Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Hi, I have been making bonsai type plant pots for a few weeks now. I buy the clay, make them at home, and then take them to a pottery place where they fire for me. Since these pots are formy collection of cactus and succulents, I want them to look rough and match the plant so I am not doing the typical perfectly round pot. I have been trying sodium silicate to create a cracked look and the results have been excellent. I am very happy with my results before glazing. I purchased some Coyote Shino glazes as they seemed to create the look I want, which is darker coloring in all the cracks and crevices with slightly lighter coloring on the surface.I glazed 6 pots using various Shino glazes but the results were not what I was hoping for. Mostly just came out solid coloring everywhere on the pots. The owner of the shop that did the firing said I have to put the glaze on heavier where I want it darker andlighter where I want the color lighter. Does this sound right? Should I put it on heavy so it gets in all the cracks and then lightly wipe off the surface? Any help is appreciated. The picture I attached is of the glaze look I am trying to create. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 I really like the pot in the photo. And yes, I would suggest doing as you stated, put the glaze on thick, then sponge off the areas you want to be lighter, similar to using mason stains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Thank you for the reply. I will try that on the next few pots. This is a picture of one I made but have not glazed yet. I like the way it came out so do not want to glaze it until I understand better how to get the look I want. The 2nd picture is one I did glaze but as you can see very little contrast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Poroan, You have got the cracking nicely under control. Do you mind telling us the strength of the sodium silicate solution you use? You may me interested in combining the sodium silicate with slip, as in this video: ... and at: http://tinyurl.com/yb52tvh Regards, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 You can also get this effect before glazing by using a red iron oxide wash ... Paint it on and wipe it off the flat surfaces, leaving most behind in the cracks. Or you could use underglaze the same way by letting it dry in the cracks while washing off the main surface. Let it dry then add more or wash more off depending on the look you want. Black underglaze works well because if you don't like the look you can usually soak and scrub it all off. Avoid blue or green because they tend to stain the clay more than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Peter, I am embarrassed to say I have no idea what strength the sodium silicate is. I just purchased a small container of it at the clay store. I put it on the pot with a brush and where I wanted larger cracks I put it on thicker. Great video! Chris, After you put on the oxide wash and wiping it off can you then put one of the shino glazes on the surface areas? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Poroan, How viscous is the sodium silicate to bought; treacle, maple-syrup, .... ? [i want to say golden-syrup but that may be a UK-only product.] Yes, you can put a glaze over a wiped oxide wash. If it bleeds into the glaze too much, you might want to go for a wash with a less-reactive (and more expensive) stain. Regards, Peter You might also like: ... skip to near the end of the video to see if you like the effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Yes, I do like the look in this video also. I would say the silicate I have is about the same density as maple syrup, maybe a tad thiner. The inspiration for my trying to make these pots for my plant collection came from seeing these pots by a talented man in CA. If I can do this half as good as him I will be thrilled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 These are a few more I made awaiting glazing. I do not want to glaze them until I have more confidence in what I am doing. I hate to ruin them with improper glazing but will try to get some oxide and give it a try. I appreciate all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venicemud Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Really nice looking pots. To return to your original question re thickness of glaze, I would disagree with the advice you received - toput the glaze on thicker where you want it to be dark. I use Coyote Shinos quite a bit and all give you brown where thin and a lighter color(depending on the Shino you are using) where thick. Although my experience is more limited with high fire reduction Shinos all that I have tried give the same effect i.e. dark where thin, lighter where thick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Well if that is accurate then it will be a much bigger challenge. Getting it thick in the cracks and wiping the surface seems pretty easy but the opposite seems much harder. I think it would be almost impossible to get it thicker on the surface without it entering all the tiny cracks. I will be firing at cone 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 "Chris, After you put on the oxide wash and wiping it off can you then put one of the shino glazes on the surface areas?" Sorry I don't know anything about using shino glazes and its interactions with oxides ... but I do know that you can control your effects to a precise extent by using the washes and underglazes. I have used regular glazes and lichen type glazes over them with no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 The suggested washes correspond to suggestion 38 in this "things to do with shino" list http://tinyurl.com/q4fja5 For the record your description of the sodium silicate viscosity suggests that it is probably 75 degrees twaddell. [in the UK potters sodium silicate solution is sold in two strengths 75TW and 140TW, with 75TW being the more fluid. Degrees twaddell is a massively obscure scale for measuring density. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twaddell_scale ... although to be fair to the original users it would have been easier to use for density calculations in the days before pocket calculators.] Regards, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Puckett Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 I have also dry-brushed glaze and oxides onto pots like this. If you use a wide, flat brush and do not saturate it, you can easily lightly brush glaze/oxide onto the outermost clay, leaving the cracks bare clay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Peter, Thanks for the reply but the link for the shino list is not good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Thanks Diane, The look I am trying to accomplish is dark in the cracks and lighter, although not what I would call light, on the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Poroan: Peter, Thanks for the reply but the link for the shino list is not good. Ooops, try http://tinyurl.com/q4fja59 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 I noticed on one of the web sites where I purchased some glaze that they sell a number of different oxide washes such as copper, manganese, cobalt, etc. Would all of these work as the first coat to fill in the cracks and then try different glazes on top? I have about 25 pots waiting to be fired for the first time at the local clay shop here and decided I worked too hard on them to ruin them by messing up the glaze. I spent the afternoon making small clay rectangles, added texture to them, numbered each one on the back, and then added some sodium silicate to just the upper half of each one to form cracks. I will take these in to be fired and then try the various shino glazes and oxide washes on them as test pieces. Then I will have them to pick and choose the one's I like for the actual pots. I greatly appreciate everyone's input and will let you know how things turn out. Now I have to start reading all the various posts on this site and hopefully gain some more knowledge on my new addiction! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 I love this technique. I have been using it with obvara because the texture works so well with the process.I will be demonstrating this in Minneapolis at the potters Council Conference. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Wow Marcia, just beautiful! Since I live a long way from MN can you explain this process? What is obvara? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 I just looked up the obvara firing. very interesting but a little too advanced still for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Here is the thread from the topic aesthetics. There are three. You tubes on there about the firing. the recipe is also there in the discussion. It is one of the most simple techniques I have ever done. no glaze, no smoke. Things happen before your eyes. It is a potter/pyro perfect experience. Am having trouble pasting the link. Go to Obvara firing techniques under the topic Aesthetics in the Forum. http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/topic/4635-obvara-firing-technique/ Did it! Go to this link. Up in Smoke has been doing a lot of this too. marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bciskepottery Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Couple of ideas for you . . . You could start with a clay body that fires dark brown or black, apply a white slip to the outside, then apply your sodium silicate and stretch the form. That would give you the dark clay showing in the exposed cracks and white on the surface. I think if you look closely at the first picture of the pots that you cited as inspiration, that is what the potter may have done. For final firing, you could forego glazing altogether and just apply a wash of soda ash or ferro frit to give a sheen to the surface. Another approach, as suggested by Chris, would be to apply a red iron oxide or black iron oxide wash to the pot after it was thrown, then clean the oxide wash off the smooth surfaces. Bisque fire -- that seals the oxide wash better to the clay body. Again, I would forego the glazing and just apply a soda ash wash or ferro frit wash to give the surface some sheen. I use a combination of white slip, rutile wash (rutile in some water), and black underglaze to create a surface texture for some of my vases. I apply the slip and colorants to the clay while building the forms, then bisque. For glazing, I leave the exterior plain and just let it fire naturally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paroan Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 So are you saying to apply the oxide wash once the pot dries but before it is fired the first time? I did not realize you can apply these before firing. I know you are saying to forgo any type of glaze after that but I do prefer to be able to create various color effects. I could try it both ways to see what I prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bciskepottery Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 You can apply an oxide wash at various times . . . wet clay, leatherhard, dry greenware, or to bisque. When working with slips, I prefer to apply them at the wet stage and develop the patterns, texture and effect using brushes, sponges, and other tools and overlapping and blending the colorants and slip. But you could apply them to your bisque if that is the stage the pots are in. You can get your color effects just using the oxide washes, or underglaze washes; you don't need to depend on glazes for adding color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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