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In Topic: Recommended Glazes
Posted 18 May 2013
OffCenter, on 17 May 2013 - 08:43 AM, said:Benzine, on 16 May 2013 - 11:10 PM, said:OffCenter, on 16 May 2013 - 09:49 PM, said:Brittany, on 16 May 2013 - 08:49 PM, said:OffCenter, on 16 May 2013 - 06:13 PM, said:Brittany, on 16 May 2013 - 06:02 PM, said:Today I finished my first batch of pots for this month, but realized that the glazes are not a good match for the type of clay I am using. I use the red clay from Georgia, which just happens to be a bit coarse. It also just happens to be darkening the glazes and changing th outcomes of the pieces. Any suggestions on good types of glazes(store bought) for Georgian clay and good methods of applying the glazes evenly?
Thanks-
Brittany
What you call "Georgian clay" is most likely Lizella Clay (aka Lizella Red). It's a beautiful clay but it will leak no matter how high you fire it or how many glazes you put on it. It should never be used for anything expected to hold liquids. It looks good fired to earthenware temps and takes low fire glazes well but is weak and really leaks badly at low temps. It should be fired to cone 6 but will still leak (but slowly) unless you add lots of Neph Sy to it. It should be bisqued high (~04+) because it has lots of impurities in it (dug from a swamp a few miles from my house) that will gas off during the glaze firing and ruin the glaze if the organics have not been burned off completely during the bisque. It's hard to find a glaze that works well on it because of the high iron content. Use an opaque glaze that can be applied thick without running. The holder in the cup & holder in this picture is Lizella Red. http://ceramicartsda...wimage&img=2584
Jim
What clay would you recommend for a beginner interested in making pieces that may hold water, but is low-fire ( cone 05-06)?
I'd recommend that if you intend to make pots that hold liquids that you fire higher. Any clay properly formulated for cone 6 should not leak at all even with no glaze on it. There are lots of good cone 6 clays from translucent porcelain to rich red-browns to black. And you will find plenty of beautiful glazes in that range. If you decide to to do low-fire, then I think you have to depend on glazes that fit the clay body so well that the leaking is almost eliminated so that a mug works as long as it is not left on a grand piano overnight. But, somebody else can probably address that better than me because, even though I love the majolica work of low-fire potters like Linda Arbuckle and Jill Manos, I've never done it and don't know how they seal majolica that holds liquids.
Jim
Jim, whenever the discussion revolves around making usable wares, that hold water, you always mention the grand piano thing. Is there a back story, or are you just going on the assumption, that everyone owns a grand piano.....I mean I do, but that's just because I'm well to do.....*Polishes monocle*
Sorry to disappoint but there is no back story except that I am shocked by how many potters (not just beginners) make leaking pots. Sure they leak very slowly because the liquid has to seep through microscopic crackle in the glaze and then through a clay body that is almost mature, but such a vase left long enough on a grand pi.... Louis XIV commode will leak. The first thing any potter should do when they start working with a new clay is do a leak test.
Now, since I don't know what you look like, I keep seeing that pupil-less avatar or yours polishing a monocle.
Jim
Dang, I was hoping there was some, in depth story. Like how, you mistakenly sold someone, a leaky ware, and they ended up being some shady, ruthless figure, who has since hunted you across the ends of the Earth. And this would also explain, why you keep changing your avatar, as an attempt to stay incognito.....and also, why you'd choose to live in Georgia....... -
In Topic: Recommended Glazes
Posted 16 May 2013
OffCenter, on 16 May 2013 - 09:49 PM, said:Brittany, on 16 May 2013 - 08:49 PM, said:OffCenter, on 16 May 2013 - 06:13 PM, said:Brittany, on 16 May 2013 - 06:02 PM, said:Today I finished my first batch of pots for this month, but realized that the glazes are not a good match for the type of clay I am using. I use the red clay from Georgia, which just happens to be a bit coarse. It also just happens to be darkening the glazes and changing th outcomes of the pieces. Any suggestions on good types of glazes(store bought) for Georgian clay and good methods of applying the glazes evenly?
Thanks-
Brittany
What you call "Georgian clay" is most likely Lizella Clay (aka Lizella Red). It's a beautiful clay but it will leak no matter how high you fire it or how many glazes you put on it. It should never be used for anything expected to hold liquids. It looks good fired to earthenware temps and takes low fire glazes well but is weak and really leaks badly at low temps. It should be fired to cone 6 but will still leak (but slowly) unless you add lots of Neph Sy to it. It should be bisqued high (~04+) because it has lots of impurities in it (dug from a swamp a few miles from my house) that will gas off during the glaze firing and ruin the glaze if the organics have not been burned off completely during the bisque. It's hard to find a glaze that works well on it because of the high iron content. Use an opaque glaze that can be applied thick without running. The holder in the cup & holder in this picture is Lizella Red. http://ceramicartsda...wimage&img=2584
Jim
What clay would you recommend for a beginner interested in making pieces that may hold water, but is low-fire ( cone 05-06)?
I'd recommend that if you intend to make pots that hold liquids that you fire higher. Any clay properly formulated for cone 6 should not leak at all even with no glaze on it. There are lots of good cone 6 clays from translucent porcelain to rich red-browns to black. And you will find plenty of beautiful glazes in that range. If you decide to to do low-fire, then I think you have to depend on glazes that fit the clay body so well that the leaking is almost eliminated so that a mug works as long as it is not left on a grand piano overnight. But, somebody else can probably address that better than me because, even though I love the majolica work of low-fire potters like Linda Arbuckle and Jill Manos, I've never done it and don't know how they seal majolica that holds liquids.
Jim
Jim, whenever the discussion revolves around making usable wares, that hold water, you always mention the grand piano thing. Is there a back story, or are you just going on the assumption, that everyone owns a grand piano.....I mean I do, but that's just because I'm well to do.....*Polishes monocle* -
In Topic: Wax On, Wax Off,
Posted 15 May 2013
neilestrick, on 15 May 2013 - 09:24 AM, said:The wax sold by Ceramic Supply NY/NJ and Ceramic Supply Chicago washes out clean with cold water. Never gums up. For your second pour, water down the glaze a bit more. It will run off the waxed areas better.
Watering down the glaze, for the second coat, make sense. I'll give it a shot. -
In Topic: Wax On, Wax Off,
Posted 14 May 2013
Thank you all, for the suggestions. I like the sponge brush idea. I'll have to give that a whirl. But water soluble wax resist? That sounds like the type of black magic that gave the art world, water soluble oil paints.
I buy my wax resist from my clay supplier, Continental Clay. The resist looks light green, like those Shamrock Shakes, McDonald's sells around St. Patrick's Day.
I have tried to use Q-tips to remove the beads, but I can never get all of them, especially with my more intricate designs.
In regards to clumping, it's not the wax resist, that I have a problem with. That always stays nice a smooth. It's the latex resist, from the same company, that I had an issue with. When it was new, it worked great. But as time went on, it started to clump together in the bottle, despite, being completely sealed. -
In Topic: crazing, always bad?
Posted 12 May 2013
Chris Campbell, on 12 May 2013 - 11:26 AM, said:The crazing question always runs in a circle with no good answer. I have read that crazed areas are too small for bacteria to grow ... Even bacteria need space. I have read that this crazing harbors all sorts of awful stuff. What I believe is you are probably 1,000 times more likely to get sick from the food than from the plate it is on.
Not only that, but you are also probably, more likely to get sick, from the hands you use to prepare and eat the food as well.
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TJR
10 Jan 2013 - 10:28I'm going to put you in as my friend, since we have so much in common as to high school arts education. Tom Roberts, high school art teacher.