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Min

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  1. Like
    Min got a reaction from Kelly in AK in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    I've altered the Studio White to remove the Gerstley Borate and supply the boron with frits instead. I've also removed the Minspar 200, I did this because I wanted to get some clay into the recipe and the original only had 2 bentonite and zero epk, most of the sodium and potassium is now supplied by a frit. I replaced the calcium carbonate / whiting with wollastonite for two reasons, firstly it melts better than whiting + silica and secondly it has less loss on ignition. I kept the oxides the same in the formula, they are just being supplied from different materials. My hunch is it will melt more than the original. Kept the same flux ratio and reduced the LOI. Because of all the frit this glaze should have 2 main melting zones, lower temp for the frits to get started melting and then higher temp for the zinc. (put the epk in your mixing container first so the frits don't just stick to the bottom)
    For the Wollastonite Clear I used 3 frits, I kept the boron level high. I wanted to reduce the silica and alumina amounts plus raise the silica above a 1:10 alumina : silica ratio. I reduced the sodium and potassium and increased the magnesium. By reducing the alumina and silica this version should be more fluid than the original, it did raise the COE slightly though.
    Overall the Wollastonite Clear should make a more durable glaze than the Studio White. I didn't add tin to any of the recipes, wanted to see the numbers without it. (use 325 mesh silica) Please ask if you have any questions about why I subbed what I did if you are unsure of anything. (as always please test a small amount of the altered versions, what looks okay on paper doesn't always translate to a pot)
    edit:  "I'll do a  full cone 6 fire on a small bowl as soon as I bisque some test bowls." +1
     
     
     
     
  2. Like
    Min got a reaction from Rae Reich in Identify chemicals and what they are used for   
    I would keep the kaolins, can sub those quite easily in glaze recipes. Calcined kaolin I would keep, use it as part of the kaolin in any glazes that crawl due to high kaolin amounts.  (have to recalc the amount used to sub for un-calcined kaolin) 
    Alumina oxide can be used in place of alumina hydrate in kiln wash (use 1/3 less by weight).
    If anyone uses washes then the Barnard, Burnt Sienna and Umber can be used in those if they want dark/earthy colours.
    Kona (F4) can be subbed for Minspar 200 in a 1:1 ratio.
    Tennessee Ball comes in different forms, given how inexpensive ball clay is I would donate that one if you don't know which you have. Fireclay, Sagger clay and mullite, unless someone is making their own bodies I'ld donate those. Redart can be used in bodies and glazes.
    Silica sand, might be useful if someone is firing large heavy pieces or wants to wedge into their clay but if nobodies used it for years maybe not worth keeping.
    CMC gum, mostly used for making brushing glazes or hardening a dusty glaze.
    Calcium Carb precipitated, this is just whiting/calcium carb, keep it. 
    Black Iron Oxide, can be used in glazes, need to compare the iron content with whichever red iron oxide you are using to sub it. It doesn't create the red staining mess that red iron oxide does.
     
  3. Like
    Min got a reaction from Hulk in Identify chemicals and what they are used for   
    I would keep the kaolins, can sub those quite easily in glaze recipes. Calcined kaolin I would keep, use it as part of the kaolin in any glazes that crawl due to high kaolin amounts.  (have to recalc the amount used to sub for un-calcined kaolin) 
    Alumina oxide can be used in place of alumina hydrate in kiln wash (use 1/3 less by weight).
    If anyone uses washes then the Barnard, Burnt Sienna and Umber can be used in those if they want dark/earthy colours.
    Kona (F4) can be subbed for Minspar 200 in a 1:1 ratio.
    Tennessee Ball comes in different forms, given how inexpensive ball clay is I would donate that one if you don't know which you have. Fireclay, Sagger clay and mullite, unless someone is making their own bodies I'ld donate those. Redart can be used in bodies and glazes.
    Silica sand, might be useful if someone is firing large heavy pieces or wants to wedge into their clay but if nobodies used it for years maybe not worth keeping.
    CMC gum, mostly used for making brushing glazes or hardening a dusty glaze.
    Calcium Carb precipitated, this is just whiting/calcium carb, keep it. 
    Black Iron Oxide, can be used in glazes, need to compare the iron content with whichever red iron oxide you are using to sub it. It doesn't create the red staining mess that red iron oxide does.
     
  4. Like
    Min reacted to LinR in Glaze travel   
    Spray the glazed pots with hair spray and wrap with dry cleaner plastic.  Works really well.  Lin
  5. Like
    Min reacted to neilestrick in Soda firing in ceramic fibre kiln?   
    Interesting stuff. The main thing it's missing is that the sodium is not just reacting with the silica. It also needs alumina in order for it to form the glaze. Pure silica will not be affected by sodium vapor. We used to dust flint onto our salt kiln shelves to protect them.
    High zirconia blanket is about 15-17% zircon. It's in there primarily to bump up the heat rating of the  blanket. It may help protect from the soda, but not much. High zirconia bricks are 60+% zircon, so it's going to be considerably more durable than the fiber.
    The life span of salt and soda kilns depends more on the amount of salt and soda being used in each firing than which one you're using. Salt kilns can outlast soda kilns and vice versa. In general, I see soda people using a lot more material than salt people.
    Neither salt nor soda is more dangerous than the other, and your car will create many times more pollution than a salt/soda kiln being fired every week. Much of what comes out the stack is water vapor, and about 96% of the salt/soda that goes into the kiln comes out the stack as the same thing.
    Read 'The Truth About Salt' by Gil Stengel in the Sept. 1998 Ceramics Monthly. HERE is some other good info. HERE is a good discussion.
  6. Like
    Min reacted to LeeU in What’s on your workbench?   
    In a recent QotW (2/15/24) about how often we fire our kilns, I disclosed some personal functional limitations that I'm coming to grips with, that significantly change how and what I do with clay. "The next fire is my first post-diagnosis test run--will she sink or will she swim?? The main challenge is that construction is fairly rough & funky , but I don't want the pieces to look too rough & too funky,  so I need to turn the heat up under the burner labeled "visually appealing", and pray." This is the first greenware heading into this new phase. I'll come back post-fire with the results. My tag line is (still) "Sculpturally Functional Ceramics ".  Most of the work is draped bowls/catchalls/small trays and tea light bases.

  7. Like
    Min reacted to Kelly in AK in Mixing different companies porcelain   
    Wedge a pound of each together. Make some pinch pots. Glaze to check for fit. See what happens. 
  8. Like
    Min got a reaction from Callie Beller Diesel in Glaze insights into Horseley's Satin Matte White   
    Yes to both questions. 
    I would suggest just putting that 5 gallon bucket of glaze to one side for now without trying to adjust it. Make up some slip with your claybody and try that with your colouring oxides or stains. Your altered glaze might be just fine the way it is. 
     
  9. Like
    Min got a reaction from Callie Beller Diesel in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    I would put furniture in.
    I think it is the clay. Hoping a more fluid glaze will fill the pinholes but might not be enough. Plates are going to be the litmus test as there isn't gravity to help.
     
    I have a newer bag of wollastonite that isn't as agglomerated since I wrote that I needed to whiz it in a blender, now I just add an extra little bit extra when I'm weighing out the materials to compensate for what is left in the sieve. My bucket top up batches have 985 grams of wollastonite, so I bump this up to 995 when weighing it out.
  10. Like
    Min got a reaction from Piedmont Pottery in Leguna Robins Egg Glaze Defect   
    Hi and welcome to the forum.
    Crazing means the glaze doesn't fit the claybody it's on. A simple analogy would be a pair of jeans a few sizes too small for someone, they are going to stretch and rip. This is what your glaze is doing on the clay. It has nothing to do with taking them from the kiln at 100F and firing cooler will just make it worse. Since it's a commercial glaze the simplest thing to do is ask your supplier or Laguna Clay which body they recommend for this glaze. It is hard to see crazing with some glazes, try rubbing a permanent marker or calligraphy ink over the glaze then wiping it off, the crazing should be visible then.
  11. Like
    Min got a reaction from Piedmont Pottery in Tungsten Trimming Tools   
    Trimming tool I mentioned above arrived yesterday. Edges were hardly sharpened at all. I gave it a try this morning, not great. I'll try sharpening it but definitely will not be buying another. 
  12. Like
    Min got a reaction from Mudfish in Glaze insights into Horseley's Satin Matte White   
    Yes to both questions. 
    I would suggest just putting that 5 gallon bucket of glaze to one side for now without trying to adjust it. Make up some slip with your claybody and try that with your colouring oxides or stains. Your altered glaze might be just fine the way it is. 
     
  13. Like
    Min got a reaction from PeterH in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    I would put furniture in.
    I think it is the clay. Hoping a more fluid glaze will fill the pinholes but might not be enough. Plates are going to be the litmus test as there isn't gravity to help.
     
    I have a newer bag of wollastonite that isn't as agglomerated since I wrote that I needed to whiz it in a blender, now I just add an extra little bit extra when I'm weighing out the materials to compensate for what is left in the sieve. My bucket top up batches have 985 grams of wollastonite, so I bump this up to 995 when weighing it out.
  14. Like
    Min got a reaction from Hulk in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    @Marilyn T, you could shorten the bisque schedule for typical domestic ware pots. Have a look at Steve Davis's schedule for problematic clay. Note the slowing down during carbon (both organic and inorganic) and sulphur burnoffs. (It's behind a paywall but you can access 3 free articles a month) Skip the length candling if your greenware is bone dry, shorten it to an hour or two if not. I usually warm the kiln up to 220F in the evening then shut it off and let the pots sit overnight in the kiln then start it up in the morning. Davis schedule is really slow, but still faster than the Clement one.
    https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/A-Bisque-Firing-Schedule-to-Help-Prevent-Glaze-Faults
  15. Like
    Min got a reaction from Rae Reich in Leguna Robins Egg Glaze Defect   
    Hi and welcome to the forum.
    Crazing means the glaze doesn't fit the claybody it's on. A simple analogy would be a pair of jeans a few sizes too small for someone, they are going to stretch and rip. This is what your glaze is doing on the clay. It has nothing to do with taking them from the kiln at 100F and firing cooler will just make it worse. Since it's a commercial glaze the simplest thing to do is ask your supplier or Laguna Clay which body they recommend for this glaze. It is hard to see crazing with some glazes, try rubbing a permanent marker or calligraphy ink over the glaze then wiping it off, the crazing should be visible then.
  16. Like
    Min got a reaction from Mudfish in Glaze insights into Horseley's Satin Matte White   
    The talc is going to have a lower COE than the dolomite, that might be it? Do you have a big bucket of it? 
  17. Like
    Min got a reaction from Marilyn T in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    @Marilyn T, you could shorten the bisque schedule for typical domestic ware pots. Have a look at Steve Davis's schedule for problematic clay. Note the slowing down during carbon (both organic and inorganic) and sulphur burnoffs. (It's behind a paywall but you can access 3 free articles a month) Skip the length candling if your greenware is bone dry, shorten it to an hour or two if not. I usually warm the kiln up to 220F in the evening then shut it off and let the pots sit overnight in the kiln then start it up in the morning. Davis schedule is really slow, but still faster than the Clement one.
    https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/A-Bisque-Firing-Schedule-to-Help-Prevent-Glaze-Faults
  18. Like
    Min got a reaction from Marilyn T in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    Making the glaze more fluid might work but before trying that I'ld give the other firing schedule a try. Having a longer time leading up to the higher temperature might be enough.
    edit: if you want to try a more fluid glaze at the same time this might be worth testing. It is a lower expansion than your Wollastonite Clear though. I kept it to materials you already have.
    ^6  Test White - fluid
    Ferro Frit 3134 - 34
    Silica (325 mesh)  -27.5
    EPK  - 16
    Amtalc  -  12.5
    Nepheline Syenite -  10
    total 100
    Tin Oxide  -  5
     
     
  19. Like
    Min got a reaction from Mudfish in Glaze insights into Horseley's Satin Matte White   
    If nobody here has used that glaze maybe it's worthwhile contacting him and asking about it. Just looking at the materials it's going to be an opacified calcium alumina semi matte. Calcium tends to bleach out iron a bit. I'm sure you already know this but some people think zinc in a reduction firing helps get the melt started but then given it's volitility is gone by the end of the firing. Your dolomite glaze shivered? 
    Pat Horsley's website and contact form here. 
  20. Like
    Min got a reaction from Daisypottery in Leguna Robins Egg Glaze Defect   
    Hi and welcome to the forum.
    Crazing means the glaze doesn't fit the claybody it's on. A simple analogy would be a pair of jeans a few sizes too small for someone, they are going to stretch and rip. This is what your glaze is doing on the clay. It has nothing to do with taking them from the kiln at 100F and firing cooler will just make it worse. Since it's a commercial glaze the simplest thing to do is ask your supplier or Laguna Clay which body they recommend for this glaze. It is hard to see crazing with some glazes, try rubbing a permanent marker or calligraphy ink over the glaze then wiping it off, the crazing should be visible then.
  21. Like
    Min reacted to Hyn Patty in Basic Introduction to Plaster Mold Making & Silicone Molds   
    I'm SURE this has been posted on this forum somewhere before but I get asked ALL OF THE TIME to host mold making workshops.  So far I haven't, actually.  What I do with claybody work on already fired bisques and my custom glazing is already plenty to cover and isn't info you can really find online anywhere.  But mold making and slip casting there's tons of into out there if you just go looking!  So here is a GREAT VIDEO by my all time favorite ceramics nutcase himself with one of his many helpful videos.  If you have never made even a simple plaster mold of your own before, or even if you have made hundreds, I'm always learning more!  So give it a whirl!
    Small Plaster & Silicone Molds by Tiki Technical Tuesday!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkf1FR7GsuY&list=PLVz2HhcJdyqgyPYSSeq80qnL-0CNgOJeQ&index=5
  22. Like
    Min got a reaction from Hulk in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    Really good information Marilyn, thank you for such a comprehensive post.
    I'm not seeing anything really glaringly off with the recipe or the glaze firing. Glaze recipe looks like it would make a very durable glaze. I haven't used that claybody but I'm wondering if how it's bisque fired might be part of the problem. Is your kiln vented and do you really cram the bisque firing full? How fast do you bisque fire to 04, using a preprogrammed schedule? Do you have a closeup of a couple of the pinholes? 
  23. Like
    Min got a reaction from Marilyn T in Can you predict the approximate drop/hold temperature in a drop and hold firing from the chemistry of a glaze?   
    @Marilyn T, could you post the recipe, glaze specific gravity and which clay you are using? Also, does firing to 2185/2190F bring cone 6 down in your kiln? No soak at peak temp? 
  24. Like
    Min got a reaction from Kelly in AK in Glaze travel   
    Another thing you can do to toughen up unfired glazed pots is spray them with laundry starch. (the aerosol kind, not the spritzer bottle)
  25. Like
    Min got a reaction from Kelly in AK in QotW: How many times a month/year do you fire your kiln/s?   
    I aim for 2 glaze loads a week. During the busy times I have 1 kiln firing while the other is cooling. 
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