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I've been really fortunate at work to come across a heap of local material, one of the most exciting is a small seam of volcanic ash from Lake TaupeTaupe here in New Zealand, that erupted about 18,000 years ago. I've used a small amount in a few small batches which has been really good but wanted to ask if it's likely to work as a glaze if I just sprinkle the ash direct onto the wet clay? Today I made a couple of rough textured chawan bowls and I thought they might be worth trying for a single firing with the ash just thrown onto the wet clay. Or am I better to biscuit them, add a glaze and throw some ash onto the wet glaze? Any tips from frequent ash users? Novice here, so please excuse any ludicrously silly questions above Cheers , Liam

its taken me over one year to get to my 1st pot after being out of pottery for 11 years the stone next to the porceal test is brownstone from wisconsin and is the same stone used to make the james J hill house . It was a popular stone from the 1800s i used it at 32% in the porcealinbody . along with 24 feldspar and 50% kaolin

Hello, newbie here. I want to do some experimenting with making my own wood ash glazes from local woods. I've done a fair amount of research on the subject, but I do have some questions. 1. I've decided to keep my variables simple in the first round of tests. I was thinking I'd do a simple recipe for ash glaze, which is 50 parts dry ash and 50 parts clay body. Does this sound like a reasonable place to start, or am I missing anything important? 2. I have also decided to wash all of the ash I use. I like that it will be more stable/last longer in a mixed glaze and will be less caustic. I also don't want a SUPER runny glaze, and I read that there are more fluxes in unwashed ash. I am wondering, though, what is the best way to dispose of the lye-water that I will make through the washing process? I don't want to pour it into our septic system or kill any plants or hurt the environment. 3. I'll be making plates mostly, maybe some shallow bowls. I was thinking simple, flat test tiles would be the best way to test colors and would be easiest to display later. I am a little worried about super runny glazes, though. Any suggestions for a good test tile to test glazes used on plates? 4. I am not sure what the best glaze application process would be. I don't have access to a sprayer, and it will be difficult to dip plates (especially if I don't have a LOT of glaze mixed up at a time.) Any ideas how to use either a sponge or a brush to get a fairly even coat? (I'm okay with some variation in pattern, but I want to make sure the whole surface is glossy and glazed) How thick should my glaze be when I paint it on? (Should it cover my hand completely and be like runny yogurt or should it be thinner?) 5. I've read that it's important to gather pure ash, and that ash from the fireplace doesn't always work because of the newspapers/magazines used in starting the fire. How important is it that the ash I use for glaze is absolutely 100% wood ash? Will having a little paper ash in there hurt things or make it less food safe? 6. I am thinking of adding a couple of colorants and testing those results as well. I'm going to start with copper carbonate and cobalt carbonate. I'm also thinking of trying rutile but am concerned that it contains titanium... would glazes made with rutile be food-safe? 7. I've read that ash glazes are typically high-fire glazes. I was thinking that to keep all the variables the same, I would fire all the test tiles and plates at the same temperature, probably cone 9/10. I've also read you have to go as high as 11. Thoughts? Sorry for so many questions! Like I said, I'm pretty new to ceramics and this will be my first experiment with mixing my own glazes and I'm excited but also nervous. Feel free to just answer a couple of questions, and thank all of you in advance Betsy

I have a 5 gallon bucket of Goldart sitting in my studio. I used to use it for white slip; Ball clay 33% EPK. 33% Goldart 33% Called Schiller White Slip. Not using slips any more as my glazes are very opaque. I got a glaze recipe; [Cone 10 reduction] Ash 50% Goldart 50% But it is very dry. A nice yellow ochre colour though. Any thoughts? TJR.