shaped tile and save only the
glaze test.
Happy testing!
Peg Landham
Birmingham, AL
Roger Bourland on mon 30 oct 00
Like most potters, I have been making test tiles for glazes for several
years. Never developed any TYPE of tile, just tossed together some, using
the horse sense system.
At this point, I'd like to have a good system of doing such tiles. Something
easily made, glazed and fired. Something that would be efficient and neat
for viewing and keeping. Something that would show the texture of a clay
piece.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Best,
Roger
Fabienne Micheline Cassman on mon 30 oct 00
At 08:32 AM 10/30/2000 +0000, you wrote :
>At this point, I'd like to have a good system of doing such tiles. Something
Hello Roger,
I throw a wide cylinder without a bottom (a rim, I guess) about two or
three inches tall and put two or three grooves in it. When it's leather
hard, I cut it like a pie, in four, eight etc pieces depending on how wide
I want it to be and to make identical tiles. Each "slice" stands by itself
and can be easily dipped in different ways at different angles to show
different thickness of the glaze.
Someone suggested I put a hole in them to pass a string through them to
keep them together, but I haven't tried that.
Faye
--
Milky Way Ceramics http://www.milkywayceramics.com/
Yes, I have learned from my mistakes...
I can reproduce them exactly.
Matt Alexander on mon 30 oct 00
Hi Roger - The best way I've seen was to extrude through a hollow square
form to create a long tube. This gave 4 surfaces to do different things to.
One side received black underglaze, one with red underglaze, one side was
scratched with a fork and the last side left plain. After "decorating" we
sliced this tube into sections about 3 inches long and punched a hole in one
side so as to hang from a nail. When testing, we would dip each in glaze 3
times showing the result of thin, thick and really thick applications. We
would do up several for each new glaze to do in Reduction, Ox, and different
temps if needed.
They can be hung on nails for display, or can stack relatively neatly on a
shelf or in a box.
As far as keeping track - the best idea I've heard was to get one of those
adjustable rubber stamps (the ones with wheels to change the number). Each
tile got a stamp to correspond with a notebook entry or whatever.
Matt Alexander
Artwork Specialist
GUILD.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Bourland [mailto:citrus@BOURLAND.COM]
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2000 2:32 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: test tiles
Like most potters, I have been making test tiles for glazes for several
years. Never developed any TYPE of tile, just tossed together some, using
the horse sense system.
At this point, I'd like to have a good system of doing such tiles. Something
easily made, glazed and fired. Something that would be efficient and neat
for viewing and keeping. Something that would show the texture of a clay
piece.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Best,
Roger
____________________________________________________________________________
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melpots@pclink.com.
Galen Kirkwood on mon 30 oct 00
On Mon, 30 Oct 2000 08:32:14 +0000, you wrote:
>Like most potters, I have been making test tiles for glazes for several
>years. Never developed any TYPE of tile, just tossed together some, =
using
>the horse sense system.
>
>At this point, I'd like to have a good system of doing such tiles. =
Something
>easily made, glazed and fired. Something that would be efficient and =
neat
>for viewing and keeping. Something that would show the texture of a clay
>piece.
>
>Any ideas would be appreciated.
>
>Best,
>
>Roger
If you have an extruder you can make a "T" shaped dye. Make one side of =
the vertical smooth, the other side what ever
texture you chose. Fired upside down,of course, the horizontal part will =
help to catch glaze, or also give you an idea
of what the glaze acts like on a flat surface. The one I have is 2.5 =
inches tall, 2 inches wide. Another way is to
throw wide,shallow, bottomless vertical sided bowls. Leave a "flange" on =
the inside and outside bottom. Tool one side
when dry, then cut vertically. This gives you a bunch of upside down "T" =
shapes with a slight curvature. Hope that makes
sense!
>
>________________________________________________________________________=
______
>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.
Mayssan1@AOL.COM on mon 30 oct 00
Dear Roger:
A good way is to wheel throw a ring about 10" diameter but clay is only 2"
from the parameter and the inward leaning wall about 2" high too.
Then when it is leather hard cut it into maybe 8 pieces like a pizza that way
you'll have stand up tiles that will behave as the walls of your pots behave
to give you a pretty good idea about the glaze color and properties.
I hope that was clear, It is very difficult describing without sketching
Good luck
Mayssan
Anji Henderson on mon 30 oct 00
Hey Roger,
I personally (when I am doing a good job) take a
serated rib and set it carefully on the edge of a
hollow hexagonal die then I extrude hollow forms with
the seration on one side (but not cutting through)..
Then when leather hard I cut into logs, and put a hole
in one end.. Bisque and then glaze on the end with out
the hole.. So then I have a piece that stands and has
plain and textured test's of the glaze.. and the hole,
well that's for hanging it off the handle of the
bucket..
Other methods I have seen is pinched little cups with
a hole (glaze in the bowl), tiles with a hole, long
strips with underglazes and a plain strip going like
it would on a ruler then horizontaly like you would be
drawing along the ruler there is texture going across
all the colors and glaze(am I making sense??)again
hung on the wall.. Ummm tiles in boxes with tabs, and
"L" shaped little buggers with the glaze on the top of
the "L", extruded curley Q's, frogs, little angles,
small sake size cups.. And I don't seem to be
remembering seeing any others...
Your "horse sense" tiles are probably just fine, if
they work for you.. : )
Anji
--- Roger Bourland wrote:
> Like most potters, I have been making test tiles for
> glazes for several
> years. Never developed any TYPE of tile, just tossed
> together some, using
> the horse sense system.
>
> At this point, I'd like to have a good system of
> doing such tiles. Something
> easily made, glazed and fired. Something that would
> be efficient and neat
> for viewing and keeping. Something that would show
> the texture of a clay
> piece.
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated.
>
> Best,
>
> Roger
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
=====
Good art does not have to match your sofa!!
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The Buchanans on mon 30 oct 00
Roger,I make U shaped test tiles on the wheel this way. Open 3 or 4 pounds
of clay clear down to the bat forming a ring 12 to 16 inches in diameter.
Open this ring leaving the bottom a little thick, pull up the inside wall
first then the outer, they should be 2 to 4 inches tall. Outer wall can be
textured now or later. When leather hard cut into sections. A 16 inch ring
can make 48 one inch tiles. There is plenty of room on the back wall for
labeling and it is easy to dip only the front in a small amount of glaze.
If you'd like to string them for storage just pinch the top together before
cutting. Judi B
-----
>
John Baymore on tue 31 oct 00
At this point, I'd like to have a good system of doing such tiles.
Something easily made, glazed and fired. Something that would be efficien=
t
and neat for viewing and keeping. Something that would show the texture o=
f
a clay piece.
Here's an idea for you. I got it from somewhere over 25 years ago....can=
't
remember where. Been using it ever since. Hard to describe in words....=
wish I could draw it
Picture a typical metal cookie cutter. Using a single piece of packing
strapping or old band saw blade or something similar, form it into a cook=
ie
cutter that takes the shape of a fat "T". Tack weld, rivet, or epoxy the=
ends to fasten them. With a file lightly sharpen the end that will be
pressed into a slab of clay. In "fatness", this T shape should have the
emphasis on the vertical stroke, and the horizontal cross member at the t=
op
is less emphasized. The height of the whole thing that I use is about 4
1/2". The width of the vertical stroke part of the T is about 2 1/2". T=
he
width of the cross stroke is about an inch. Width of the cross stroke is=
about 3 1/2 inches. These sizes are not all that critical. =
This cookie cutter is used to cut out "T" shaped test tiles. Use a
texturing tool (serated rib or whatever) to put some texture in some plac=
e
on the vertical stroke part. Put a stroke of white slip down one half of=
the vertical stroke if desired. At the center of the top cross member
pierce a hole (for hanging or gathering them together into sets). You us=
e
the top horizontal stroke area to write test info or test number on. You=
can crank out a lot of tiles fast if you have a slab roller....
otherwise.... maybe another method is better .
The glaze test goes onto the vertical stroke area up to just BELOW the
cross stroke of the T. The lower edge of the cross stroke projections ar=
e
kept clean of glaze..... these support the test in the kiln.
The "T" shaped tiles are HUNG in specially made saggers in the kiln.....
making for VERY efficient use of space, and still having vertical surface=
s
to test glazes on. In a pinch, you can hang them on two parallel
hardbricks .....but this wastes space for those huge bricks .
Now to make the kiln furniture that goes with the tiles. The sagger you
make will need to look like a section of rain gutter with a little bar at=
the top on the open ends. Take three unpainted wooden boards (no ends on=
the box) and form a sort of flat bottomed "U" shaped form about a foot
long, in order to make these saggers quickly and uniformly. This form
needs to be sized so that about a 3/8 inch thick slab draped INSIDE it wi=
ll
form a sort of "U" shaped trough that the T shaped tiles will hang in
without the vertical stroke of the T hitting the bottom of the sagger and=
the cross stroke part will sit on the walls and suspend the "T" tile. Ta=
ke
into account that the saggers will usually be vitrified (used) and the te=
st
tiles will be bisque or green!!!!!! Adjust sizes for appropriate
shrinkages to keep the tiles from being too big to hang. The top edge o=
f
the two sides of the U are trimmed flat along the top edge of the wooden
board "mold" to make the surface to hang the T tiles on. The open ends o=
f
the 3 sided U shaped "box" should get a 1 inch wide strip added to keep t=
he
U from spreading open. Make a bunch of these every now and then .... the=
y
are fast. Kiln wash the interior floor. You can use them repeatedly unt=
il
they start looking "funky" and you don't trust them. If you want to....=
you can mix up a kiln furniture body...... but straight stoneware works
pretty well too.
If you have a large extruder....you can make a die to extrude the U shape=
d
sagger form....and just have to put the little strips on the ends to
stabilize the vertical walls.
You can load many tiles into a sagger.....they only need a little space
between them. Load the saggers outside the kiln.... handle carefully whe=
n
placing so that the tiles don't shift and stick to one another.
This apprach is great for a school ceramic materials course..... it is wh=
at
I use with my students. =
Hope this is useful.
Best,
.........................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"DATES SET: Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop =
August 17-26, 2001"
Janet Kaiser on tue 31 oct 00
My suggestion:
Using cookie cutters make round tiles with a
decent sized hole a little in from one edge.
Leave one half smooth & flat and use any method
you like to create a raised pattern of some sort
on the other half, so you get an idea of what
the glaze would look like on an incised or
impressed surface. Glaze and fire in the usual
way with the name of the glaze (or a code) and
date written in oxide on the back.
This NATURALLY corresponds with your recipe and
firing notes in your personal "My Own Glaze
Book"... You know: that important little book or
file you must grab along with your insurance
certificate if ever there is a serious fire...
The one you have been meaning to keep up to date
for the last 10 years...
Now hammer rows of nails into a large board and
hang the tiles on them. If you use long nails,
each one will take several tiles. You can sort
them by colour, texture, etc. Get a large box to
keep those you will never want to use again!
Never throw glaze tests out... You THINK you
will always remember the duds, but it is
surprising how fast you forget the results even
if you remember testing a certain glaze.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
----- Original Message -----
> At this point, I'd like to have a good system
of doing such tiles. Something
> easily made, glazed and fired. Something that
would be efficient and neat
> for viewing and keeping. Something that would
show the texture of a clay
> piece.
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated.
Bonnie Staffel on wed 1 nov 00
Dear Roger,
The system outlined is a good one. I add one more test. I paint a line of
iron oxide and another line of cobalt horizontally across the glaze test.
Then during the firing, you can readily see whether the lines run or stay
put.
Bonnie Staffel, Charlevoix, MI.
Martin Howard on wed 1 nov 00
The number of test tiles we accumulate becomes a problem, because we are
generally loath to throw the old, out of date ones, away.
Mine are curved extrusions, with holes in one corner. The curve enables them
to stand upright in the kiln and still bed together on the long lengths of
picture hanging wire, which I also use for cutting wires.
But the long threaded collection is now taking up valuable table space and
could be used for weight lifting exercises. So next idea is to change to
little bells which can be hung from the ceiling and even sold when their
usefulness as test tiles is over.
Has anyone done this yet, and found problems with it?
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
Steve Mills on thu 2 nov 00
Martin,
Use egg cups for tests, they take up very little space in the kiln (in
fact they fit so well in between everything, I consider them as fired
for nothing), then you could sell them afterwards.
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Martin Howard writes
>The number of test tiles we accumulate becomes a problem, because we are
>generally loath to throw the old, out of date ones, away.
>Mine are curved extrusions, with holes in one corner. The curve enables t=
>hem
>to stand upright in the kiln and still bed together on the long lengths o=
>f
>picture hanging wire, which I also use for cutting wires.
>
>But the long threaded collection is now taking up valuable table space an=
>d
>could be used for weight lifting exercises. So next idea is to change to
>little bells which can be hung from the ceiling and even sold when their
>usefulness as test tiles is over.
>Has anyone done this yet, and found problems with it?
>
>Martin Howard
>Webb's Cottage Pottery
>Woolpits Road, Great Saling
>BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
>England
>martin@webbscottage.co.uk
>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Martin Howard on fri 3 nov 00
Steve suggests egg cups.
Well, what is the difference between bells and egg cups?
Virtually nothing but a hole in the middle for hanging them up to the
ceiling.
Nesting the tiles off surfaces and being able to sell them or use them later
seem to be the qualities we need in test "tiles".
Martin
Chris Schafale on fri 3 nov 00
Hi Martin,
I throw tiny bowls off the hump, with a neat little trimmed foot.
They are a tad time-consuming for tests, but they work really well,
give a good idea of what the glaze will look like, and people love to
buy them. The less salable ones I give away to kids at events
where I do demos.
Chris
> The number of test tiles we accumulate becomes a problem, because we are
> generally loath to throw the old, out of date ones, away.
> Mine are curved extrusions, with holes in one corner. The curve enables them
> to stand upright in the kiln and still bed together on the long lengths of
> picture hanging wire, which I also use for cutting wires.
>
> But the long threaded collection is now taking up valuable table space and
> could be used for weight lifting exercises. So next idea is to change to
> little bells which can be hung from the ceiling and even sold when their
> usefulness as test tiles is over.
> Has anyone done this yet, and found problems with it?
>
> Martin Howard
> Webb's Cottage Pottery
> Woolpits Road, Great Saling
> BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
> England
> martin@webbscottage.co.uk
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
>
mel jacobson on mon 8 nov 04
i have to be very frank here, and many of you
know that i do not use test tiles. will not use
test tiles, never use test tiles. would never own a test kiln.
here are some examples, based on the jian tenmoku study
that i am doing.
we have fired over 400 pots with basically 6 glazes, 5 clay bodies.
there are few pots that are the same. we have patterns
of glazes emerging. there are some things that are predictable.
it has happened with 400 pots, 6 firings. if i were using
test tiles, i would have stopped this project after the first firing.
would have said. `hmmm, not much here that has value.`
joe asked me to do the test because i would not fart around with
it. it was a study, not a few test tiles. if you want to change what
you are doing, well study. but, do it on pots. hell, make small dishes,
cups, small things, bottles.
how can you see the run on a rim, the puddle in the bottom,
how can you tell if the glazes move on shoulders of pots????
you cannot.
a tile gives you a hint. and that is all.
gail nichols fired many firings with her soda project. it was a square
of about two inches that gave her the best clue. one pot, two square
inches, it was what she was looking for. she moved on from there, discovered
a new clay body that changed everything. my god, not the clay body?
how would that affect anything?
so, what is wrong with firing tests on POTS? how precious is the work
that you cannot afford to lose a few pots? if they are great, you sell them.
if they are really bad, well someone will buy those too, and say `oh, my,
my, this is just what i have always been looking for`. increase the price.
plus, and this
is a good plus, there are hundreds of glazes out there that work just fine.
ron and john for example have done most of the work already. if i wanted
a new tenmoku, i would just use ron's `black magic`. it is perfect. why
would i smear it on test tiles? or, if i really wanted a new glaze, and
did not want to test, i would hire ron/pay the price and have a professional
do it. it pays in the long run. (but, i sure would not ask him to do it free.)
i have been doing variations of rhodes 32 for 40 years now. not done with
that study yet.
if you look at my website, look at how i have incorporated rhodes 32, pure
white
in with the jian tests. really interesting. it moves with the tenmoku.
it runs and hairsfurs with the black. now that was fun. but, i already
knew that
it would do that. it was because i have fired thousands of combinations
of that glaze. it is not a test tile, it is firing pots with combinations.
if they are awful...hammer them.
this entire topic of keeping tiles by the hundreds, storing them,
wondering what they are...is futile. save some pots that make you
jump up and down. set them around your studio when you get good
ones. use them to motivate yourself.
and beyond doubt, if you get the same thing every time, and it
looks just like the test tile...well, you are one lucky puppy.
mel
there is a hell of a lot more in a glaze than the color.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
Ann Brink on mon 8 nov 04
Mel wrote:> so, what is wrong with firing tests on POTS? how precious is
the work
> that you cannot afford to lose a few pots? if they are great, you sell
them.
I agree absolutely- I never hesitate to put a newly mixed glaze on a dish or
pot. It makes the kiln opening much more exciting than just looking at a
small sample. In my case, all those sample tubes help me avoid standing in
front of my array of plastic tubs, wondering what's in them. I used to lay
a small square on the lid of each- but those got mixed up.
Lisa's idea made me think of printing pictures of actual pots, and taping
them to glaze containers, perhaps in plastic sleeves. Then one could see
how the glaze actually looks.
Good firings,
Ann Brink in Lompoc CA
.
claybair on mon 8 nov 04
Well Mel....
You just yanked me out of the closet....
I admit it.... I never use test tiles.
I always test on pots!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: mel jacobson
i have to be very frank here, and many of you
know that i do not use test tiles. will not use
test tiles, never use test tiles. would never own a test kiln.
this entire topic of keeping tiles by the hundreds, storing them,
wondering what they are...is futile. save some pots that make you
jump up and down. set them around your studio when you get good
ones. use them to motivate yourself.
and beyond doubt, if you get the same thing every time, and it
looks just like the test tile...well, you are one lucky puppy.
mel
there is a hell of a lot more in a glaze than the color.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
Ben Friesen on mon 8 nov 04
You got my support on that one Mel! I use mugs with some extruded
handle, easy to make and all that, or small vases or bowls and they all give
me a good preliminary idea about any glaze... I also try to include tests
with a production load instead of firing a half load, etc. I may be wrong
but it seems like I get a different heat work with a full load than with a
half load.
Ben
> i have to be very frank here, and many of you
> know that i do not use test tiles. will not use
> test tiles, never use test tiles. would never own a test kiln.
> mel
> there is a hell of a lot more in a glaze than the color.
> From:
> Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
> web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
> or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
> new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> 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.
Darlene-Jerry Yarnetsky on wed 10 nov 04
I admit it. I love to test different glazes. I have boxes of those
little tiles. What I have found though is that I prefer to mix a 500
gram batch and dip a tile in different thicknesses as well as glaze a
small bowl. Tells me so much more about the glaze and I still have the
small tile to keep as a reference. One thing I started doing is
dipping one end of a tile in one color and the other end in another.
Then I switch the two colors for the next tile, dipping the other color
first. It is amazing how much difference the order glazes are dipped
in makes! It is a fun quick way to see possibilities for combinations.
Darlene Yarnetsky
Madison, Indiana,USA
Tom Sawyer on wed 10 nov 04
Claybair,
I love testing new glazes and I couldn't agree more; I've made the standard
disc and slabs both textured and non-textured and one misses good glazes
with small samples. I've gone to making small pots with regional texture and
regional plainness [sp ?] and these work much better; actually the bigger
the better up to a point. My kids go nuts because I break up the missteps
which are many. I still haven't come up with a really good test piece other
than a minature pot. I have 3 kilns (1) a large gas/electric that is about
30 ft2 (2) a L & L large electric kiln and (3) a L & L small/medium electric
kiln. All even the gas/electric have the L & L electronics with computer
progamming. So I can fire all exactly the same. I was disturbed with a small
test kiln from a manufacturer left unanamed that did not have the same
computer control and that fired in just a few hours. Test in this kiln just
didn't turn out the same as those where I can control the firing cycle and
cool down. My test kiln now mirrows what I will get in my other larger
firing kilns. Last I agree with mel test tiles suck.
Tom Sawyer
tsawyer@cfl.rr.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of claybair
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 6:45 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: test tiles
Well Mel....
You just yanked me out of the closet....
I admit it.... I never use test tiles.
I always test on pots!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: mel jacobson
i have to be very frank here, and many of you know that i do not use test
tiles. will not use test tiles, never use test tiles. would never own a
test kiln.
this entire topic of keeping tiles by the hundreds, storing them, wondering
what they are...is futile. save some pots that make you jump up and down.
set them around your studio when you get good ones. use them to motivate
yourself.
and beyond doubt, if you get the same thing every time, and it looks just
like the test tile...well, you are one lucky puppy.
mel
there is a hell of a lot more in a glaze than the color.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
____________________________________________________________________________
__
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.
Cindi Anderson on thu 11 nov 04
I have to disagree with many of you on test tiles. Like many of you, I used
to always do test pots. One problem with that is that the good ones "walk
away" and you lose your test. The other problem is that you simply can't do
the quantity of testing that you can do with tiles. Once I finally forced
myself to do tiles, I did tons more experimenting with thickness, layering,
variations in firing temperature, variations in cooling rate, etc. Of
course then the next step is to put it on a piece. From one round of
firing, I have 50 tiles. No way I would have done 50 pots, and if I did who
would have room to store them?
I think for advanced potters who already have an established glaze line,
sure, maybe they can add one test per load and that is enough. But for many
of us still trying lots of glazes and getting it all figured out, there is
no real way except test tiles.
Cindi
Fremont, CA
Ivor and Olive Lewis on fri 12 nov 04
I have a Primary system for exploring the potential or raw materials,
before even thinking about colour or texture. It employs three 6*6
tiles, a hundred and eight samples, each ten grams weight. It was
devised to show how a primary melter, either felspar or frit, a clay,
a silica and an ancillary agent would work together.
It is designed for a particular purpose.
Therein lies the problem of this discussion, Purpose. Without that
being stated some of us might regard mixing greater quantities or
using pottery forms as test pieces (not "Tiles") as being a waste of
time and materials.
I like the range of responses, shows just what a varied crowd we are.
Best regards to all and "Good on ya Mel!"
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
S. Australia.
Catherine Yassin on tue 16 nov 04
In a message dated 11/8/2004 11:19:02 AM Central Standard Time,
melpots@PCLINK.COM writes:
how can you see the run on a rim, the puddle in the bottom,
how can you tell if the glazes move on shoulders of pots????
you cannot.
a tile gives you a hint. and that is all.
I'm a little late on the subject, but this is how I test my glazes, on little
bowls about 3" wide on the rim and 1 1/2" tall. Takes 30 seconds to throw off
the hump, cut, place on a board to dry. Don't even trim. Bisque, number the
bottom with RIO, wax, then dip in 1/3 of the little bowl in one glaze, 1/3 in
another, and 1/3 in another. I not only get 3 tests out of one bowl, but I get
6 tests from ONE bowl as I see the individual glazes and where they overlap.
Then I use a permanent marker and write on the bottom exposed clay what each
glaze was.
-Cat Yassin
San Antonio
John K Dellow on wed 17 nov 04
Catherine Yassin wrote:
>In a message dated 11/8/2004 11:19:02 AM Central Standard Time,
>melpots@PCLINK.COM writes:
>how can you see the run on a rim, the puddle in the bottom,
>how can you tell if the glazes move on shoulders of pots????
>you cannot.
>a tile gives you a hint. and that is all.
>
>
Cat,
I extrude a " T " section in my extruder and the die is filed to give groves and ridges ,also its possible set up the base so glaze can pool.
I can send a jpeg if you want.
John
John Dellow "the flower pot man"
From the land down under
Home Page http://www.welcome.to/jkdellow
http://digitalfire.com/education/people/dellow/
Url Krueger on wed 17 nov 04
Why not toothpick holders? (rhetorical question)
Little pots about 1 1/2 inches high by 1 1/4 wide.
Make a hundred, or two, at a time.
Straight sided; Outward curving; Inward curving.
Good practice throwing off the hump. See if you can make 10 the same.
Put on a squiggle of slip for texture, a-la Ron & John.
Or your pottery name or logo.
Can dip several in a couple hundred milliliters of test glaze.
Be a double dipper (or more); Different glazes or the same.
Paint with underglaze stripes,squares or swirls first.
Set them in different places in the kiln; see if it makes a difference.
I got 106 in my 18 X 18" kiln last go-round; 22 different glazes.
Keep the ones you like, give the rest away.
Or sell them for $2.22.
Store in a plastic tub.
Other uses:
Violet vaaz,
Ring holder for when you make meatloaf,
Paper clips, thumb tacks & such,
Avacado seed starters,
Pocket change,
Sipping sippin liquor,
Volumetric measuring,
Individual butter dishes,
Napkin stands,
etc, etc, ad-infinitum.
--
Earl K...
Bothell WA, USA
"You may be disappointed if you fail,
but you are doomed if you don't try."
Beverly Sills (1929 - )
Alisa Liskin Clausen on wed 17 nov 04
On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 10:57:23 -0600, mel jacobson wrote:
>i have to be very frank here, and many of you
>know that i do not use test tiles. will not use
>test tiles, never use test tiles. would never own a test kiln.
For heavens sake, stop.
Test tiles have a perfectly acceptable place in developing glazes.
Some ceramists are not potters and do not make pots.
Others are not proficient and cannot possibly use the time needed according
to their level of skill to make pots to test glazes on. When one tests a
glaze, it could be 10 or more trials.
Test tiles and test kilns are not accurate mostly for the actual big batch
in the actual kiln, but they are a fine starting place. Jumping off, and
then fine tuning.
Test tiles come in all shapes and forms, so they can just as well show how
a glaze will perform on all the surfaces, rims, inside and outsides similar
to a thrown pot. My only absolute requirement is that there is a vertical
surface so that I can see the flow.
Storage. Keep the tests, how much do they really fill up? Clean out a few
buckets and heap of whatever, and there is plenty of space for some tests
in your studio. Notes are extremely important. No huge bookeeping
education needed. Make the test piece, mark it clearly with red iron on the
bottom, write your test results under the recipe (which you have checked
for accuracy the first time), which you keep in a ring binder. Do not
rewrite the recipe over and over from one nice book to the next. Written
mistakes are bound to happen.
I use a ring binder with loose sheets, reinforce the little holes so that
they do not tear out, and catorize them by color and surface. For ex.
gloss base, matt base, white gloss, white mat, blue gloss, blue mat, etc.
I have zillions of tests, zillions of pages, I look at them a zillion times
and paw them a zillion times. It is important to keep the tests because
you might not use them now, but maybe later. Or someone else needs some
help.
Until now, my memory and records serve me well and there is "no test left
behind". They are all familiar.
No doubt at all that a thrown bowl is a great test surface. If you can, do
that too. But one actual bowl in one actual firing also will not tell the
whole story. Little test tile to bigger bowl, or a bunch of bowls in a
bunch of firings. All have their place in glaze development.
regards from Alisa in Denmark
Making those little tiles all the while.
John Britt on wed 17 nov 04
Alisa,
I am with you. I could not live without test tiles. I have found out
lots of great stuff that way. Best thing I ever did was to build a 1 cu.
ft. soft brick gas test kiln.
Found out a lot of good stuff about oil spots, temmokus, kaki, copper
reds, black seto, celadons, etc.
The next best thing is an electic test kiln. Found out about cone 10
aventurine, goldstone(tiger's eye), crystalline, cooling soaks, etc.
And now I actully consider all my stuff "test tiles."
John Britt
www.johnbrittpottery.com
Bill Merrill on mon 21 jan 08
When I have a lot of glaze tiles that need to be made for testing glazes =
I use my extruder to make the tiles. The template is cut in a 'T" =
shape. The tile is used with the center piece standing vertically. The =
vertical is 3 =BD" tall. One side of the tile is smooth and the other =
side has texture like throwing lines. When the length comes from the =
extruder, I cut them into 2 =BD" wide pieces. I stand them up on the =
base so a vertical part of the tile has the textured and smooth piece =
standing up. When leather hard I cut =BD " circle from each side of the =
vertical piece (where the base meets the vertical wall) so if a glaze =
runs it is caught and stops at the bottom of the cut. These larger tiles =
give me a better look at the glaze. On the smooth side I use white =
slip, the clay by itself and an iron or cobalt slip. I also use a =
stroke of colemanite/rutile mix. When dipping these tiles I usually do =
a single dip and double dip. I get a lot of information from a tile by =
spending a little extra time doing the tests.
=20
Bill
lili krakowski on sun 11 oct 09
There are a great many test tile styles out there...and they may or may =3D
not have a reason.
The general test tile is L shaped, though I make mine like an upside =3D
down T. Self supporting and catch drips. (That is why I prefer the =3D
T--either thrown or extruded.
Many use thrown cones, that are set up wide side down. Others throw =3D
little tubes..both these types are easy to stack both in firing and =3D
afterward.
Many use tiny bowls. Or segments of big ones.
For the final tests the best is to use the glaze on a surface similar to =
=3D
your final use.
If you make functional pots make little bowls. If you make flat =3D
things--use a flat tile. Vertical, vertical.
The biggest error in making test tiles is to make them too small. =3D20
And yes: you can use broken bisque....
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Snail Scott on wed 24 feb 10
On Feb 24, 2010, at 8:24 AM, Nancy Spinella wrote:
> I've seen many different shapes and sizes of test tiles...
I do L-shaped slabs with texture for a first round test,
but I make things that look like a section of the actual
work for testing before actual use. My work varies in
its textures, and it's time-consuming enough that I'll test
possible surface treatments on something similar, with
enough height to give a better sense of runniness and
enough surface area to show a few variations - 6" or so.
-Snail
Nancy Spinella on wed 24 feb 10
I've seen many different shapes and sizes of test tiles.
What works best for you, and why?
Sue Cline on wed 24 feb 10
Hi Nancy. I like to make small vessels - bowls usually - with some texture =
somewhere. These will give you a sample of what a glaze will do on both a v=
ertical and flat surfaces, both with and without texture. This is probably =
not as efficient a use of kiln space as some other forms, but I can fit a f=
ew around other pieces in every glaze firing. If they come out nice then th=
ey are functional as well -- I even sell some of mine when I've got all the=
glaze information I want. If they turn out ugly, then you have the glaze i=
nfo and you still haven't lost much.
Depending on your usual work methods, this also makes great practice for th=
rowing off the hump.
Sue Cline
Cincinnati, OH
-----Original Message-----
>From: Nancy Spinella
>Sent: Feb 24, 2010 9:24 AM
>To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Test tiles
>
>I've seen many different shapes and sizes of test tiles.
>
>What works best for you, and why?
Cathi Newlin on wed 24 feb 10
Lately I've gone from an upright tile to a shotglass.
I just extrude a long tube, cut it into about 2" lengths and pinch the
bottom shut:
http://squarepegarts.blogspot.com/2010/02/single-fire-glazing.html
I like it because it gives me a real-world look at the glazes I use and
how I use them (mainly on vessels), the glaze often looks different on
the inside of the vessel than on the outside, and I can sell them
afterwards.
Nancy Spinella wrote:
> I've seen many different shapes and sizes of test tiles.
>
> What works best for you, and why?
>
>
>
--
Cathi Newlin, Angels Camp, Ca
cathi@box49.com
box49@caltel.com
cathi@SquarePegArts.com
-------------------------------
California Boxers in Need:
http://CaliforniaBoxer.org
David Beumee on thu 25 feb 10
My test tiles are made from a coil that I roll out, about the size of a
dime or nickel in diameter. I cut the coil in 3" sections, and lay a 2"
section in my hand, with an inch sticking out. Then I squeeze the coil and
pound the extra against the wedge table for a base. This gives a tile with
plenty of texture and also a smooth area to give me an indication of how th=
e
glaze moves. It's a vertical test tile which I like, so I can tell right
away if the glaze is a runner or not. The base gives me enough room to writ=
e
a number and letter on the bottom, and I use a small brush and a black stai=
n
that I make. The advantage of these tiles is that that they can be made
quickly, especially if you have an extruder with a round dye.
My numbering system starts with the letters, A - Z, plus a number, 1 -
100. I'm now in the letter M, as in M-29. This way I can keep a notebook an=
d
write all the particulars there, and have to write only a letter and number
on the test tile base. If I'm doing a line blend or triaxial, then I go to
letters again, as in M-29-A - U for a 21 place triaxial blend.
As Snail has mentioned, what looks great on a tile looks differently on
an actual pot, so if I get a tile that looks good, I make small half pound
bowls and enough glaze to make a dip. I use mostly porcelain, and I bisque
to cone 09 to leave the clay with sufficient hardness but still plenty
porous to accept glaze easily.
David Beumee
Lafayette, CO
On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 8:16 PM, Snail Scott wro=
te:
> On Feb 24, 2010, at 8:24 AM, Nancy Spinella wrote:
>
>> I've seen many different shapes and sizes of test tiles...
>>
>
>
> I do L-shaped slabs with texture for a first round test,
> but I make things that look like a section of the actual
> work for testing before actual use. My work varies in
> its textures, and it's time-consuming enough that I'll test
> possible surface treatments on something similar, with
> enough height to give a better sense of runniness and
> enough surface area to show a few variations - 6" or so.
>
> -Snail
>
Deborah Thuman on thu 25 feb 10
Jim made an extrusion for a hollow square. That gives me four sides -
rough, smooth, and any other thing I want to test out on the other
two. Jim also made an extrusion for a test tile that sits up straight,
has a bumpy side and a smooth side. Next, he made little dishes to go
under the test tiles. That way, if the glaze is a runner, he doesn't
have to scrape shelves. The little dishes can be used by themselves -
Jim likes to press texture into the center of the little dishes so he
can see how the glaze breaks. Me, I like pinch pots. I can test
underglazes with a clear glossy on the outside, anything on the
inside, test combinations on the inside, and no scraping of shelves if
the glaze runs.
Whatever you use, the idea of a little dish (Jim made a styrofoam
drape mold) under the test tile is extremely useful. Scraping shelves
is not my idea of a fun time in the clay studio. I'd much rather spend
my time playing in the mud.
Deb Thuman
http://debthumansblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=3D5888059
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Deb-Thumans-Art-Page/167529715986
gsomdahl on thu 25 feb 10
I throw a ring and cut it into narrow vertical strips. This yields
L-shaped or T-shaped test tiles that stand up in the kiln. I punch a
hole in the top of the tile so I can hang on the wall. I texture the
ring and cut a grove near the base of the ring so the base of the T can
be broken off after firing. I mark the back of the tile and wax it when
I glaze the front. I wind up with tiles I can hang up and correctly
identify the glaze from the code on its back.
Snail Scott wrote:
> On Feb 24, 2010, at 8:24 AM, Nancy Spinella wrote:
>> I've seen many different shapes and sizes of test tiles...
>
>
> I do L-shaped slabs with texture for a first round test,
> but I make things that look like a section of the actual
> work for testing before actual use. My work varies in
> its textures, and it's time-consuming enough that I'll test
> possible surface treatments on something similar, with
> enough height to give a better sense of runniness and
> enough surface area to show a few variations - 6" or so.
>
> -Snail
>
--
This is a post only account. Send replies to "gene" at my ".com" domain nam=
ed "somdahl".
steve graber on fri 26 feb 10
i do exactly the same thing.=3DA0 i learned it from a steve jepson video, h=
e =3D
called it a test tile mouse.=3DA0 handy and easy to do and the test mouse e=
na=3D
bles the glaze to be seen in thick and thin areas, runny, verticle, pooling=
=3D
spots and can be made from the residual clay after you cut=3DA0a pot off a=
b=3D
at.=3DA0 i just squeeze a ball in my hand and get a mouse.=3DA0 =3D0A=3D0Ai=
stab a=3D
=3DA0hole thru the top of the mouse, and tie a string to it=3DA0to hang fro=
m a =3D
bucket to show what glaze is in the bucket.=3DA0=3DA0 ......sometimes.....=
=3D0A=3D
=3DA0Steve Graber, Graber's Pottery, Inc=3D0AClaremont, California USA=3D0A=
The St=3D
eve Tool - for awesome texture on pots! =3D0Awww.graberspottery.com steve@g=
ra=3D
berspottery.com =3D0A=3D0A=3D0AOn Laguna Clay's website=3D0Ahttp://www.lagu=
naclay.c=3D
om/blogs/ =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A----- Original Message ----=3D0A> From: David=
Beumee tbeumee@WILDBLUE.NET>=3D0A> To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG=3D0A> Sent: Thu, F=
ebru=3D
ary 25, 2010 6:28:12 AM=3D0A> Subject: Re: Test tiles=3D0A> =3D0A> =3DA0 My=
test ti=3D
les are made from a coil that I roll out, about the size of =3D0A> a=3D0Adi=
me o=3D
r nickel in diameter. I cut the coil in 3" sections, and lay a =3D0A> 2"=3D=
0Ase=3D
ction in my hand, with an inch sticking out. Then I squeeze the coil =3D0A>=
a=3D
nd=3D0Apound the extra against the wedge table for a base. This gives a til=
e =3D
=3D0A> with=3D0Aplenty of texture and also a smooth area to give me an indi=
cati=3D
on of how =3D0A> the=3D0Aglaze moves. It's a vertical test tile which I lik=
e, s=3D
o I can tell =3D0A> right=3D0Aaway if the glaze is a runner or not. The bas=
e gi=3D
ves me enough room to =3D0A> write=3D0Aa number and letter on the bottom, a=
nd I=3D
use a small brush and a black =3D0A> stain=3D0Athat I make. The advantage =
of t=3D
hese tiles is that that they can be =3D0A> made=3D0Aquickly, especially if =
you =3D
have an extruder with a round dye.=3D0A=3DA0 =3D0A> My numbering system sta=
rts wi=3D
th the letters, A - Z, plus a number, 1 -=3D0A100. =3D0A> I'm now in the le=
tter=3D
M, as in M-29. This way I can keep a notebook and=3D0Awrite =3D0A> all the=
par=3D
ticulars there, and have to write only a letter and number=3D0Aon the =3D0A=
> te=3D
st tile base. If I'm doing a line blend or triaxial, then I go to=3D0Alette=
rs=3D
=3D0A> again, as in M-29-A - U for a 21 place triaxial blend.=3D0A=3DA0 =
=3DA0 As S=3D
nail =3D0A> has mentioned, what looks great on a tile looks differently on=
=3D0A=3D
an actual pot, =3D0A> so if I get a tile that looks good, I make small half=
p=3D
ound=3D0Abowls and enough =3D0A> glaze to make a dip. I use mostly porcelai=
n, a=3D
nd I bisque=3D0Ato cone 09 to leave =3D0A> the clay with sufficient hardnes=
s bu=3D
t still plenty=3D0Aporous to accept glaze =3D0A> easily.=3D0A=3D0ADavid Beu=
mee=3D0ALa=3D
fayette, =3D0A> CO=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=
=3D0A=3D0A=3D0AOn Wed, Feb 24, 2=3D
010 =3D0A> at 8:16 PM, Snail Scott <> href=3D3D"mailto:claywork@flying-snai=
l.co=3D
m">claywork@flying-snail.com>wrote:=3D0A=3D0A> =3D0A> On Feb 24, 2010, at 8=
:24 AM=3D
, Nancy Spinella wrote:=3D0A>=3D0A>> I've seen =3D0A> many different shapes=
and s=3D
izes of test =3D0A> tiles...=3D0A>>=3D0A>=3D0A>=3D0A> I do L-shaped slabs w=
ith textur=3D
e =3D0A> for a first round test,=3D0A> but I make things that look like a s=
ecti=3D
on of =3D0A> the actual=3D0A> work for testing before actual use. My work v=
arie=3D
s in=3D0A> =3D0A> its textures, and it's time-consuming enough that I'll te=
st=3D
=3D0A> possible =3D0A> surface treatments on something similar, with=3D0A> =
enough=3D
height to give a =3D0A> better sense of runniness and=3D0A> enough surface=
are=3D
a to show a few =3D0A> variations - 6" or so.=3D0A>=3D0A>=3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =
=3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3D
=3D0A> =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =
=3D0A> =3DA0 =3DA0 -Snail=3D0A>=3D0A=3D
=3D0A=3D0A
Russel Fouts on fri 26 feb 10
I think these are called 'Mice'
I use the same method as David Beumee but I don't extrude them.=3D20
I just roll a rough coil out of what ever scraps of clay I have that are =
=3D
too dry to immediately use (I only use one body).=3D20
The dryish clay gives even more texture.
I have no waste this way. What I do have is a sh!t load of test "tiles". =
=3D
;-)
And I simply number them with the current date in reverse date format =3D
with a hyphen and a 3 digit number starting with 000.
For example, a bunch of tests made from scraps left over today, 26 Feb =3D
2010, would be numbered 20100226-000, 20100226-001, 20100226-002, =3D
20100226-003, and so on until I an out of clay.=3D20
It that's too long for anyone, you can drop off the first two digits of =3D
the year and maybe use only 2 digits after the hyphen. Really, 99 test =3D
mice made in one day is a lot. If you take two days, you can do 198.=3D20
I carve the number into the bottom of the mouse with a pencil.
When doing tests, I just grab a bunch and note down the numbers along =3D
with the test info
I find this very simple. It's not important to me to have the numbers in =
=3D
sequence or in a series, I just need to have them uniquely numbered.
You could use this numbering system on any kind of tile or even on your =3D
pieces.
I'm sure I stole this idea from someone but I just can't remember who. =3D
I'm surely not clever enough to have come up with something this simple =3D
on my own. ;-)
Anybody want some test mice?
After these initial tests, I like to test really promising stuff on =3D
large tiles, say 10cm by 10cm to get a better look at the results on a =3D
larger surface.
I hope Ruth Ballou writes into this thread. She gets more tests onto an =3D
8cm x 8cm tile than I've ever seen.
Russel
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
http://www.mypots.com
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"Look, it's my misery that I have to paint this kind of painting, it's =3D
your misery that you have to love it, and the price of the misery is =3D
thirteen hundred and fifty dollars. "
- Mark Rothko, In Art/Painting
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