Oh I love love love the surprises you get from opening the kiln after a long wait to come back down to temperature. I am certainly appreciative of the work that goes into commercial glazes but I already see that there are properties of each one that I want to enhance or reduce. That kind of thinking is going to get me into some rabbit holes I can already tell.
The black slip over the different clay bodies worked perfectly! It really gives that deep dark almost burnt in reduction look.
Here are a few examples of how it will look when using the glazes over the slip on the right hand side. I didnt have enough space to do a test with the double glazes over black raven body / raven slip but I’ll do that next time maybe if I feel like there is any potential for something radically different.
For now though I think I have enough data to pare down my choices and drill down deeper into fewer variables. I’d like to eventually get to one or two clay bodies that do exactly what I want them to do and maybe dabble in some porcelain as it has that certain allure for potters. Can you say: Cone 10 – wood fired? Wow!
The best of the home processed clay turned out with a little surprise at cone 6 – black specs, I guess iron or some other mineral. With maybe a very small percentage of plastic clay I think it would be very workable. I may try something small even without the mix to see how it performs.
As always. Kiln wash is a must unless you just love buying new shelves.
FireCrown Pottery 