I'm having some crazing problems with the blue glaze I've been using on the inside of my pots. It's not severe, and sometimes not there at all, but just the fact that there are a few tells me it's a problem I have to deal with. So, my first line of attack is to alter the glaze a little. The original recipe calls for Soda Feldspar, so I made a test with Custer Feldspar, and Nepheline Syenite. I then made a test with the original recipe, increasing the Silica by five percent in three increments. I then did the same using the Custer substitute and the Neph Sye substitute. If the crazing isn't too bad, it is my understanding that an increase in Silica may solve the problem. Of course, I need for the problem to be solved without significantly changing the appearance of the glaze, which I happen to like. So I threw some test cups today and we'll see. I personnally am not overly concerned with a few random craze lines, but I can just hear the same question being asked over and over again by customers about it. In theory it could mean the pot is weakened as well, so might be good to deal with for that reason. I am typing with my grandson on my lap so kind of hard to focus my thoughts. I just put in Ghostbusters for him, and he's holding Jurassic Park going "dinosaur movie, dinosaur movie" (he's actually saying Di-saur moomi). Well, chow for now.
6 comments:
I really need to get to learning glaze chemistry. Good luck with your testing!
ghostbusters! top twenty moomie for me! emma says the same word..moomie, i like it better myself, and not caring too much about correct english, i say it quite often. also we now say own-ya, for oatmeal...really language is quite fluid, most words now came from something else...two year olds define language pattern is my newest-theory...right..
If the glazes comes out looking good, do you use the test cups or are they just for testing.
I don't know a lot about glaze chemistry. I had to google the problem to discover the increasing silica thing. These cups I threw specifically for testing. They are pretty small. I am going to trim the bottoms though, so if they come out okay, maybe they can be little soy cups or something. More often than not however, they end up as just test cups. Some day I'm going to post a photo of all my test cups and tiles. I'll have to wait for spring again so I can spread them out in the yard for a photo. There are a lot.
Good luck with your testing. Whew, something is always cropping up. My newest glaze is not crazing on my white slip but it's bubbling on my black slip. AGGGGGGH. Oh well.
Regarding your comment on 'hope' in the last post. Sarah and I were at a Zen workshop a couple weeks ago and the subject of hope came up. Some one said they had saw a bumper sticker that said I've given up hope. The teacher said that was good because when you give up hope you have let go of 'future thinking' ie not living in the present moment. So giving up hope can be good. be in the in moment...not in the future (hope).
Thanks Ron. That's a really good way of looking at things that I never really thought of before. Super hard to let go of the past sometimes, and recently in two movies I think I heard this line that was something like: what are you waiting for [to do or be whatever] this is life now-live it. It got me thinking a little. The glaze thing is sooo frustrating. I just keep thinking-can't I have a break? Just a little good luck my way?
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