Where to start with glaze formulation

[Wibbleycat]

I have just decided to start making my own glazes and searched for a nice base recipe to start off and play with. However the recipe needs calcium borate fruit which is not available readily in the uk. I have no idea how to reformulate my recipe and what to use.
Can anyone suggest a good base glaze for me to experiment with as a start. I want a glaze with a firing range 1200-1220 that is glossy. Thanks in advance.

[Pres]

Have you explored the Digitalfire web site for information on your problem, or even downloaded their glaze calculator?  Altering a glaze is a tough situation and takes lots of understanding. If you are just getting into glaze mixing I would try finding a glaze that meets your needs without making changes. Try Glazy or Digitalfire.

 

 

best,

Pres

[Wibbleycat]

I’m not sure where to start in selecting a base glaze- I have looked on Glazy and just feel overwhelmed by the choice. I was wondering if anyone had something that worked for them when they were starting out.  I want a glossy transparent that fires to 1200-1220 Celsius.

[Roberta12]

Do you have access to a glaze library?  It is helpful for me to look at photos to begin with and then branch out.  John Britt's book for midfire has lots of photos and information.  Linda Bloomfield, Gabriel Kline, Michael Bailey all have lots of information as well as good photos.  Sometimes those books are in library or you can borrow from someone?  If you follow Joe Thompson on instagram @oldforgecreations is a wonderful resource.  If you find something you like, then you can go from there!

Roberta

[Min]

2 hours ago, Wibbleycat said:

However the recipe needs calcium borate fruit which is not available readily in the uk. 

Which boron frits do you have available to you?  If you aren't sure which frits contain boron look for ones that contain "B" or "B2O3".

2 hours ago, Wibbleycat said:

I have no idea how to reformulate my recipe and what to use.

What is the recipe you have now?

[akilpots]

what are your goals? to learn about glaze chemistry? to just mix up a glaze and use it on your pieces? what kind of work do you make? are you concerned with it being a durable stable glaze or not so much?

[Kelly in AK]

A seemingly simple request suddenly becomes a daunting ponderous problem. “I just want a clear base glaze I can use to start from!” I’ve been there, so first let me say, it gets better (not sure about easier, but definitely better). Mine, 20 years ago, was “How do you make floating blue?” Thus began the Odyssey.

Here are my assumptions: You want to make pottery that people can use. You want to mix your own glazes, that you can adjust and color, and experiment with. One reason is so they’re your own, another is it may be less expensive, and finally, it’ll be much more fun than buying a jug of stuff from down the street.

To start with, @Min asked what boron frits are available to you. That’s a question you’ll have to work out. Glazes in your firing range need boron and the way we potters get it is from frits. I’m afraid I have no sense of the intricacies of of ordering ceramic supplies in the UK, but you’ll be looking for only a few specific frits. Ferro frits are popular and available in the US, many glaze recipes use them,  but there are also tables of equivalent frits from other sources. “Fusion” is another brand name of frit. The term “calcium borate frit” in a recipe is just vague enough to cause trouble. Ferro frits 2134, 3124, and 3110 appear often in cone 6 glaze recipes and are known quantities of each element in them. .

In my case, there is no store (in Alaska) I can visit and grab a bag of frit 3124. I have to order it, so I do.

There are some recipes to be found onTony Hansen’s Digitalfire website, which can be counted on, but you’ll always learn more than you planned. Stick this in your search engine: “A clear cone  6 glaze base digitalfire”

If you had unlimited selection of materials, then people would just flood you with recipes, which be it’s own problem.

So, you gotta know just what you can get before people can suggest useful recipes for you. 

[PeterH]

6 hours ago, Kelly in AK said:

To start with, @Min asked what boron frits are available to you. That’s a question you’ll have to work out.

For a start just try UL Ferro frit in your search engine.

For a start just try UK Ferro frit in your search engine.

Edited July 27, 2023 by PeterH

[Min]

I believe that in the UK frits are often named in a similar way as glaze recipes are. That is to say the frit or glaze is named according the preponderance of a certain oxide within it. For the calcium borate frit referenced in this thread I would hazard a guess the OP is referring to Calcium Borate Frit which has the chem in the chart below. Given the very high amount of boron in this frit it will take some tinkering to adjust a recipe using another frit.

Back to the question of where to start with glaze calculation my suggestion would be to get to know glaze materials and what the contribute insofar as oxides and qualities. 

[High Bridge Pottery]

On 7/24/2023 at 4:45 PM, Wibbleycat said:

I have just decided to start making my own glazes and searched for a nice base recipe to start off and play with. However the recipe needs calcium borate fruit which is not available readily in the uk. I have no idea how to reformulate my recipe and what to use.
Can anyone suggest a good base glaze for me to experiment with as a start. I want a glaze with a firing range 1200-1220 that is glossy. Thanks in advance.

I thought they had stopped making it but potclays seem to have it in stock. https://www.potclays.co.uk/calcium-borate-frit I feel like it has doubled in price but I haven't bought any for a long time. 

If you want to look into making glazes start with limit formula https://digitalfire.com/article/limit+formulas+and+target+formulas

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by High Bridge Pottery

[Hulk]

Under "Recipes" are several articles*, which make for some interesting and informative reading.
In my own search for a clear liner glaze formulation, I found a re-start...

*Ceramic Glaze/Body Recipes (digitalfire.com)

...having abandoned a clear liner that crazed (a lot).
From there, I adjusted the recipe several times, using glaze software (GlazeMaster) and with assistance/advice/encouragement from members of this Forum.

Edited July 27, 2023 by Hulk
credit!

[Chilly]

You need a book that is written for UK available materials.  John Britt is fine in principle, but contains stuff we can't get.

The book you need to look for is Glazes Cone 6 by Michael Bailey.  (A quick google didn't find any for sale at a sensible price, but they do come up occasionally.  I bought mine 5 years ago, second-hand but brand new.)  

Edited July 31, 2023 by Chilly
typo

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Joe at Old Forge Creations is also a UK potter who’s been doing a lot of work in the glaze community, and he does make himself available for some questions. He’s on Glazy and Instagram.  I spoke with him, and he said he uses North American materials, which he says should be available, and he found the cost savings in converting recipes to UK materials to be negligible. He also recommended Linda Bloomfield as a resource if you wants to start with more locally based recipes.

Joe has a big presence on Glazy (search Old Forge Creations), but his blog post on his First Five Ingredients glaze is here: https://www.oldforgecreations.co.uk/blog/first-five-ingredients-where-to-start-with-glaze-making. There are links to purchase materials for both UK and US sources.

At a quick google search, I can’t find a website for Linda, but she has a significant profile on Glazy, and many published books and a youtube channel. 

[PeterH]

25 minutes ago, Callie Beller Diesel said:

At a quick google search, I can’t find a website for Linda, but she has a significant profile on Glazy, and many published books and a youtube channel. 

https://lindabloomfield.co.uk/  ?

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I said, quick, lol!