Glaze Chemical Kit

[Bob]

Hi, everyone.

 

I've done some pottery things before, in college and so on, but I haven't been able to for some time thanks to a lack of facilities around me.

 

I've moved to a rural area without a potter's guild.

 

Well, I got a wheel for christmas, and have a few lines on a kiln now, and so I'm starting to put together my (hobby) workshop. I'm looking forward to it.

 

But being in a rural area means that I have no easy access to a lot of ceramics supplies - two and a half hour's drive, really, so I'm looking to stock up when I take trips for continuing ed and conferences.

 

Picking out clays isn't too hard - I'm used to cone 6, so that's what I'm looking for in a kiln, and can pick up in a clay body (until I get to the point where I'm mixing it myself - wouldn't bet on that anytime soon). Boxes of cones aren't too hard to figure out what I need, so and and so forth.

 

But for making glazes, it seems that figuring out exactly what I'll need will be a problem. I'd like to have the chemicals on hand to make up a variety of glazes, with a variety of colors and effects, so that I don't have to wait for a month or two for a trip to get the bits I need, and can make more as I need. ( I do realize that places DO ship, but shipping charges for a 5# bag of something simple like zircopax is often greater than the bag itself.)

 

What I'm basically looking for is a list of maybe 12-18 chemicals that would make up a "glaze kit", similar to a first aid kit. It doesn't necessarily have ALL the interesting things in it, but it'll have what you need in it 90% of the time.

 

It seems that I should be able to find a simple foodsafe clear gloss (say five chemicals?) that I can add an opacifier to if I want to (white), this chemical for blue (opaque or translucent), this for green, this for red, and so on, and then a second white one that's matte that I can add the same chemicals to for blue, green, red, etc. (Though I suspect that's not necessarily going to happen).

 

Floats, Lava textures, shino, lustres, all those can come later, but a basic kit would be nice, so that I can add to it as I'm able, and yet will have, in this little town, a reasonable supply of what will be interesting and fun.

 

 

Any thoughts on a "first glaze kit"? Some associated recipes might be nice, too...

[Marcia Selsor]

dear Bob,

Welcome to rural living. I did it in Montana with the Bray 260 miles away and now in Texas with closest supplier 280 miles ah. I would recommend joining the Potters Council and benefiting from their members perks. I use their freight discounts for shipping to my studio from a large supplier.

The shipping is usually cheaper than a road trip to get materials.

Marcia

[bciskepottery]

You might want to pick up a copy of Mastering Cone 6 Glazes by John Hesselberth and Ron Roy; they developed a number of stable and durable base glazes and then added colorants to develop color/texture variations. Make up a spreadsheet of the glazes you like and use that as your foundation for ordering raw materials. For experimentation, try varying the colorants in their glazes. A very good starting point. And the base glazes will keep your raw materials to a handful.

 

For a clear, check the archives here . . . a number of clear ^6 recipes have been posted.

 

Another good source is the website of John Post -- he is a teacher in Michigan who does lots of glaze testing and posts his results/recipes.

[Pres]

You might want to pick up a copy of Mastering Cone 6 Glazes by John Hesselberth and Ron Roy; they developed a number of stable and durable base glazes and then added colorants to develop color/texture variations. Make up a spreadsheet of the glazes you like and use that as your foundation for ordering raw materials. For experimentation, try varying the colorants in their glazes. A very good starting point. And the base glazes will keep your raw materials to a handful.

 

For a clear, check the archives here . . . a number of clear ^6 recipes have been posted.

 

Another good source is the website of John Post -- he is a teacher in Michigan who does lots of glaze testing and posts his results/recipes.

 

 

I think the Hesselberth book has a list of basic glaze materials to cover cone6. It should give you a good start if that is the temp you want to work in.

[Bob]

So, having checked around the website, I'm wondering about this set of recipes

 

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramic-glaze-recipes/mid-range-glaze-recipes/expanding-your-palette-in-mid-range-firing/

 

And it seems that n502 and n503 can be built with Gillespie Borate, F-4 Feldspar, EPK Kaolin, Silica, and Zircopax (will there be a significant difference with superpax?)

If I add Whiting, Ferro Frit 3124, Zinc oxide and Bentonite, I can make n504 as well.

 

Chrome oxide, Copper Carbonate, and Manganese Dioxide or Iron Chromate will give me greens, teals, and browns, I think. Proper blues will require cobalt, it looks, which will be quite expensive.

Especially in an oxidation kiln (I'm looking at electric) I suspect I'll need mason stains for proper reds.

 

I suppose this will work as a basic short list.

Anyone have anything else that I should look for? Say, purples, blacks, anything like that?

Or some one thing I can add to the list to make a color break in an interesting way?

 

I'm driving to a conference tomorrow in a fairly decent sized city, so while I'm there, I might as well pick up some things...

[bciskepottery]

If you plan to use the glazes for function ware, you'll need to have them tested for leaching, durability, etc. As the article states, the author advised some of the percentages of colorants exceed what would normally be considered acceptable or safe for functional ware. One of the nice things about the Hesselberth/Roy glazes is that they had each tested. Regardless, testing is advised because your clay may be different and what works for one clay body may not transfer automatically to another.

 

Regarding "proper reds" and using mason stains, be sure to check if the mason stains can be used with zinc oxide (used on one of the base glazes).

 

F-4 feldspar has been replaced with Minspar.

[trorison]

Try this link: http://www.wpapotters.blogspot.com/2011/10/cone-6-oxidation-results-group-8.html

 

You'll find formulas, photos, ect for Cone 6 oxidation glazes. Pick some that interest you. Remember the cooling, clay, mixing, glaze thickness, method of application, ect can/will effect the outcome.

 

You can achieve some nice reds at cone 6 oxidation using Chrome Oxide and Tin Oxide. The ratio of chrome to tin is important. There are three found at this link: http://wpapotters.blogspot.com/2010/11/cone-6-oxidation-results-group-2.html I prefer #55 but that is just me. Works great over some of the matt glazes. Don't glaze red to the bottom when glazing over most matts as the combination tends to flow. Keep the red over matt up a couple inches from the bottom of the pot.

 

I fire using a kiln controller (nice to have to do controlled coolings). Often you can find a good bargain on kilns without controllers but you can add a wall mounted one. See link: http://wpapotters.blogspot.com/2010/08/orton-programmable-kiln-controller.html I have one and it works great.

 

Good luck and enjoy.

[LawPots]

When I picked up my first glaze ingredients last summer, I spend hours agonizing over different recipes. I wish now that I had started with the Mastering Cone 6 glaze book in hand. But, what I'd did notice was that nearly all recipes I was interested in had the following main ingredients:

 

 

G-200 Feldspar

Ferro Frit 3134

Ferro Frit 3195

Wollastonite

EPK

Talc

Silica (325 mesh)

Gillespie Borate (or Gertsley borate)

Kona F-4 Feldspar

Dolomite

Spodumene

OM4 (Kentucky ball clay)

Whiting (CaO)

 

With the right colorants glazes made out of these base materials can make just about every color except a chrome-tin red (which is slightly dangerous to make because of the chrome, and can't be fired in the same kiln with other tin-opacified glazes without the risk of messing up the color.). I am sure I am missing a few ingrients the more experienced potters would recommend, as for colorants, along with the usual oxides, consider picking up rutile, which is a colorant I regret not purchasing because it figures large in the Mastering Cone 6 book.

[Marcia Selsor]

That is a very good base list of chemicals. As you go further along you may want zinc oxide, maybe magnesium carbonate...but only if you start playing around with different directions.

Marcia

[Marcia Selsor]

That is a very good base list of chemicals. As you go further along you may want zinc oxide, maybe magnesium carbonate...but only if you start playing around with different directions.

Marcia

[neilestrick]

G-200 Feldspar

Ferro Frit 3134

Ferro Frit 3195

Wollastonite

EPK

Talc

Silica (325 mesh)

Gillespie Borate (or Gertsley borate)

Kona F-4 Feldspar

Dolomite

Spodumene

OM4 (Kentucky ball clay)

Whiting (CaO)

 

 

If you're willing to do some basic reformulation, you can shorten this list further. I'd get rid of the Wollastonite since you've got Whiting and Silica (Flint). You can find plenty of good glazes without Spodumene. I'd go with Frit 3110 instead of 3195, maybe add some 3124, too. But honestly you can probably get by with just 3134 to start. Definitely use Gillespie instead of Gerstley- it's way more consistent. Ditch the Ball Clay, EPK will cover it. But get some Bentonite (just a couple pounds- you'll only need 2-3% per batch). I tend to use Nepheline Syenite way more than Kona. For colorants, get Cobalt Carbonate, Iron Oxide, Copper Carbonate, Chrome Oxide and Rutile, or just use Mason stains.

 

Just find 3 or 4 good recipes and color them the way you want. Then you can really narrow down your materials inventory.

[Slipped]

G-200 Feldspar

Ferro Frit 3134

Ferro Frit 3195

Wollastonite

EPK

Talc

Silica (325 mesh)

Gillespie Borate (or Gertsley borate)

Kona F-4 Feldspar

Dolomite

Spodumene

OM4 (Kentucky ball clay)

Whiting (CaO)

 

 

If you're willing to do some basic reformulation, you can shorten this list further. I'd get rid of the Wollastonite since you've got Whiting and Silica (Flint). You can find plenty of good glazes without Spodumene. I'd go with Frit 3110 instead of 3195, maybe add some 3124, too. But honestly you can probably get by with just 3134 to start. Definitely use Gillespie instead of Gerstley- it's way more consistent. Ditch the Ball Clay, EPK will cover it. But get some Bentonite (just a couple pounds- you'll only need 2-3% per batch). I tend to use Nepheline Syenite way more than Kona. For colorants, get Cobalt Carbonate, Iron Oxide, Copper Carbonate, Chrome Oxide and Rutile, or just use Mason stains.

 

Just find 3 or 4 good recipes and color them the way you want. Then you can really narrow down your materials inventory.

 

 

I agree, you can get by with just 3134 as your frit, leave out wollastonite (sub w/whiting & silica), and I also got neph sy, you can make a sub for kona with it as well - you'll have to reformulate for both of these, but it's not that difficult. In most cases you can exchange 3134 for Gerstley Borate, but I have and use both, your budget can decide for you if you can do both. I did get some ball clay, it's pretty cheap. Spodumene can be a "wait" item too, because even a basic pantry can run you a pretty big invoice. Look at quantity pricing, when I bought my glaze pantry ingredients last year it was cheaper in a lot of instances to get 50 lbs rather than 10 (if you are at a supplier, not shipping). Like 10 lbs of OM4 was like $15 or $16, and 50 lbs was $17.50. You might want some alumina hydrate for kiln wash, but with electric I got by with silica and a mix of EPK and calcined EPK until I could pick up a few pounds. I calcined my own in a bisque firing, just fired a previously bisqued bowl full of EPK. You'll need colorants, they are expensive, but a necessity. If you want to cut one, you can maybe do without the chrome to start with, but I'd spring for the cobalt carb, iron oxide, copper carb, and rutile for sure. You'll need an opacifier of some sort too like zircopax. It kind of stinks for half your bill to fit in a brown paper bag (colorants), and the other half get loaded at the dock, such is life. So here's my bare bones list:

 

G-200*

EPK*

Silica 325*

Neph Sy*

Whiting*

OM4*

Bentonite

Frit 3134

Talc

Dolomite

Zircopax

Cobalt Carb

Iron oxide

Copper Carb

Rutile

 

The ones with the star I went for 50 lbs, it was way cheaper. Add in whatever else you can afford, but you can build a lot with these. Once you've worked with some recipes (keep testing, try different colorants with bases), you can expand a lot and add different items as you make it to town. I live about an hour away from my supplier, but they are only open weekdays, which is when I work, so the days I'm off to drive over while they're open are few, just keep a running "grocery/wish list". Good luck, just go for it, you'll always have a list of what you'll need to try that other crazy recipe you saw on that site....

[Davesgang]

I just did a initial start up kit myself last fall.

For ^6 stoneware.

Based on 3 similar base glazes.

High Gloss, Matte, Raku glaze, slip, and colorants materials list.

 

 

Red Art Clay 50lbs

Gold Art Clay 50lbs

EPK 50lbs

OM4 Ball Clay 50lbs

Bentonite 5lbs

Buy clay and other 50lb bags when you can pick.

 

Flint (silica 325 mesh) 50lbs

 

Neph Syenite 50lbs

(probably would add a soda or potash feldspar if done again.)

 

Ferro Frit 3134 50lbs

(frits are expensive so I settled on this one for my starter... 3110, 3195, and 3124 are also worth considering depending on what your focus is.)

 

Whiting 50lbs

(Really would still consider Wollastonite, and a bit of Talc too.)

 

 

Red Iron Oxide 10lb

for Celadons and Tenmoku/teadust etc...

 

Copper Carbonate 1lb &

Rutile 5lb

for interest

 

Superpax 5lb

for opacifier white

 

Cobalt Carbonate 1/2lb

someone will eventually want "that in blue?"

 

That, some deffoculants, and a few boxes of cones ended up being around 300 picked up.

the frit, cobalt, and copper were 1/3rd the cost of the whole order.

 

Wish list would... short wish list would include.

Tin, Spodumene, Gillespie, more time.

 

 

Start collecting coffee cans, buckets, and bins for storage too.

 

 

 

 

 

G-200 Feldspar

Ferro Frit 3134

Ferro Frit 3195

Wollastonite

EPK

Talc

Silica (325 mesh)

Gillespie Borate (or Gertsley borate)

Kona F-4 Feldspar

Dolomite

Spodumene

OM4 (Kentucky ball clay)

Whiting (CaO)

 

If you're willing to do some basic reformulation, you can shorten this list further. I'd get rid of the Wollastonite since you've got Whiting and Silica (Flint). You can find plenty of good glazes without Spodumene. I'd go with Frit 3110 instead of 3195, maybe add some 3124, too. But honestly you can probably get by with just 3134 to start. Definitely use Gillespie instead of Gerstley- it's way more consistent. Ditch the Ball Clay, EPK will cover it. But get some Bentonite (just a couple pounds- you'll only need 2-3% per batch). I tend to use Nepheline Syenite way more than Kona. For colorants, get Cobalt Carbonate, Iron Oxide, Copper Carbonate, Chrome Oxide and Rutile, or just use Mason stains.

 

Just find 3 or 4 good recipes and color them the way you want. Then you can really narrow down your materials inventory.

 

I agree, you can get by with just 3134 as your frit, leave out wollastonite (sub w/whiting & silica), and I also got neph sy, you can make a sub for kona with it as well - you'll have to reformulate for both of these, but it's not that difficult. In most cases you can exchange 3134 for Gerstley Borate, but I have and use both, your budget can decide for you if you can do both. I did get some ball clay, it's pretty cheap. Spodumene can be a "wait" item too, because even a basic pantry can run you a pretty big invoice. Look at quantity pricing, when I bought my glaze pantry ingredients last year it was cheaper in a lot of instances to get 50 lbs rather than 10 (if you are at a supplier, not shipping). Like 10 lbs of OM4 was like $15 or $16, and 50 lbs was $17.50. You might want some alumina hydrate for kiln wash, but with electric I got by with silica and a mix of EPK and calcined EPK until I could pick up a few pounds. I calcined my own in a bisque firing, just fired a previously bisqued bowl full of EPK. You'll need colorants, they are expensive, but a necessity. If you want to cut one, you can maybe do without the chrome to start with, but I'd spring for the cobalt carb, iron oxide, copper carb, and rutile for sure. You'll need an opacifier of some sort too like zircopax. It kind of stinks for half your bill to fit in a brown paper bag (colorants), and the other half get loaded at the dock, such is life. So here's my bare bones list:

 

G-200*

EPK*

Silica 325*

Neph Sy*

Whiting*

OM4*

Bentonite

Frit 3134

Talc

Dolomite

Zircopax

Cobalt Carb

Iron oxide

Copper Carb

Rutile

 

The ones with the star I went for 50 lbs, it was way cheaper. Add in whatever else you can afford, but you can build a lot with these. Once you've worked with some recipes (keep testing, try different colorants with bases), you can expand a lot and add different items as you make it to town. I live about an hour away from my supplier, but they are only open weekdays, which is when I work, so the days I'm off to drive over while they're open are few, just keep a running "grocery/wish list". Good luck, just go for it, you'll always have a list of what you'll need to try that other crazy recipe you saw on that site....

[Marcia Selsor]

I agree with the addition of Neph. Syen. for Cone 6 glazes.

Marcia