Colorado
Masterpiece
I am using mid-fire clays and glazes - Cone 6
Colorado’s Ceramics
- Thread starter Colorado
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I am using mid-fire clays and glazes - Cone 6
Colorado
Masterpiece
Thank you friend! What a fun and challenging journey - I’m really in deep now!
Man, I hated those Borg episodes of Star Trek, gave me nightmares.
Now, get to glazing!!!
Colorado
Masterpiece
Now, get to glazing!!!
I am already looking forward to opening the kiln after tomorrow’s glaze firing! I feel like a kid on Christmas morning
Bob Hunter
Shohin
If you are building with really dry clay try Scoring and slip the corners for the coils.
Colorado
Masterpiece
Well, my first few firings have produced many more “challenges” than successes. Cracks, warping, glaze pitting….*sigh*….Nobody ever said pottery was going to be easy, but I never would have imagined how challenging it actually is!!!
Ok, now that I am done feeling pitiful, time to figure out how to fix these issues!
Since success has been hard to come by, I might as well enjoy this small victory! Blue-ish glaze with small, dark, melty specs. I actually really like this one!
The cream glaze got totally f-ed up. Next time I am going to try firing it to a higher temperature and on a different clay body.
This one was supposed to be a crystal-ish blue color but I got olive green instead
The purple glaze turned out to be a hideous brown color. I didn’t even bother with photos. I am going to have to figure out something else for that one.
I am going to keep my head up and keep trying! Maybe if I keep at this for a couple of decades I’ll be able to make a decent pot some day
Ok, now that I am done feeling pitiful, time to figure out how to fix these issues!
Since success has been hard to come by, I might as well enjoy this small victory! Blue-ish glaze with small, dark, melty specs. I actually really like this one!
The cream glaze got totally f-ed up. Next time I am going to try firing it to a higher temperature and on a different clay body.
This one was supposed to be a crystal-ish blue color but I got olive green instead
The purple glaze turned out to be a hideous brown color. I didn’t even bother with photos. I am going to have to figure out something else for that one.
I am going to keep my head up and keep trying! Maybe if I keep at this for a couple of decades I’ll be able to make a decent pot some day
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Are you bisque firing before glazing?
RJG2
Omono
Well, my first few firings have produced many more “challenges” than successes. Cracks, warping, glaze pitting….*sigh*….Nobody ever said pottery was going to be easy, but I never would have imagined how challenging it actually is!!!
Ok, now that I am done feeling pitiful, time to figure out how to fix these issues!
Since success has been hard to come by, I might as well enjoy this small victory! Blue-ish glaze with small, dark, melty specs. I actually really like this one!
View attachment 475630
The cream glaze got totally f-ed up. Next time I am going to try firing it to a higher temperature and on a different clay body.
View attachment 475631View attachment 475632
This one was supposed to be a crystal-ish blue color but I got olive green instead
View attachment 475633
The purple glaze turned out to be a hideous brown color. I didn’t even bother with photos. I am going to have to figure out something else for that one.
I am going to keep my head up and keep trying! Maybe if I keep at this for a couple of decades I’ll be able to make a decent pot some day
I like the "cream" one!
Colorado
Masterpiece
Yes, although this batch I only bisque fired to 06. Will try going to 04 next time for the bisque and see what happens.
Colorado
Masterpiece
Thanks! I kind of like it too, it’s kind of an interesting texture, but it was supposed to be smooth! Lol!
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
I always bisque to 06. That was standard for many years. Bisque to 04 has not been necessary for me and in some ways seems counter intuitive. To you rinse your bisque pieces in cool water before glazing? How long was your firing? Did you use a hold?
Feel free to send a pm and I will help as much as I can. I sure have screwed the pooch before. I have had some loads that made me want to give up. But even in a bad load I seem to find a diamond in the rough.
I have to go unpack a tree and do a little pruning and wiring but I will get back to you.
JeffS73
Shohin
Ah mate, as all potters can, I empathise with your pain! Clay is a harsh taskmaster, but you will get there. How about the unglazed?
You need to make some test tiles for your glazes before you put them on pots. There's a whole world of chemistry to learn to fix these issues. Iron rich clays do often cause more problems. Have you seen Digitalfire and Glazy? Those two sites are a godsend.
You need to make some test tiles for your glazes before you put them on pots. There's a whole world of chemistry to learn to fix these issues. Iron rich clays do often cause more problems. Have you seen Digitalfire and Glazy? Those two sites are a godsend.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
I sent you a pm.
Colorado
Masterpiece
Thanks a ton, Jeff! I will check out those websites for sure.
I have fired 2 unglazed pots so far. Results were “meh.” Both were slab builds and had some small cracks and some (fairly minimal) warping. On those I did a single firing, Cone 5 on “slow” setting with 3 hour candling at the beginning. Maybe I should try bisque firing the unglazed before the final fire and/or longer candling. I am also going to try a couple different clay bodies and see how that goes.
Colorado
Masterpiece
Success! I finally pulled a couple pots out of the kiln that I am really proud of!
Here’s an elongated hex, about 12” x 2”. It fired really well, no cracking and no warping! Turned out to be a beautiful reddish color, really nice for unglazed in my humble opinion. Nice smooth finish.
Still plenty of room for improvement, but it feels nice to have something work out the way I was hoping!
Here’s an elongated hex, about 12” x 2”. It fired really well, no cracking and no warping! Turned out to be a beautiful reddish color, really nice for unglazed in my humble opinion. Nice smooth finish.
Still plenty of room for improvement, but it feels nice to have something work out the way I was hoping!
Colorado
Masterpiece
This one came out nice too. 9” x 4” hex.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
What clay is that? Manganese? It's dirty and gasses a lot.
How long did you fire?
You should be able to go slower and longer and be ok.
The green looks like not enough glaze.
Nice.
I'd opt to fire the glaze longer and slower and just quick bisque to harden em.
Or just go gangster and single fire!
Sorce
Colorado
Masterpiece
Yes it is a high manganese clay….which at the time I didn’t realize was going to cause problems!
Is the “gassing” causing warping, do you think? Or just problems with the glaze? I don’t think I’m going to use that clay any more but I have quite a few pieces I’ve made with it that I might as well fire…
I’m going single fire on the unglazed!
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