Making glass stick on a pot
Glaze is essentially glass formulated to stick on clay. Each glaze has four parts: glass, clay, flux and colorants. The clay helps the glass stick onto the pot. The flux is the material that helps the glass melt at the temperature at which the pot is being fired. The colorants, usually metals oxides, give the glaze its beautiful colors.
If these materials are not in "balance" then the glaze could bubble, crackle or run off the bottom of the pot. Glaze balance also impacts the glaze's hardness and durability. Varying the four components, a potter can create surfaces that range from very dry or matte to slick and shiny.
Applying glazes
Darlene mixes these glazes and mixes them with water to create a slurry that she then sprays onto the pots using a sand blasting gun. This allows her to get soft, layered transitions in her glazes. The insides of pitchers and bowls she will often pour into the middle and rotate the piece to cover the entire inside of the piece.
Base 5 Tan glaze recipe
Here is one of Darlene's glaze recipes.
material percentage Frit 3134 24.55 Dolomite 3.00 G200 Feldspar 15.20 Whiting 5.36 Kaolin 15.81 Flint 33.87 Zinc Oxide 2.20 Totals: 100% Also add: Tin Oxide 1.00 Rutile 3.00 Red Iron Oxide 3.00
Where do the colors come from?
Read Firing Pots to find out!
Darlene carefully mixes the glazes via a calculated recipe.
She creates a slurry then sprays the glaze on the tops using a sand blasting tool.
Darlene finally got the glaze load finished and loaded the kiln.