Nancy B on sat 22 jul 06
Hi Everyone! I am new to the list even though I have been reading some of
it and searching.
I have just almost finished setting up my studio in my garage. I have 2
kilns and 2 wheels (am looking to invest in 2 more wheels for students if
anyone in the upstate NY area knows where I can get a couple for not a lot
of additional money).
I have done 4 glaze firings on my Cone 6 bisque (yep I overfired). I dipped
the first pieces and painted some on and all I can say
is...ewww...gross...smash em up and ruined 3 shelves in the process. I then
sprayed the glaze on the rest and have had much better results, no running
glaze and with my last firing the glaze was even better. I figured it this
way, if I was going to test my spraying skills, better to test it on bisque
that was overfired.
I am using commercial glazes and have found 2 that are truly gorgeous being
sprayed lightly (for spraying). But I am looking to spray all my pieces for
now. Does anyone have any tips to help me get better coverage? I have a
handmade spraying booth and there is a turntable in it and I think my
coverage is good, (I do 2 coats on each piece) but after I fire it, it's not
applied heavy enough.
Also I am looking for a couple of glaze recipes if anyone can help. They are
Warren's Green
Toby Red
Runny Honey
Floating Blue Green
Plum
Thanks and happy potting!
Nancy
Hilltop Pottery
William & Susan Schran User on sun 23 jul 06
On 7/22/06 9:21 PM, "Nancy B" wrote:
> I figured it this
> way, if I was going to test my spraying skills, better to test it on bisque
> that was overfired.
Problem is that your over-fired bisque ware is not absorbing water from the
glaze, whether dipped, poured or sprayed, so you aren't going to get a very
good sense of the coverage you'll get when applying glaze to ware fired to a
bisque temperature that allows the clay body to remain porous.
If you continue to apply your glazes by spraying, I'd suggest a lighter
application towards the bottom, going thicker as you move to the top of the
pot.
You will find each glaze will be different depending on thickness of
application and finding the correct thickness will be a matter of testing.
Develop a palette of glazes and application thickness for each before you
start bringing in students, otherwise you're setting yourself up for some
major meltdowns in your kiln.
I would imagine most of the glazes you are seeking can be found by doing a
search of the archives.
-- William "Bill" Schran
Fredericksburg, Virginia
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
Christie Huff on mon 24 jul 06
Nancy,
We spray most of our glazes too, and I can tell you if you're just
starting out with this method of glazing it's going to take some practice
to get something you're satisfied with. Glazes are different, so you can't
expect 2 coats to work on every glaze. If you're not happy with the
finished piece, next time try 3 coats or 4 an see what you get. Just be
sure to go light around the bottom if you're having a running problem. I
use glazes where a light spraying turns out perfectly, but on others it
needs to go pretty heavy. Also, to me it's not just about coverage....what
I mean is - what is the glaze supposed to do? Is it a variegated or
mottled glaze, is it supposed to be speckled or streaked, etc? An example
from my own personal experience involves Waterfall Brown from the MC6
book. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this glaze, but it took FOREVER for me to get it
right! I followed the recipe correctly, sprayed my first pieces with it
(lightly) and when they came out....they had good overall "coverage". No
bare spots or anything, BUT it was the ugliest, dullest, orangey/brown I'd
ever seen! I tried again- went heavier- it turned out beautiful (after I
chiseled it off my kiln shelf!) After that - I knew how heavy to go to get
the right look, but I have to be careful around the bottoms to go a little
lighter so it doesn't run off on my shelves. Now, every piece I use this
color on turns out beautiful - but I trashed alot of pieces getting there!
My advice is - until you get it right, make some test tiles or discs or
some other small pieces to practice your glazing on. Don't waste a good
piece of pottery on a glaze you're unsure about!
Good Luck!
Christie Huff
Carrollton, MS
www.arpottery.com
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