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glaze tests- what shap does yours take?

updated tue 21 aug 07

 

John Post on wed 25 jul 07


... but have not gotten around to implementing myself is what Ruth Ballou does.
She makes slab tiles with stamped pattern to display texture (ala Ian Currie). .
Karin A.

Hi Karin,
I have just put up a website that shows some of my Ian Currie grid experiments fired at cone 6.
You can see it here...
http://www.johnpost.us/

I use the Currie grids to find glazes that work with my firing temperature and cycle.
Then I use extruded t-shaped tiles to test glazes from the grid that look promising.
If the glaze passes the tile test, I'll make 4000 grams of it and start putting it on pots to see how it
behaves before I make a full bucket. These test pots are just small bowls that will easily dip into
4000 grams of glaze.

John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan

Lee Love on sun 19 aug 07


On 8/19/07, Eleanora Eden wrote:

> I would really like to hear more of how people go from tests to pots.

I do L shaped tiles only for the first tests. Then usually
yunomi and chawan.

Want to do Currie grids. Couldn't find syringes in Japan.
Saw them in the cooking department at Target the other day.

--
Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA


"For a democracy of excellence, the goal is not to reduce things to a
common denominator but to raise things to a shared worth."
--Paolo Soleri

Josh Berkus on sun 19 aug 07


All,

I do first run with flat 3" x 1" tiles. These have deep indentations, two on
one end and one on the other. The end with two gets the thicker dip.

Second round, once I've narrowed it down to a few glazes, I do on little shot
glasses I throw.

--
The Fuzzy Chef
San Francisco

Eleanora Eden on sun 19 aug 07


I just read the thread about how people do their tests. I do mine in 2" x 2" tiles that I can put
in a slide sheet. I have all my tests in big 3 ring binders. Works real well for the initial tests.
A serrated rib over one side of the test provides for texture.

My query is more like what John describes below, his strategy for going from test to pot.
I have been moving to small pots I can dip in a yogurt container of glaze....500 gram batch....
and from there to regular pots.

I would really like to hear more of how people go from tests to pots.

Eleanora

>
>
>I use the Currie grids to find glazes that work with my firing temperature and cycle.
>Then I use extruded t-shaped tiles to test glazes from the grid that look promising.
>If the glaze passes the tile test, I'll make 4000 grams of it and start putting it on pots to see how it
>behaves before I make a full bucket. These test pots are just small bowls that will easily dip into
>4000 grams of glaze.
>
>John Post
>Sterling Heights, Michigan

--
Bellows Falls Vermont
www.eleanoraeden.com

John Post on mon 20 aug 07


Lee Love wrote

> Want to do Currie grids. Couldn't find syringes in Japan.
>Saw them in the cooking department at Target the other day.
>
>

Hi Lee,
Valley Vet on the web has the perfect syringes for Currie grids. They
hold 60cc of glaze. You want the one without a needle. It has a plastic
tip that is about 1/2 inch long where the needle would be.
You can order them one at a time or in a box of 20.
Single product # is 12559.
Box of 20 product # is 12970.
The link is below.
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=2e87becd-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

When the syringe plunger gets stiff I spray a little silicone on the
rubber stopper.

John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan

Veena Raghavan on mon 20 aug 07


I too prefer shot glasses, sake cups, and little bowls for tests.

Veena


In a message dated 8/20/2007 6:29:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
fuzzy@AGLIODBS.COM writes:
>
> All,
>
> I do first run with flat 3" x 1" tiles. These have deep indentations, two
> on
> one end and one on the other. The end with two gets the thicker dip.
>
> Second round, once I've narrowed it down to a few glazes, I do on little
> shot
> glasses I throw.

VeenaRaghavan@cs.com

Alisa Clausen on mon 20 aug 07


> Want to do Currie grids. Couldn't find syringes in Japan.
>Saw them in the cooking department at Target the other day.
>
>--
>Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
>
> >


Hi Lee
While you are in the states, you are in the state of the perfect syringes
for grids. Go to a Vet who cares for farm animals and ask to buy some big
syringes. I think I have 60 ml. Remember to grease the membrane and you
are golden. You can also get the red rubber bulb syringes for ear rinsing
at most drug stores.

Best regards from Alisa in Denmark

Lee Love on mon 20 aug 07


On 8/20/07, John Post wrote:

>http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=2e87becd-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

Thanks John. That is cheaper than what I saw at Target. 2 bits is
pretty cheap.

> Sterling Heights, Michigan

I grew up in Madison Heights. My buddy who was a Canadian
immigrant, had allergies or was diabetic (can't remember which), but
he provided us with syringes for our "mad scientist" experiments. We
would use them without the needle to revive bugs out of the swimming
pool. If they wouldn't revive, you could put the needle on the
syringe, and put it in the bee or butterflies thorax and make their
tongues roll out like a New Year's party favor. We only
occssionally stuck ourselves. Can't believe what we got away with
back then!

--
Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
discussion on Beauty:

"For a democracy of excellence, the goal is not to reduce things to a
common denominator but to raise things to a shared worth."
--Paolo Soleri

May Luk on mon 20 aug 07


Hello all;

I start my glaze test with Currie Grids on individual standing tomb stones. I wanted to make the tiles like Mike Baileys in his Oriental Glaze book but I don't have an extruder, so I made these tiles by pounding the edge of a 2 cm thick bar with a rolling pin.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yamerica/sets/72157600170245097/

From the currie grid results [and a quick check with the Glazemaster calculation program], I would mix 2000 kg and start dipping actual pots because it takes time to see how the glaze behaves in the bucket over time. I also need to see how it flows with various shapes while dipping. What happens if I run a brush to touch up, does it matter if I fettle or not, etc. In real life, a glaze is seldom dipped staight up and down with one hand. For me, the handling is just as important to observe as the finished glazed pot. I also make 1000 gm and split into 5 parts to play with different stains, oxides, opacifiers. I save the 200 gm glaze tests in Poland Spring water bottles for paintings later.

Have a good day

May