Cindy Strnad on tue 9 oct 01
The length of time needed for a proper glaze dip
differs according to your individual situation. Do
you throw "robustly"? Pots with good, strong,
stout walls? Your pots will take on glaze more
quickly than they would if they had eggshell thin
walls. Bigger pots tend to have thicker walls and
need less dip time. Some of my smaller pots have a
difficult time taking on enough glaze no matter
how long I dip them. I should have the glaze
thicker to begin with, but if I did, it would be
wrong for the larger pots (and there are more of
them) so you compromise a bit. Of course, you
could take off water, then add it back after doing
the smaller stuff, but that's too much trouble. It
comes out all right. Different, but still pretty
and well-coated.
Do you bisque to 08? 06? 04? That makes a big
difference. The cooler your bisque, the thinner
you can make your glaze. Lower bisque means the
pot will absorb more moisture and so will take on
more glaze. That's why thick-walled pots take on
more glaze. And what about the glaze itself? I use
a white glaze which needs to go on milk-thin, and
a clear glaze with similar needs. A blue glaze
that likes a medium coat (and by gum you'd better
get it right). A green glaze that wants a thicker
coat.
Bottom line--the more stuff you glaze, the better
you get at it. You'll get to the point where you
can *feel* when you've got the right amount of
glaze. And if it feels wrong, you'd better not
shrug it off and ignore your feelings--especially
if you like the pot. Believe me. If you think it's
wrong, it's wrong. Better to fix it now than to
find a pot with thin glaze and no color, or worse,
a pot sitting in a puddle of glossy blue,
permanently fixed to the shelf.
Mel's suggestion of triple-dipping a tube (I
extrude mine) is excellent. It won't tell you
exactly what your glaze will do on a pot with
thinner walls, but it will give you a great
starting point. And as he says, credit card
thickness is about right for most glazes.
Best wishes,
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
cindy@earthen-vessels-pottery.com
http://www.earthen-vessels-pottery.com
chris clarke on thu 11 oct 01
Glazing has always been my weakest skill.
I've killed so many good pots. Not ugly glazes,
messy, unprofessional looking, sloppy.
I hate that. I dipped for years, adjusted my glaze choices.
Used glazes that didn't show drips. But I always felt
I wasn't progressing in my dipping skill and I
had bunches of glaze mixed that I no longer wanted to
use. Thank God there were other methods.
Now I spray. Everything. I mix small batches
to use. I can glaze two medium pieces with 200g
of glaze that I initially mixed to test. Spray, scrape
the extra back into the bottle. I like the uneven
coats, as long as there are no naked areas. No nudity
in my studio. At least not today
it's 50 degrees (that's cold for southern californians)
chris
temecula, california
chris@ccpots.com
www.ccpots.com
Kris Baum on thu 11 oct 01
For all who need a quick laugh...
I really enjoyed the "I was SO stupid" thread months (years?) ago, so
I thought I would add to it. I've been getting ready for the tile
show Saturday, and owing to a very late delivery of clay, have been
rushing, rushing to get things done. As a result, I have been
working in the studio when it is quite warm from the firing, glazing
for the next load. I brush my glazes and have many that need a
really thick coat - not infrequently I am dabbing on additional glaze
and refiring. Conscious that I didn't have that option on such a
tight schedule, I put the glaze on really thick. Unfortunately, it
never occurred to me that the high temperature in the studio would
make the bisque really suck up that glaze. Result - my delicate
relief designs got buried in a REALLY thick coat of glaze...
Hope someone can have a good laugh at my expense. I'm planning on
laughing next week when I have time ;-)
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Kris Baum
Shubunkin Pottery
KBaum@shubunkinpottery.com
http:\\www.shubunkinpottery.com
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