[terraforma]

(please note - I don't know how to create a table for the info below - HTML, tabs, or spaces don't work. Any help??)

Right now, my only option is Cone 10 reduction firing. I want to use colored slips and colored porcelain clay in my work, and have tested several colors of mason stains, with varying and mostly disappointing results. After countless emails with Mason techs, they finally admitted that they have no idea of how their stains work with Cone 10 reduction, because they have never tested this themselves!

This would be the perfect forum for compiling and sharing our own testing/experiments/successes/failures with Mason and other stains specifically for cone 10 reduction. My proposal for submittals: include the clay type, stain brand(s), ratios of dry stain to dry clay and/or other dry ingredients, details of firing (hot cone 10? long or slow soak? anything you can provide) and, of course, a good quality picture of the test samples.

Here is my less-than-scholarly opening offer: (sorry - pix to be uploaded when I fetch my test tiles on Monday...)

All tests with Dave's Porcelain, medium ^10 reduction, Mason stains (% is stain-to-clay ratio

No. Stain # _ % Results/Comments
1 6236 5 Poor - should be chartreuse
2 6374 5 fair - should be turquoise, not just blue
3 6364 5 poor - should be turquoise
4 6024 3 poor - should be orange
5 6027 3 poor - should be tangerine
6 6088 3 poor - should be red
7 6211 3 poor - should be pea green
8 6315 5 fair
9 6315 20 fair/good
10 K5593 20 fair/poor - trying for orange
11 6600 50 Good - would be better if the black was richer and denser

The following are mix tests, Dave's Porcelain, medium ^10 reduction, Mason stains

No. parts results/comments
12 clay 200 poor - trying again for that elusive chartreuse
6315 30
6410 120

13 clay 100 Fair - trying to achieve a nice olive green but finally gave up. Green generally doesn't seem to withstand ^10 reduction
K5593 12
6434 6
6315 11
6600 4
6410 13.8<br style="">

[xxokiexxdokie]

Thank You this post it really help!

[neilestrick]

That's consistent with any tests I've tried. Mason stains are mostly poor, sometimes fair in reduction. Come to cone 6.....