Crawling glaze - sometimes good?

[shawnhar]

"Oh my gosh those are awesome", says my wife, lol. Which begs the question, where is the line between happy accident and *&^# up. I had as much or more interest in my seconds mugs at the small festival I did recently. I just saw a video of "prized" little pots where the glaze crawled all over, now granted, I knew the potter did that "somewhat" on purpose, I know they didn't know exactly what was going to happen, just that it would crawl, and within certain parameters, like not running off the pot.

I am getting a lot of crawling, and I see it as just part of the learning process, I figure once I've glazed a thousand more pots, I will have a pretty firm grasp, but dipping/pouring at a public studio with glazes changing thickness, etc... anyway I digress. 

- I am not doing it on purpose other than a few experiments. But, the master potter that does it on purpose, that's gold baby! It appears to be the same mechanical process, only the will of the maker separates them. Seems to me, but I am stumbling around in babeland with minuscule experience.

Do you have happy crawling accidents? I'm sure some would think no, nada, never and if so I would ask, would you/have you ever done it on purpose? I kind of like the effect, but just not on my pieces, when I didn't mean to do it, lol.

That bowl is... it's something...

[Pres]

Too thick to me, assuming, that you have washed the pots with a damp sponge just before glazing, or dipped them in clean water 15 min. before glazing. The water absorbed into the bisque caused the glazes to go on more evenly, and with a slightly thinner coat, also dripping will be thinner, and need less glaze to go further in the drip. Personal opinion, but what I see. It also looks like minute crazing in some pieces, maybe slow your cooling rate.

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

Crawling is a flaw-not good.

The glaze as Pres says is to thick. Crawling can also be with two glazes that do not get along together . Or bisque ware can be dirty or oily.

I never pre wet my bisque ware but do get my glaze to be just right before using it.This all take lots of trail and error.You are in the error stage is my guess

as glazing is the next skill after throwing-then its firing-and so forth-lots of trails

You can buy a hydrometer or measure with graduated cylinder  and a gram scale at the public studio in each glaze bucket to get a better handle on whats going on as well.

[Gabby]

There is one glaze I use that does this if I am not careful. It runs when I apply it, and then I have to start over. I have come to turn the pot over when I use that particular glaze.

If you don't think it looks any good, I would follow your own aesthetic judgment.

[shawnhar]

Thanks! I agree they were too thick, I will get a hydrometer and start measuring. I am definitely in the heavy error stage of the glaze learning curve.  

Part of the problem is I have no control over the glazes or the firing at the studio. I could add water if that is the issue, but nothing more than that. My home kiln should be up and running by the end of next week and I have a few glazes here as well so will be more in control soon!

[Rae Reich]

Take lots of notes! A hydrometer will help you determine whether you want to use a glaze or not, as well as telling you if all you need is to add some water. The "glove" is the method I learned - dip your hand into the glaze and observe how it's coated. It should be coated evenly and yet with all the details clearly defined.

Some control can be had by dipping or pouring or dripping over a matte glaze (exteriors). In the case of your green pools - overglaze too thick and too much. 

Cute spoons!

[neilestrick]

Looks too thick to me, too. It can also come from doing the second coat while the first is too wet. You don't want it to be totally dry, either. There's a happy middle ground there.

[yappystudent]

I've never had a glaze crawl that wasn't applied too thickly but I'm sure there are other ways also. Were I you, I'd be making a lot of small test bowls right now to use when your own kiln is functional. There is no point wasting time and materials on pieces that are large if you don't have a good idea of how they're going to turn out. 

[Mark C.]

(The "glove" is the method I learned - dip your hand into the glaze and observe how it's coated. It should be coated evenly and yet with all the details clearly defined.)

This is the method I learned as well-dip your hand and pay attention to the coating and your hand wrinkles

The better method moving up is a hydrometer 

the best method is the graduated cylinder and gram scale as you can see here

 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If you don't have a graduated cylinder, you can rig your own with a clear plastic cup. Take the skinniest clear plastic cup you have, and weigh out 100g of water in it, and mark the bottom of the meniscus with a thin sharpie line. You now have a cup that is calibrated to 100ml. 

A graduated cylinder is better, but this will do until you can get your hands on a real one. 

[oldlady]

shawnhar, if you were aiming for an even wall of color falling down the edge of the bowls, try dipping the rim into a flat plate with a small amount of colored glaze in it.   be sure the plate is big enough to fit over the rim and put the glaze around that diameter with a syringe. 

if you are looking for drips, try an ear syringe run around the rim and squeezed slightly as you go.  a banding wheel or your wheel on very slow does a good job of moving the rim evenly.

[preeta]

Shawnhar you work at a community studio and use their community glazes right? I would imagine someone is keeping an eye on the glazes.  Are others having crawling issues too? Either way you can’t change the glaze by adding water.

i would say the issue is you.  Not being mean. I can relate to you. I was in your shoes at my JC. I was throwing thinner than the proff wanted me too. That has its downside. That means I had to figure out my rules. You can’t glaze in one day. If I used same glaze inside and out I’d dip once and then return the next day to do a real quick dip. I discovered the pot the next day would take in the next coat real easy. 

Say I did 3 glazes. One insider two coats. Two outside. I’d do the inside first. Next day do the outside. I’d do one coat. Wait. Till the glaze dried. Then second dip. 

I am a slow person. My glazing is slow. So I have to try other methods. 

1. I no longer wipe with a wet sponge. I actually dip real quick in water. Wait 15 mins and then glaze.  I do this to avoid crawling because I am slow. Wetting the pot meant it can’t be a sponge. Can’t hold too much glaze.et

2. Even if the proff says count to two alligator I count to one coz I know I am slow. 

I have some real cool crawled pots. They became planters or office supply holders. If I really wanted to use the crawled pot for food I’d usually refire after using a coat of clear. 

Glazing is still the hardest for me. Whenever I change studios I struggle the first few months. 

At my previous school we had a spray gun. I did well with that. I find it easier to spray than dip.  But the same rules apply. 

Also another important issue. I planned out what glazes id use. So I wasn’t sitting and thinking. Then getting tired and glazing willy nilly.  I already think of the glaze as I throw the pot.   

Oh one more thing I had forgotten. Throwing skills matter. Even walls matter. Uneven walls lead to crawling.  

Also in the beginning since my glazes were thick, I’d put on a mask and when the glazes were dry I’d take a little harder brush and brush over the glaze to take the extra glaze off.  

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I would suggest that if you need the glaze adjusted at your communal work place, bring it to the attention of the tech, especially if others are also experiencing similar issues. They can't fix anything if they don't know it's a problem, and glaze specific gravity is one of those things you only really notice  if you're using the stuff yourself.