Paul Lewing on mon 8 nov 04
on 11/8/04 6:44 AM, Taren Scott at redfox1@MINDSPRING.COM wrote:
> A question for those who love to test glazes...
> do you keep all your test tiles, or pitch them?
I keep the ones I like and that work, and pitch the rest (about 75% of
them).
> If you keep them, how do you store them?
In a box
Are they easy to find and reference again?
No.
> Do you ever go back to look at them?
Very seldom. Mostly I look at them when the box gets full. Then I go
through and throw most of them away.
>
> I have found that when I take notes about the test results, but throw =
> away the tiles, I inevitably end up repeating some test because I can't =
> remember what it looked like, and I wish I still had the tile.
I figure if I need a particular glaze again, I'll just make it up if I can't
find a recipe for it, or can't remember what glaze I wanted to make. But
then, I don't ever make notes either. Never have. Forty years of obsessive
glaze testing and I've never written down what I tested or how it came out.
But I do remember everything I need to know about what I've tested.
I realize this is not a normal routine, and not one I'd recommend to anyone
else, but it's my system. Insight has a very elaborate method of codifying
test tiles. When I told Tony Hansen I never take notes, he was literally
speechless. I enjoyed that.
Paul Lewing, Seattle
Taren Scott on mon 8 nov 04
A question for those who love to test glazes...
do you keep all your test tiles, or pitch them?
If you keep them, how do you store them? Are they easy to find and =
reference again?
Do you ever go back to look at them?
I have found that when I take notes about the test results, but throw =
away the tiles, I inevitably end up repeating some test because I can't =
remember what it looked like, and I wish I still had the tile. On the =
other hand, the boxes of test tiles are now filling space in the studio =
that I would prefer to fill with pots. I need a better system!
How would one photograph something as small as a test tile?
Thanks for any suggestions,
Taren Scott
Avril Farley on mon 8 nov 04
Hi Taren
I make all my tiles with a hole in them, mark with a reference number and
firing temp in underglaze pencil, fire, then hang the lot like a necklace
on a wire as they come out of the kiln, This wire is suspended from a hook
on one of my shelves. Uses no space at all. You can also suspend a tile
on string or wire around the glaze bucket handle to remind you of the
finished colour.
Avril in the Forest UK
Ann Brink on mon 8 nov 04
Hello Taren,
When I really, really, really re-organized my studio 2 years ago, I adopted
the test tile method shared by Doug Gray in a Pottery Making Illustrated
article. I can look up the issue later if you like.
Anyway, you make tubes out of about 3" squares of clay, overlapped and
pressed together with some kind of texturing thing. Make a lot, way more
than your current amount of glazes, in order to have some always on hand.
Make sure the ends are even enough to stand vertically in the kiln.
Label each of your glazes or tests with a number, and number the test tiles
on one end with a small brush using a dark oxide or stain. Dip the tube
about 2/3 of the way, then again 1/3.
OK, now for the wonderful storage part: Take a very long cord and pass the
ends facing each other through the first tube, then continue until all the
tubes are in one strand, with ends of cord remaining to add more later. You
hang this whole thing up- it takes up no room at all and is really ready
reference.
Ann Brink in Lompoc, glad to have Clayart back and grateful to all who make
it possible. And YES!!! I'm going to Mendocino- my non-potter husband and I
will drive up. (I've been to lots of Navy reunions, haha) This is the guy
who took a pottery class with me years ago, just to see what I was so
excited about. I love that he did that.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Taren Scott"
A question for those who love to test glazes...
do you keep all your test tiles, or pitch them?
If you keep them, how do you store them? Are they easy to find and
reference again?
Do you ever go back to look at them?
L. P. Skeen on mon 8 nov 04
If you truly are using TILES and not something that stands up (which is what
I would recommend, because you want to see how the glaze runs on a vertical
surface), then you can place it flat on the scanner bed and scan it in. :)
Burn it to a CD and you could store hundreds that way. :)
L
----- Original Message -----
From: "Taren Scott" How would one photograph something as small as a test
tile?
Madrona Artist on mon 8 nov 04
Hi Taren,
I extrude my test tiles. They are hollow cylinders ~3"
in height and I stamp a pattern along its length.
I also stamp a test tile number, like 002, 003 etc on
the bottom edge. When I am glazing I write down the
tile number, the glaze or glazes applied, technique,
etc.. in my records. When fired, I write the date on
which it was fired, that way I can cross reference the
firing cycle that I used. After the firing I write
down the results next to that test tile number in my
records (This can contain information such as
placemnet in the kiln, if it got flashing what was
next to it etc..). As you can see there is a lot
information you can have for the test tile and fitting
it on the test tile itself is not possible.
Now for storing them, I string all the hollow tubes
and hang them from a nail. They occury little space
and look really good after you have several there.
Multiple test tiles of the same glaze I throw away.
And the ones that I definetly don't like I throw away
noting down all the information.
I hope this helps some. Lots of other help in the
archives too.
Charan
--- Taren Scott wrote:
> A question for those who love to test glazes...
> do you keep all your test tiles, or pitch them?
> If you keep them, how do you store them? Are they
> easy to find and reference again?
> Do you ever go back to look at them?
>
> I have found that when I take notes about the test
> results, but throw away the tiles, I inevitably end
> up repeating some test because I can't remember what
> it looked like, and I wish I still had the tile. On
> the other hand, the boxes of test tiles are now
> filling space in the studio that I would prefer to
> fill with pots. I need a better system!
>
> How would one photograph something as small as a
> test tile?
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> Taren Scott
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
>
=====
Madrona Artists Guild
3612 Center Street
Tacoma, WA 98409
http://www.madronaartistsguild.com
madronaartistsguild@yahoo.com
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Donna Nicosia on mon 8 nov 04
Taren,
I do an enormous amount of testing. For my ^6 glazes I make
half cylinders with texture and this way I can test them on end to check
for dripping, overlaps, etc. Every piece is numbered on the back . I
have a book that I keep with an index with the coordinating numbers. In
the book I have all the recipes with room at the bottom of the page to
make any notations about the glaze. I test the same glaze on the 2
different clays that I use to compare the difference. Sometimes there is
and sometimes there isn't. But it's good to see the actual differences.
I mount the half cylinders with the 2 different clays in pairs onto a
large corkboard with adhesive and put the number of the piece next to
the set. This way I can see them at a glance and look in my index and
see what glaze I used. It sounds time consuming at first. It really
isn't and it saves a lot of time and frustration in the long run. All it
really is is a way of cross referencing. Once you get a routine it goes
very smoothly.
For my other firings, I use small tiles, maybe 2 x2 also with
texture. Make a small hole on the top of each one, number the back using
the same procedure with the index. This way I can wire or string my
groups together. Hope this helps. Donna
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Taren Scott
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 9:45 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Test Tile Storage
A question for those who love to test glazes...
do you keep all your test tiles, or pitch them?
If you keep them, how do you store them? Are they easy to find and
reference again?
Do you ever go back to look at them?
I have found that when I take notes about the test results, but throw
away the tiles, I inevitably end up repeating some test because I can't
remember what it looked like, and I wish I still had the tile. On the
other hand, the boxes of test tiles are now filling space in the studio
that I would prefer to fill with pots. I need a better system!
How would one photograph something as small as a test tile?
Thanks for any suggestions,
Taren Scott
________________________________________________________________________
______
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/
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melpots@pclink.com.
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daniel on mon 8 nov 04
Hi Taren,
I don't have that many test tiles yet, though I do have them all over the
place. I don't intend to wholesale dump a lot of them, but at some point
easy reference to the original tile is going to be a problem. So I'm
currently prototyping a database system to store all the information on my
tests, including the firing, the claybody, the glaze, the test tile number
and my notes on the test. I plan to photograph them digitally and stash them
on the computer. This will have all the usual problems of photographing pots
I expect.
We'll see in the end if this method is any better than glueing on boards or
stashing in boxes. Hopefully it will be easier to look stuff up. I'll still
try to keep the originals around somewhere, though perhaps not in so
accessible a location.
Thanx
D
Belmont, California, USA
(ex terra australis)
Kate Johnson on mon 8 nov 04
Just a thought about when you just HAVE to get rid of stuff...might want to
check with a mosaic artist or school about test tiles you no longer need.
They're always needing more stuff to work with, and might be able to do
something marvelous with your discards...
best--
Kate
Sue Beach on mon 8 nov 04
This made me wonder if the glaze calc software that is out there is the place to
store pics/scans of tests? Seems to me it would be good to have it all in one
place. I'm hoping Santa brings me one of these programs for Christmas :-)
I had BOXES of tiles for awhile but found they were just a jumble & in the way.
The tiles now cover the ground around the water spigot behind my pottery.
Except for a few that are attached to the glaze bucket.
Recently, I have been using small bowls or little bottles to do my testing. One
good thing about using small bowls is that if it is a glaze you are nervous
about running, you can just glaze the inside of the bowl. I take lots of notes,
take pictures and then either hammer, use around the house or sell the result -
depending on how it turns out. I have a stack of these sitting in the pottery
window right now & I look at them all the time - a couple are especially nice to
fondle :-)
Sue Beach
Muncie, IN
Potters Council Member
Quoting daniel :
> Hi Taren,
>
> I don't have that many test tiles yet, though I do have them all over the
> place. I don't intend to wholesale dump a lot of them, but at some point
> easy reference to the original tile is going to be a problem. So I'm
> currently prototyping a database system to store all the information on my
> tests, including the firing, the claybody, the glaze, the test tile number
> and my notes on the test. I plan to photograph them digitally and stash them
> on the computer. This will have all the usual problems of photographing pots
> I expect.
>
> Belmont, California, USA
> (ex terra australis)
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
>
daniel on mon 8 nov 04
Hi Sue,
> This made me wonder if the glaze calc software that is out there is the place to
> store pics/scans of tests? Seems to me it would be good to have it all in one
> place. I'm hoping Santa brings me one of these programs for Christmas :-)
They certainly do. Both Insight and GlazeMaster (programs I am most
familiar with) offer this. What I want to do is a little more involved and
requires that I be able to link series of tests together, store larger
numbers of pictures and link to fuller writeups on a test series and so on.
Apart from this I also want to be able to put this stuff on the web.
All these things could be done in various ways perhaps, with what current
programs offer. But being able to easily deploy this on the web, is a bit of
a problem. That said, there is much to be said for having it all in one
place. I'll no doubt see how this works out.
Thanx
D
Belmont, California, USA
(ex terra australis)
Ivor and Olive Lewis on tue 9 nov 04
Used to store tiles 6*2s in wine casks. Store CM and PMI in wine
casks. Store Tile and Brick International and Interceram in wine
casks. Wine Casks?? Better known in Oz as "Chateau Cardboard". Avril
will explain !
Mel may right about Bowls, for Mel. I would rather go for Coffee Mugs.
Whatever you choose to do in the way of storage be sure you do not
omit any of the information, visual or tactile.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
S. Australia.
Bonnie Staffel on tue 9 nov 04
In my early days of learning about clay, I made thousands of tests. My form
was a 3" x 2" tile folded so that it sat up on the kiln shelf. I also
impressed a design on the lower horizontal part and painted the glaze over
the whole face, vertically two coats and then the third coat on half to test
glaze thickness. I then painted brush lines of iron, copper and cobalt
horizontally on the upper part of the piece. The impressed design told me
if edges responded nicely to the glaze, the lines told me whether the glaze
stayed put or ran and the thickness gave me the third answer as to glaze
thickness for application. I also put a hole in the top of the tile. On
the back I would write the cone number, the clay used, and the code for the
glaze test. When finished I would hang them on wire and hooked them over a
peg somewhere. I made notes on a card file and many of those glazes I still
use today.
A potter in the UP was given a grant to learn about pottery techniques and
she asked me to be her mentor. She didn't realize the amount of information
I could give her so only asked for a minimal amount and for only one week of
teaching. I took three clay bodies for testing glazes in the above method
so that one could see the influence of the clay body on the glaze. We
worked with Emmanuel Cooper's Glaze book to learn of different textures and
finishes. It was a wonderful experience as a friend loaned us the use of
her studio on Lake Superior and we slept in the cottage of the apprentice in
the woods also on Lake Superior. Also taught her how to improve her
throwing and showed her a lot of methods of working in clay. When it was
lunch time, we would go to a local restaurant, and lay out our glaze tests
on the table so we could talk about the results. Wonder what the waitress
thought we were doing. We used a porcelain, a light and dark stoneware. I
only saved a few of those tests and they are in a small bucket on my shelf
now.
Warm regards,
Bonnie Staffel, Clayart, I missed you so much over the weekend. Glad all
is back on line again.
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel
http://www.vasefinder.com/
Potters Council member
Bob Masta on tue 9 nov 04
Taren:
I have no improvements on the suggestions others have offered
for tile storage ideas. However, I think you should reconsider carefully
any plans to store only photos and destroy the original tiles (or pots,
or rings, etc.). There are several factors involved, not the least
of which is getting the color temperature right (in both the photo and
the monitor, if you use digital photos). You may be able to tell
red from green, but you will have a hard time telling fine differences
in shades of reddish brown, for example.
But it's more than that. Without some elaborate protocol and a
lot of experience with it, I doubt you will capture the surface effects
and depth that can make all the difference in a glaze. Even with
extreme closeups and several different standardized lighting angles,
the subtleties just won't be in the photo, even if it is technically
accurate. You have to be able to hold the piece it in your hand and turn
it in the light to get the full effect. (Maybe that's why we do pots instead
of paintings!)
Just a thought...
Bob Masta
potsATdaqartaDOTcom
June Perry on wed 10 nov 04
Right now my test tiles are in buckets and other assorted containers.
When I had the wall space, I had them on plywood boards that I could swing
back and forth. I found hardware that allowed the board to go right or left,
like wallpaper sample boards,etc, so that a whole bunch of boards, well spaced on
1 or 2x4's could just lean to one side and not come out into the room much.
Mine took up about 4' of width, but you can make it as small or big as you need.
You can use brad nails hammered in at an angle, or little "L" shaped screw on
hooks, which work better, to hang the tile, but the screw ins take more time
to install. If I do it again, I'll predrill to make life easier!
I throw test tiles in doggie dish style with a textured middle using a
incising rib and use a pointed piece of doweling to make a depression at the base to
allow some flow. I put a generous hole at the top so that they can hang
easily on the boards. When I get around to it, I'm going to make a die with that
shape and just extrude them to save time.
I also put a narrow vertical band of porcelain slip on my stoneware tiles and
a narrow vertical band of low iron slip on the white stoneware and porcelain
tiles. I also, often will run bands of my most used oxide washes on the back
of the tile. I try to get as much information out of each tile.
Anything that doesn't merit further testing or doesn't seem like it would be
useable, gets shucked after the results are noted.
When I stored them before I did it numerically but if I have the space in my
new studio, I'll probably store them according to color and numeric and
separate wood fire, soda fire, etc. for easier reference.
Those boards could hold a lot of tiles and I had tiles on both sides of each
board.
I also designed an assessment sheet that I used to keep track of each tile.
If a glaze showed promise I would make a 1,000 gram batch and test it on a
bowl, cup or mug.
I do the tiles for two reasons: basically I want to have a quick, easy,
access to them without taking up a lot of room and secondly I don't want to waste
my time and money by using more time and more clay and taking up more firing
space with a larger, first test.
With the tiles, I can make a few of the same glaze test and put them in a
few places in the kiln.
This is a system that I have found works best for me and all the glaze
testing I've done in over 35 years with my hands in mud. :-)
Regards,
June
http://www.angelfire.com/art2/shambhalapottery/
Ama Menec on thu 11 nov 04
I make press-moulded sculpture and use one half of my very smallest mould as
a test tile maker. I make all my moulds from Herculite plaster so they are
tough and last a very long time. I use a mermaid pendant mould for my tiles,
just the front half, it has a handy hole to hang it up as either a test tile
or as a full pendant. They are quick to produce and have raised and sunken
areas so that the run of any glaze can be clearly seen, and if a glaze does
run, it will mostly run towards the centre of the tile, and not so much
outwards onto the shelf. They take up no room in the kiln, fitting easily in
between larger sculptures in my regular firings.
By passing a rubber kidney across the back while it's still in the mould, I
have a really smooth surface to write all the details of the firing; name of
glaze and any additional oxides and what %, if on top of an underglaze what
colour of underglaze, and finally what cone it will be fired to. I can fit
all that in using a fine brush and black stain. I can't be doing with coding
them and looking things up endlessly in numerous notebooks, it interrupts
the flow of thought that happens when you study your test tiles. They are
hung on string on the end of my ceramics bookcase, immediately behind my
chair in the workshop; they take up no room and are instantly to hand when I
need them; I just swivel round in my wheelie chair. Glazes that develop and
change, (and all their different cone firing variations), and possibly
combinations with other glazes, are all on the same string and maybe next to
the string of the neighbouring clan of glazes, forming family groups. It's
easy to see the interrelation and spot potential matchmaking that could be
done in future.
Finally, they look pretty and draw students and visitors to them. They make
the prospect of doing glaze tests attractive. I say that having done well
over 200 in the last 6 months or so!
Ama, Totnes, Devon.
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