Jump to content

First Glaze Firing


Guest

Recommended Posts

Some success, some failures, overall I'm happy considering I never loaded or even seen a klin in operation.

 

I have a lot to learn, especially with glazes, more than I thought.

 

post-80153-0-97630500-1483907874_thumb.jpg post-80153-0-37080700-1483908010_thumb.jpg

Still working on this form, I like it but I know I can do better. The glaze is horrible IMO, not at all what I expected.

 

 

post-80153-0-80848200-1483908069_thumb.jpg

I didn't like this form before I bisque fired it and was going to recycled it. My wife convinced me to run it through the process and I'm glad I did. It looks better with the glaze.

 

post-80153-0-90686000-1483908196_thumb.jpg

Teaspoon holder with glass, I made a bunch of theses and this is the only one left after Christmas. Family and friends grab then up quickly. I had to hide this one because I want to see if the glass stays in.

 

post-80153-0-14851800-1483908343_thumb.jpg

Glaze is not shinny, I'm thinking I may not have brush on enough glaze since. Coyote Sandstone

 

post-80153-0-90614300-1483908455_thumb.jpg

Another one that I didn't glaze properly, I only brush on two coats and I should have listen to mywige when she told me to brush on at least 4. Coyote Oxblood.

 

Opinions we be graciously accepted (I have a thick skin)

 

Thank you for looking

post-80153-0-97630500-1483907874_thumb.jpg

post-80153-0-37080700-1483908010_thumb.jpg

post-80153-0-80848200-1483908069_thumb.jpg

post-80153-0-90686000-1483908196_thumb.jpg

post-80153-0-14851800-1483908343_thumb.jpg

post-80153-0-90614300-1483908455_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some success, some failures, overall I'm happy considering I never loaded or even seen a klin in operation.

 

I have a lot to learn, especially with glazes, more than I thought.

 

I use commercial glazes. In my experience getting ANY glaze right is trickier and takes more time (for me, years) than making pottery correctly. 

 

I have been making pottery for five years this month. The first three it was a hobby and since then it has become a business. In July or August of this year (4.5 years in, and dozens of kiln loads) I realized it was the very first time that I opened a kiln and found that every single item had come out well, no glaze flaws, nothing unexpected. 

 

Part of it is just getting to know your glazes. For example, that one glaze that came out matte. Next time you'll experiment with more coats, I'm sure. I have glazes that I like at two coats, others that need four or five. I have some glazes that are so different between coats that I actually use them for totally different colors. You'll get it figured out. Just look at your work as impartially as you can, figure out WHAT you don't like and then work on figuring out WHY it didn't look the way you wanted, finally come up with HOW you're going to get closer to those results. I have one glaze that I have given up using because it bubbles on everything. But my friend uses it and in her kiln it's perfect every time. So that can affect things too. It's kind of crazy how many variables there are in pottery. 

 

I have learned more from each mistake than I learn when everything goes as planned. Hang in there. It gets better and it's worth the effort. :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

congratulations. They look good. The spoon holder could be a time bomb as the glass changes. I had a student put glass inside a tall cylinder. he said weeks after it fired , the piece shattered.

If the glass is really thick, the difference in the expansion and contraction can cause a major rift.

 

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice!

 

One thing I will say (and have in previous threads) is I was intrigued by mixing glass and clay and checked with the major art glass supplier, spectrum. They said in no uncertain terms that the two are not compatible and will fail eventually. They stressed would not could. They strongly discourage doing this and said it is unsafe. The glass will either fall out or chip out with time and will be dangerous for however its being used. They said they have tried telling people that post how to instructions online but yet they persist. I really wouldn't do it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations, I was where you are not too long ago.  Small beginnings, but it's a great confidence booster to get your first firing done.

 

Keep a kiln log and logs of what glazes you use and how you apply them. Experiment, but only vary one thing at a time so you can work out what's going on.  Put test tiles in every firing. Most of all have fun and good luck!

 

Joe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We used to call it broken windshield back in the 70's. I would agree that failure is the long term option.Melted glass and ceramics in my 40 years has never held up. Yes its done all the time. Lets see what happens over time. The broken windshield has usually started to weep then it comes apart in that order.

That coaster business to me is a accident waiting to happen. Just put a hot or cold glass on them  over time. I doubt over the years they stay stable. Maybe they have done extensive testing and have found the sweet spot of durability. I just hope they have the liability to make sure that survive the long run.If I had more time i would buy one from that etsy site and test it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oooh Ronsa i love all the depth. 

 

welcome to a whole new world.

 

but you couldnt be in better company so you can only come out a winner. 

 

its so exciting to see all of the bisques glazed. i was trying to guess what you would do. (its a game i like to play).

 

are they ^5/6 electric?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone for your comments

 

GiselleNo5

Good Advice, half the fun is experimenting and learning what works and doesn't

 

Marcia, Stephen and Mark

Thanks for the heads up about the glass. I had considered that there might be different expansion rates between the two. The glass is somewhere between 1/16" to 1/8" thick with a sharp taper towards the bottom.

 

Marcia

When you say time bomb do you mean explosive or will it just pop out?

 

I have a ceramic tea infuser spoon holder that I've had for at least 8 years with glass on the bottom. I use it almost daily and its been in the dishwasher 100s of times. Is placing glass on the bottom like playing Russian Roulette, sometimes you are lucky?

 

Joe

Yes, I do log everything until I know what I don't need to know. As I get older I forget what I don't need to know and its nice to have some type of reference to fall back on.

 

preeta

Yes they are ^5/6 electric with a homemade down draft system that worked out well. Not a whiff of odor and the temperature maxed out at 120°F just before the fan. It cost me $40US to build and about 10 hours to figure out how to build it so I guess I broke out even on that one. But I had fun making it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Marcia, Stephen and Mark

Thanks for the heads up about the glass. I had considered that there might be different expansion rates between the two. The glass is somewhere between 1/16" to 1/8" thick with a sharp taper towards the bottom.

 

Marcia

When you say time bomb do you mean explosive or will it just pop out?

 

 

 

Explosive.  Glaze that doesn't fit can shiver off the clay.  Glass can literally explode.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow ronsa you built an electric kiln? wow. in my limited reading i've always come across people building gas and wood kilns. never an electric. certainly $40 didnt cover your materials cost did it? wouldnt just the elements be expensive or did you recycle some. this is fascinating. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

also this glass conversation is totally confusing me. 

 

i see what you all are refering to are bowls or coasters (essentially horizontal) glass coatings.

 

what about traditional north carolina potteries. those crocks and face jars which have glass on the outside. mark hewitt stuff.  i have notced he uses glass even on the outside of his regular everyday mugs. 

 

i hope to see them one day.

 

but those jugs have survived at least a century. the traditional ones. did the glass fall off of them? or maybe they became 'museum' pieces and so wasnt used regularly and therefore the glass survived. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No down draft in my Weber BBQ, I want the smoke to stay inside the grill as long as possible.

 

I fire my pizza in my BBQ with a couple of chucks of oak @ ^024/^023 reduction without a sitter even.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

preeta, ron built a downdraft vent arrangement to take the gasses out of his kiln during firing.

 

the glass discussion is about putting glass on a flat interior surface.  very bad.  the glass bits on the exterior of very old pots was not imprisoned inside constricting walls.  i am sure that is a small part of what makes using it  on interiors so bad.  the old potters just wanted some runs down the outside of their jugs for interest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

also this glass conversation is totally confusing me. 

 

i see what you all are refering to are bowls or coasters (essentially horizontal) glass coatings.

 

what about traditional north carolina potteries. those crocks and face jars which have glass on the outside. mark hewitt stuff.  i have notced he uses glass even on the outside of his regular everyday mugs. 

 

i hope to see them one day.

 

but those jugs have survived at least a century. the traditional ones. did the glass fall off of them? or maybe they became 'museum' pieces and so wasnt used regularly and therefore the glass survived. 

 

I often wonder whether the words glass and glaze have changed over time, and through translation.  I often see videos of potters in non-English-speaking-countries refer to applying "ground glass" to their pots.  Who knows what they are actually applying.  If you google "glass and glaze" you get a whole list of glazing companies - no not people who apply glaze to clay, but those who install glass into window frames.

 

I think this idea that you can apply glass to clay and it's OK, is a historic language issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you oldlady. an interesting fact i learnt when reading mark hewitts book on the NC potters, some used glass to fix the cracks on the handles. 

 

chilly now you bring up a whole different aspect of the conversation. 

 

for the middle east region (like that video posted from the BBC) i literally accepted glass as ground glass just because of the importance of glass historically there, plus from my own cultural background. as a child in india i mixed ground glass mixed in egg to the string which we used for kite fights. 

 

'ground glass' i dont really mind. glass or silica or sand. interchangeable.

 

but when you melt 'chunks' of glass on pots that's when i get interested. what i am discovering here i guess is the thinness of application. vertical drip is different than thick horizontal layer.

 

i remember  seeing a potter gather beads of glaze from her (i think) kiln and use them on her pots. she found errant beads which looked like glass beads. if i remember its on vertical surfaces. very successfully. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you oldlady. an interesting fact i learnt when reading mark hewitts book on the NC potters, some used glass to fix the cracks on the handles. 

 

chilly now you bring up a whole different aspect of the conversation. 

 

for the middle east region (like that video posted from the BBC) i literally accepted glass as ground glass just because of the importance of glass historically there, plus from my own cultural background. as a child in india i mixed ground glass mixed in egg to the string which we used for kite fights. 

 

'ground glass' i dont really mind. glass or silica or sand. interchangeable.

 

but when you melt 'chunks' of glass on pots that's when i get interested. what i am discovering here i guess is the thinness of application. vertical drip is different than thick horizontal layer.

 

i remember  seeing a potter gather beads of glaze from her (i think) kiln and use them on her pots. she found errant beads which looked like glass beads. if i remember its on vertical surfaces. very successfully. 

It does look cool and it does appear to work but glass and clay are not compatible. Spectrum said in no uncertain terms that it is not a question of if it will fail, it is a question of when it will fail and there's a very good chance someone will be using the pot in some fashion when it does. Spectrum is one of the largest art glass suppliers to glass blowers and glass fusing artist with every incentive to sell glass glass to potters and I can not imagine why they would not embrace the market if it was safe to do so. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

attachicon.gifPot6 (800 x 794).jpg

Another one that I didn't glaze properly, I only brush on two coats and I should have listen to mywige when she told me to brush on at least 4. Coyote Oxblood.

 

Huh - I really like that glaze - it looks like the Milky Way to me.  I guess if it's not what you expected then it's not so enjoyable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.