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glazes of marshall pottery

updated wed 17 nov 99

 

Scott Simpson on sat 13 nov 99

Hi Clayarters,
I was moving some pieces of wood and other worthless stuff out back of my
house and recovered a piece of an old porcelain crock (it looked Like). It
had been glazed with a dark brown glaze similar to the older pots I've seen
from a pottery in East Texas named Marshall.
My question is, Does anybody know the glaze formula that they used on the
big crocks like 40 -50 years ago? I would like to dupicate it(a chocolate
brown) and the new one they are using. The newer glaze is a lightly opaque
off white.
If any one would like a color pic of the piece of broken crock I have, I
will be glad to send it to you by email.
It may be the brown glaze was so smooth and pretty they had to quit using it
because it had some lead in it. That is where I'm going right now to see if
it has lead in it!
Thanks in advance!

Scott Simpson
RT.3 Box 218
Floydada,Texas
806-983-3456 Hummingbird Pottery

Scott Simpson on sat 13 nov 99

Hi Clayarters,
I was moving some pieces of wood and other worthless stuff out back of my
house and recovered a piece of an old porcelain crock (it looked Like). It
had been glazed with a dark brown glaze similar to the older pots I've seen
from a pottery in East Texas named Marshall.
My question is, Does anybody know the glaze formula that they used on the
big crocks like 40 -50 years ago? I would like to dupicate it(a chocolate
brown) and the new one they are using. The newer glaze is a lightly opaque
off white.
If any one would like a color pic of the piece of broken crock I have, I
will be glad to send it to you by email.
It may be the brown glaze was so smooth and pretty they had to quit using it
because it had some lead in it. That is where I'm going right now to see if
it has lead in it!
Thanks in advance!

Scott Simpson
RT.3 Box 218
Floydada,Texas
806-983-3456 Hummingbird Pottery

Jim Brooks on mon 15 nov 99

Scott.. i think what you have is a pot glazed with Albany Slip.. it forms a
glaze around cone 10.. It was used on many items including electical
insulaters for electric powe lines.. Albany is not available any more. But,
you can get some subsitutes.. I'm sure your going to get more info than you
expected.. I have some glazes.. cone 10 and cone 6 if you want them email
me off line.. Jim

Dannon Rhudy on mon 15 nov 99



For crockery of that time, it is more likely that the color you speak
of is a slip glaze, similar to Albany slip, though more likely using a
local clay instead of shipping it in from New York. But you could ask
them, at least regarding the one they don't use any more.

Regards,

Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com

At 11:46 PM 11/13/1999 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi Clayarters,
>I was moving some pieces of wood and other worthless stuff out back of my
>house and recovered a piece of an old porcelain crock (it looked Like). It
>had been glazed with a dark brown glaze similar to the older pots I've seen
>from a pottery in East Texas named Marshall.
>My question is, Does anybody know the glaze formula that they used on the
>big crocks like 40 -50 years ago? I would like to dupicate it(a chocolate
>brown) and the new one they are using. The newer glaze is a lightly opaque
>off white.
>If any one would like a color pic of the piece of broken crock I have, I
>will be glad to send it to you by email.
>It may be the brown glaze was so smooth and pretty they had to quit using it
>because it had some lead in it. That is where I'm going right now to see if
>it has lead in it!
>Thanks in advance!
>
>Scott Simpson
>RT.3 Box 218
>Floydada,Texas
>806-983-3456 Hummingbird Pottery
>

Debby Grant on mon 15 nov 99

Dear Scott,

I am not familiar with the Marshall Pottery but it sounds like the glaze
you are referring to is Albany Slip, which, of course, is no longer
mined. It is doubtful that the glaze would have a lead base as most
old crocks were high fired. Most supply houses offer substitutes for
Albany but they are not quite the same.

I'd like to hear other potter's take on this subject.

Debby Grant in NH

John K Dellow on mon 15 nov 99

The brown glaze is probably a Bristol Glaze called rockingham
brown .

Scott Simpson wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi Clayarters,
> I was moving some pieces of wood and other worthless stuff out back of my
> house and recovered a piece of an old porcelain crock (it looked Like). It
> had been glazed with a dark brown glaze similar to the older pots I've seen
> from a pottery in East Texas named Marshall.
> My question is, Does anybody know the glaze formula that they used on the
> big crocks like 40 -50 years ago? I would like to dupicate it(a chocolate
> brown) and the new one they are using. The newer glaze is a lightly opaque
> off white.
> If any one would like a color pic of the piece of broken crock I have, I
> will be glad to send it to you by email.
> It may be the brown glaze was so smooth and pretty they had to quit using it
> because it had some lead in it. That is where I'm going right now to see if
> it has lead in it!
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Scott Simpson
> RT.3 Box 218
> Floydada,Texas
> 806-983-3456 Hummingbird Pottery

--

John Dellow "the flower pot man"
Home Page http://www.welcome.to/jkdellow

Tommy Humphries on tue 16 nov 99

Hey Scott,
My name is Tommy Humphries, and I happen to be a Potter at Marshall Pottery
so I just may be able to help you out a bit.
The brown glaze that you have is most likely an Albany Slip glaze that was
used up until the early 60's.
If it is an extremely dark, almost black glaze it is probably a Michigan
slip glaze that dates way, way back there.
Both of the recipes for these glazes have been lost, since the colors were
discontinued, plus a fire destroyed many of the company records in the early
60's.
There was also a lighter speckled brown that was used for a while, but
this, along with almost all remaining glaze records through the mid 70's
disappeared when the glaze tech. quit the company.
The standard glaze that is used for all pots today is a Bristol glaze that
has been used for the past 70-80 years. The management has given permission
to share it here. (to my surprise!) This glaze has been tested for toxic
release repeatedly, so it is food safe.
All quantities are in pounds...

MARSHALL POTTERY BRISTOL CONE 6

FELDSPAR (any) 600 presently using minspar
FLINT 200 MESH 175
BALL CLAY om4 150
#10 WHITING 112
ZINC OXIDE (denzox)112
BARIUM CARB. 36
ULTROX 30
BORAX 25
CMC GUM 3
add 97 gal. water and ball mill for 4 hrs.

Application- spray or dip
singlefire to a HARD cone 6 cone tip should just touch kiln shelf

This glaze is an extremely stable glaze that will not run in the kiln. It is
not very hospitable to color inclusions with the exception of cobalt, which
it was formulated to enhance.
If any of the glaze gurus out there can come up with a version of this glaze
that does not use zinc, but maintains all the characteristics of the
original, but is kinder to colorants, I would love to hear from you !!!

Hope that this helps you out a bit...

Tommy

---- Original Message -----
From: Scott Simpson
To:
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 1999 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: Glazes of Marshall Pottery


> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi Clayarters,
> I was moving some pieces of wood and other worthless stuff out back of my
> house and recovered a piece of an old porcelain crock (it looked Like). It
> had been glazed with a dark brown glaze similar to the older pots I've
seen
> from a pottery in East Texas named Marshall.
> My question is, Does anybody know the glaze formula that they used on the
> big crocks like 40 -50 years ago? I would like to dupicate it(a chocolate
> brown) and the new one they are using. The newer glaze is a lightly opaque
> off white.
> If any one would like a color pic of the piece of broken crock I have, I
> will be glad to send it to you by email.
> It may be the brown glaze was so smooth and pretty they had to quit using
it
> because it had some lead in it. That is where I'm going right now to see
if
> it has lead in it!
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Scott Simpson
> RT.3 Box 218
> Floydada,Texas
> 806-983-3456 Hummingbird Pottery
>
>