Video of the Week: John Britt Explains the Triaxial Blend
A triaxial blend is an excellent tool for learning about glazes and materials but if you’re new to glaze testing, just the words “triaxial blend” might give you pause.
Never fear! John Britt is here to demystify the triaxial blend in today’s video post. In this clip John clearly explains how a triaxial blend is set up and shows a fired example of a triaxial blend with stains, which nails the point home. – Jennifer Harnetty, editor.
Understanding Glazes
NEW RELEASE!
How to Test, Tweak, & Perfect Your Glazes with John Britt
In this all-new Ceramic Arts Daily Presents video, John Britt lets you tap into his encyclopedic knowledge of ceramic glazes to build your own understanding of this complex topic. Starting with glaze testing—because testing is key to understanding raw materials and ceramic processes—John explains various testing methods that will help you get great results quickly. On disc two, John geeks out on materials, diving into the three basic components of a glaze—fluxes, glass formers, and refractories—and how various ceramic materials fit into those categories and work together to produce myriad outcomes. With this video, you’ll be able to deepen your understanding of glaze chemistry and improve your glazes at your own pace.
Glazed and Confused? How to Mix a Color Blend and Interpret the Results
Last summer we traveled to the lovely Bakersville, North Carolina, studio of John Britt to tap into his vast knowledge of glaze chemistry for a glazing DVD. I am super stoked to announce its release today! And, I may be a bit biased, but I think it will be a fabulous resource for anyone who wants to delve deeper into glazing, but finds the subject too intimidating.
In today’s video, I am sharing a clip (and a recipe) from it. In this (much condensed) clip, John shares his simple system for mixing up a color blend and tells us what to make of the results. Have a look and then mix up your own color blend and see what you get. – Jennifer Harnetty, editor.
Line Blends: A Surefire Way to Build Your Understanding of Ceramic Glaze Materials
Let’s face it. We’ve all had glaze disasters in the kiln. From the mild disappointment of a glaze not turning out exactly the color you were hoping for to a glaze completely running off a piece and ruining a kiln shelf. That’s why it is so important to test our glazes. Line blends are a pretty simple and straightforward way of testing glazes that can yield a wealth of information. In today’s post, an excerpt from Developing Glazes, Greg Daly explains how to do a couple of line blends and shares some recipes you can try. – Jennifer Harnetty, editor.
5 Tips for Making the Most of Ceramic Glaze Testing
The best way to learn about ceramic glazes and glaze materials is to test them. By studying what happens when varying amounts of various ingredients are combined in a glaze and then fired to various temperatures, you start to understand how materials affect each other, and therefore how to troubleshoot when your results are not what you wanted. But it can be intimidating to delve into glaze chemistry. It is extremely complex, and includes the word ‘chemistry’ in its name, which to some (me included) is an immediate red flag. So in today’s post, Greg Daly gives five excellent tips for getting the most out of glaze testing. Read on, and then get out there and test!
The Potter’s Encyclopedia of Color, Form and Decoration
The possibilities are endless for today’s ceramist! Pottery can be fashioned in a variety of textures, colors, and forms. This comprehensive reference is a roadmap for the limitless shapes and forms, colors, and decorations of pottery; it is a starting point for personal exploration. Over 600 shapes and forms are extensively illustrated with indicative silhouettes and inspirational photographs. This practical reference presents a multitude of great glaze recipes and how to create them. More than 700 individual glazes are vividly displayed with complete instructions. Plus, readers will learn about ceramic decoration, such as agateware and sgraffito.
* Complete guide to shape and form, color, and decoration
* Illustrates more than 700 individual glazes with instructions for creating them
* Features photographs and illustrations of over 600 ceramic shapes and forms
Experiments in Peach Bloom: Extensive Testing Reveals Secrets of an Elusive Ceramic Glaze
When potter John Britt was approached by Lindsey Elsey, a student who was looking for a research partner on a study of Peach Bloom glazes, he gladly signed on. Six hundred test tiles later, John and Lindsey uncovered some of the secrets to developing gorgeous peach bloom surfaces. In this excerpt from the October 2010 issue of Ceramics Monthly, they share the results of their research, and a bunch of Peach Bloom glaze recipes.
What Makes a Matte Glaze Matte? A Helpful Explanation of the Chemistry Behind Matte Glazes
I looooooooooooove a matte glaze, but I have to admit, other than some very basic information, I didn’t really have a good understanding of what makes a glaze matte…that is, until I read a recent Technofile article in Ceramics Monthly. What’s Technofile, you ask? It is a terrific new department in CM in which a technical issue in ceramics is explained in depth by an expert. Today, as a sampling of the great stuff in Technofile, I am presenting an excerpt on matte glazes (on account of my deep affection for these surfaces!).
Understanding Clay and Glaze Materials: You Don’t Have to Be a Super Genius
There are probably as many kinds of clay as there are riverbanks, creekbeds, roadcuts, abandoned coal mines and backyard gullies, but most of the clays that many of us use on a regular basis are commercially mined.
Cone 6 Crystalline Glazes: The Secrets to Developing Crystals at Mid Range
Today, in an excerpt from our new free download Making the Switch from Cone 10 to Cone 6 Ceramic Glaze Recipes: A Little Knowledge of Ceramic Glaze Chemistry and Raw Materials Goes a Long Way,
Bill Schran shares the secrets to getting great crystalline surfaces at the cone 6 firing temperature.
