will edwards on mon 1 jan 01
Hello,
Making my rounds this a.m. after a marathon night studying toxicology and=
metals. ^6 glazes are fast becoming a norm for allot of reasons and artis=
ts,
and for me I have dedicated myself exclusively to the study of that heat-=
range
and am gathering information for a book on the subject.
How do cats come in here? I asked myself that too but I can't help but th=
ink
of those letters about cat litter and then seeing my daughters cat (Who
usually cuts a wide path around me) come into my bedroom where I just pla=
ced a
new aquarium.
I noticed how involved this cat became when he seen those fish and he wou=
ld
put his paw's on the glass leaning off the bed-side attempting to catch t=
hose
colors. That is what we are all doing, trying to get through a barrier an=
d get
a choke hold on bright, bold colors that could land us some big fish and =
pay
those ever increasing power bills and fuel bills!
I have also noted on occasion that people say well, "Frits are just so hi=
gh!"
Let=92s think about all that. If we took the power rates and time it woul=
d take
to reach some temperatures would frit really be that much more in costs f=
or
the potter?
What are the benefits? Of course I will cover that in the book as I go al=
ong
but the benefits are huge to say the least.
These materials are leading us to better chemistry through practical mean=
s.
Commercial uses of frits are why they are made, not for the little potter=
=2E
They sell the stuff in tons and train loads to many companies that use th=
em
for their purposes. The reason they are successful is easily understandab=
le
because they are consistent and have been fixed with various oxides and o=
ther
materials to meet specified qualities.
We potters are smart. We lost gerstley borate and already have pottery
companies taking it on themselves to provide the replacements where those=
huge
frit companies haven't looked our way. But we also found that they alread=
y
have many frits that will work as they are and we took advantage of that =
in
many cases.
Here is where I fit in I suppose: I hate anything that isn't simple and e=
asily
understood. I do use periodic tables and all that but I was taught that w=
hen I
was younger and had the time. Now days I have less time, more to do and f=
ewer
years left to do it!
We usually can replace a host of chemical needs with frits only upping ce=
rtain
compounds to induce a desirable color or melt. Once we find those numbers=
we
set about fixing the glaze with various coloring oxides to suit our purpo=
se. I
have a glaze that you would love I bet with a silly name called Wild Brow=
n
Hare ^6 Ox. Gertsley was the ingredient of choice and this was my favorit=
e
glaze at the time. I got mad as a wet hen when they announced they would =
stop
mining the material.
I thought about all that work that was lost among hundreds of tests and o=
ther
glazes I had made using a lot to a little of gerstley. (The trap we set).=
I narrowed my range down, honed it some more and reduced my chemical load=
to a
narrower margin saved floor space added some new things and went hog wild=
and
pig crazy working feverishly night and day to learn everything I could in=
order to never face that again.
Please don't let this long letter appear to you as an advocate against an=
y
other cone range, it is just one I am sinking my teeth and claws into wit=
hout
considering any other needs for higher temperature ranges for now.
The basic 1234 approach is only a drop in the bucket but it is another dr=
op
that will help fill an otherwise empty bucket. I have contacted my old
reliable laboratory people in regards to testing for me again. They are
approved FDA and use NIST comparisons and also ASTM criteria. Also Alfred=
I
understand is very interested in glaze analysis so I would be lucky to ma=
ke
some friends there.
Have a safe New Year and a progressive one for 2001.
William Edward=92s
Alchemy - Turning my daughters cat into a catfish. He already has the
whiskers.
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