Audrey porcelain

[Nicky S]

Wondering if anyone would / could help me I am new to pottery Until now I have been working with earthenware( on the wheel ) When using stains I mixed with a slip recipe and apply to green ware But now I would like to try porcelain How do I apply the stain ?Do I need to use slip mixed with stain ( someone suggested I just apply a little water mixed with stain ONLY and  use only on  bisque fired ) but I am looking to do Sgraffito too Would appreciate any help Happy New Year

Thankyou Nicky

[GEP]

(I moved this topic to the Clay and Glaze section)

[High Bridge Pottery]

I would do exactly the same thing you did with earthenware, might need to adjust the percentage of stain a little. Whatever works, just using stain and water can also work. 

[Nicky S]

8 hours ago, High Bridge Pottery said:

I would do exactly the same thing you did with earthenware, might need to adjust the percentage of stain a little. Whatever works, just using stain and water can also work. 

@High Bridge Pottery Thank you for your response But one ( more) question

What slip would I use and how to make ?

nicky 

 

[oldlady]

porcelain is usually white so if you simply use the porcelain itself with stain added you will get the best bond with little trouble.  the easy way to make any slip is to dry out some of the raw clay, whatever kind it is, and once it is totally dry, add water to make a liquid.  mix it with a blender, stick or regular so it becomes totally smooth.  add color via stain and test for color after firing.  a variety of thickness will allow you to do many different things.

you say you are new at all this and you need to know that you are stepping off the edge of comfortable into the unknown but exciting world of experimenting.  there are lots of posts about making ware with scraffito decoration and you have probably seen many examples on pinterest or other social media sites.  have a lot of fun with it all.

[High Bridge Pottery]

Using the porcelain is the easiest option, what slip recipe do you use?

[Nicky S]

On 12/28/2017 at 8:03 PM, High Bridge Pottery said:

Using the porcelain is the easiest option, what slip recipe do you use?

Thought I would try making a slip from the same clay body (???) as suggested by old lady and test a few tiles just with water too 

thou@oldlady....Thank u for advice..... Yes it is a “whole new world “ and to be honest find very “ daunting” but exciting and challenging at the same time!!!( Trying ) to  be self taught I  think  makes it even more over whelming But  consider it very good therapy too Thank goodness for social media as u said and to ceramics daily and to anyone who might be able to help 

Thankyou ( off to make some slip ) 

On 12/28/2017 at 8:03 PM, High Bridge Pottery said:

Using the porcelain is the easiest option, what slip recipe do you use?

 

On 12/28/2017 at 8:03 PM, High Bridge Pottery said:

Using the porcelain is the easiest option, what slip recipe do you use?

Seem to have some difficulty posting here but will give it another try Have made a few porcelain bowls etc that are now ready to be bisque fired Have used both porcelain slip with stain and just watered down stain( messier)  My question now is do I stack kiln as I would earthenware ( ie pieces ontop of each other ) Porcelain seems  much more fragile I was also taught( one lesson)  to wipe all bowls off with water& vinegar using the rough side of a sponge Surely this does not apply on porcelain (??)Thankyou ...Nicky 

[oldlady]

nicky, you have been taught something i have never heard of.  my immediate response is "why do i do this?".  three questions, what is the "rough" side of a sponge, what is the reason for wiping with water and vinegar mixed and when are you supposed to do this wiping?  there are times to do something similar but not at the stage you are talking about.

if the firing is to a low bisque temperature, why would you not stack items?  assuming the lower item can bear the weight of the top one(s).  

[Nicky S]

On bone dry before bisque firing “green” side of sponge wipe down all pieces with water and vinegar that was what my ( one lesson ) taught me Answer was so that the glaze would stick better ( as I said I’m new to this ) I’ve only glazed once so don’t really know the difference (???) At what stage would you use this technique? ( just out of interest ) Going back to porcelain bisque so I can stack obviously taking into account weights etc ( it’s just I’ve read a lot about porcelain cracking .... so just want to avoid a whole kiln load ) 

 

[High Bridge Pottery]

There isn't really an answer as to can you stack them, the only way to find out is to stack them and see if it works. I have stacked porcelain items successfully for bisque.

 

Never heard anything about water and vinegar especially before they have been bisque, only know of people rinsing bisque to wash off any dust and nothing about vinegar. Seems a strange thing to do and I doubt it helps in any way with glaze sticking.

[oldlady]

nicky, i think the teacher was trying to explain more than you were ready for.  if you can contact that teacher and ask if you got it wrong, perhaps you will find out more.  do not stop asking questions until you are sure you understand the process and the reason.  if it doesn't sound logical keep asking "why?".

[Chilly]

On 1/3/2018 at 5:51 PM, Nicky S said:

 

 My question now is do I stack kiln as I would earthenware ( ie pieces ontop of each other ) Porcelain seems  much more fragile 

 

Porcelain can be stacked or tumble-stacked

[glazenerd]

On January 3, 2018 at 10:36 AM, Nicky S said:

On bone dry before bisque firing “green” side of sponge wipe down all pieces with water and vinegar that was what my ( one lesson ) taught me Answer was so that the glaze would stick better ( as I said I’m new to this ) I’ve only glazed once so don’t really know the difference (???) At what stage would you use this technique? ( just out of interest ) Going back to porcelain bisque so I can stack obviously taking into account weights etc ( it’s just I’ve read a lot about porcelain cracking .... so just want to avoid a whole kiln load ) 

 

Cracking during bisq firing is most commonly associated with the quartz inversion temperature. At 573 C, the clay goes through a molecular earthquake as  it changes from alpha to beta quartz. That is the techno blather; in application when you fire large pieces such as platters or pieces with weight; if heated too fast during this specific temperature, they can crack or split. If you are firing smaller pieces such as cups; much less problematic.  So your reference to cracking is a separate issue, and yes porcelain is more susceptible to quartz inversion than other clay bodies.

there are several topics already posted: "quartz inversion" is one. Another was called "large platter splitting". 

Nerd