Judy Musicant on sat 8 apr 00
Having now fired in two different kilns the glaze variously called Blue
Hare's Fur and Floating Blue, and since there continues to be great interest
in this glaze, here is my report on my experience.
For several years, I've been using this glaze with great success, firing it
in my 18 year old Skutt 818 (the little one). I fire my glazes to slightly
cooler than cone 5 1/2. I know that now because I recently purchased a new
Cone Art 7 cubic ft. with auto controller, and the temperature I reach to
get the cones to where I want them is 2179 F, with a heat ramp of 108 deg.
for the last couple of hours. At this temperature, cone 5 is completely
flat, and the cone 6 has barely started to bend. By the way, this
temperature has worked very well for every cone 6 glaze I use or have
tested. When the cones have bent properly in the Skutt, I turn it down to
low for 45 min. to 1 hour before turning it off. The Floating Blue comes
out a beautiful strong bright blue, mottled with white, which is what I
expect is considered it's optimum color and texture. When I cooled the
Skutt more slowly - turned it to low for 3 hours before turning it off- the
glaze came out a greyed greenish color - much less attractive to my eyes.
On the other hand, when the Cone Art reaches temperature, I don't soak it at
all - just turn it off. The Floating Blue has come out slightly dulled -
still blue, but not as bright as from the Skutt - undoubtedly because the
Cone Art is much more insulated and cools much more slowly than the Skutt.
My other glazes come out just as beautifully in the Cone Art as they do in
the Skutt.
When applying the Floating Blue, I dip it twice, using a fairly thick
mixture of glaze. Without the double dip, I have found it to be a very dark
brown/black with a faint blue tint. As Chris Schafale has noted, it does
not seal very well - at least not at cone 5 1/2. Water will seep through
the pot. Therefore, I wouldn't use it on the inside of a pot that is
intended to hold liquids for a long time, such as a pitcher or a vase.
However, I have successfully used an acrylic spray as a sealant on the
bottom of pots where seeping is a problem (as it seems to be with a lot of
cone 6 glazes - and I've tested my glazes on at least 7 or 8 clay bodies
with varying results.) The Floating Blue is very stable for me - it doesn't
run unless it is applied way too thickly, and it has crawled only
occasionally.
This is obviously an example of how a myriad of firing conditions can affect
a particular glaze. I guess I was just lucky in discovering the right
conditions by accident the first time.
Judy
elizabeth priddy on sun 9 apr 00
I have also had a lot of ex with Floating Blue.
One thing you might try is to coat it over a
coat of black. At least with my black, it
makes the blue truly brilliant. I cannot
locate the recipe for that black as I changed
my pallette a few years ago, but your black
might do the trick. If the black is stable,
it should solve that leaking problem too.
---
Elizabeth Priddy
email: epriddy@usa.net
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/clayworkshop
Clay: 12,000 yrs and still fresh!
On Sat, 8 Apr 2000 22:47:59 Judy Musicant wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Having now fired in two different kilns the glaze variously called Blue
>Hare's Fur and Floating Blue, and since there continues to be great interest
>in this glaze, here is my report on my experience.
>
>For several years, I've been using this glaze with great success, firing it
>in my 18 year old Skutt 818 (the little one). I fire my glazes to slightly
>cooler than cone 5 1/2. I know that now because I recently purchased a new
>Cone Art 7 cubic ft. with auto controller, and the temperature I reach to
>get the cones to where I want them is 2179 F, with a heat ramp of 108 deg.
>for the last couple of hours. At this temperature, cone 5 is completely
>flat, and the cone 6 has barely started to bend. By the way, this
>temperature has worked very well for every cone 6 glaze I use or have
>tested. When the cones have bent properly in the Skutt, I turn it down to
>low for 45 min. to 1 hour before turning it off. The Floating Blue comes
>out a beautiful strong bright blue, mottled with white, which is what I
>expect is considered it's optimum color and texture. When I cooled the
>Skutt more slowly - turned it to low for 3 hours before turning it off- the
>glaze came out a greyed greenish color - much less attractive to my eyes.
>
>On the other hand, when the Cone Art reaches temperature, I don't soak it at
>all - just turn it off. The Floating Blue has come out slightly dulled -
>still blue, but not as bright as from the Skutt - undoubtedly because the
>Cone Art is much more insulated and cools much more slowly than the Skutt.
>My other glazes come out just as beautifully in the Cone Art as they do in
>the Skutt.
>
>When applying the Floating Blue, I dip it twice, using a fairly thick
>mixture of glaze. Without the double dip, I have found it to be a very dark
>brown/black with a faint blue tint. As Chris Schafale has noted, it does
>not seal very well - at least not at cone 5 1/2. Water will seep through
>the pot. Therefore, I wouldn't use it on the inside of a pot that is
>intended to hold liquids for a long time, such as a pitcher or a vase.
>However, I have successfully used an acrylic spray as a sealant on the
>bottom of pots where seeping is a problem (as it seems to be with a lot of
>cone 6 glazes - and I've tested my glazes on at least 7 or 8 clay bodies
>with varying results.) The Floating Blue is very stable for me - it doesn't
>run unless it is applied way too thickly, and it has crawled only
>occasionally.
>
>This is obviously an example of how a myriad of firing conditions can affect
>a particular glaze. I guess I was just lucky in discovering the right
>conditions by accident the first time.
>
>Judy
>
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