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hydrangea and cobalt sulfate

updated sun 21 nov 99

 

clennell on fri 19 nov 99

I became interested in the minerals entering the wood that I fired our kiln
with. You could see trace elments of manganese, iron, titanium in the ash
on the fired pots.
Some years ago I inherited several pounds of cobalt sulfate. Not knowing
what to do with it I put a wash on some pots and then a crackle glaze over.
It looked fine but travelled right thru the plate and left a cobalt stain
on the kiln shelf.
So this summer I decided to feed Sheilas hydrangea plant some cobalt
sulfate and water just as the buds were appearing. We ended up with a
beautiful pink/blue flower on an otherwise white hydrangea. The stuff had
been sucked right up the plant.
I'm saving my cobalt sulfate for plants.
cheers,
Tony

Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King St.
Beamsville, On. L0R 1B1

http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
e-mail:clennell@bestnet.org
905-563-9382
fax 905-563-9383

Kurt Wild on sat 20 nov 99

Tony:
Throw some iron oxide out under a tree (preferably an oak). When it
rains the iron will be soaked up by the roots and drawn up to the
leaves. In fall the leaves will drop and you can gather them up and
maybe sell them along with your pots. They should be like those metal
leaves you can find in some gift shops. An old blacksmith told me
that's how he made the iron leaves he sold.

clennell wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I became interested in the minerals entering the wood that I fired our kiln
> with. You could see trace elments of manganese, iron, titanium in the ash
> on the fired pots.
> Some years ago I inherited several pounds of cobalt sulfate. Not knowing
> what to do with it I put a wash on some pots and then a crackle glaze over.
> It looked fine but travelled right thru the plate and left a cobalt stain
> on the kiln shelf.
> So this summer I decided to feed Sheilas hydrangea plant some cobalt
> sulfate and water just as the buds were appearing. We ended up with a
> beautiful pink/blue flower on an otherwise white hydrangea. The stuff had
> been sucked right up the plant.
> I'm saving my cobalt sulfate for plants.
> cheers,
> Tony
>
> Tony and Sheila Clennell
> Sour Cherry Pottery
> 4545 King St.
> Beamsville, On. L0R 1B1
>
> http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
> e-mail:clennell@bestnet.org
> 905-563-9382
> fax 905-563-9383

--
Kurt Wild
1000 E. Cascade Ave.
River Falls, WI 54022
Phone: 715-425-5715
email: kurt.l.wild@uwrf.edu
web site: http://wwwpp.uwrf.edu/~kw77/

Hank Murrow on sat 20 nov 99

Hey Tony! How about saving those blooms for awhile until you get enough to
burn to ash, and make a glaze from that recycled Cobalt Sulphate. Wear your
gloves, Great Circle of Life and All That! Love, Hank Murrow in Eugene, OR


>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I became interested in the minerals entering the wood that I fired our kiln
>with. You could see trace elments of manganese, iron, titanium in the ash
>on the fired pots.
>Some years ago I inherited several pounds of cobalt sulfate. Not knowing
>what to do with it I put a wash on some pots and then a crackle glaze over.
>It looked fine but travelled right thru the plate and left a cobalt stain
>on the kiln shelf.
>So this summer I decided to feed Sheilas hydrangea plant some cobalt
>sulfate and water just as the buds were appearing. We ended up with a
>beautiful pink/blue flower on an otherwise white hydrangea. The stuff had
>been sucked right up the plant.
>I'm saving my cobalt sulfate for plants.
>cheers,
>Tony
>
>Tony and Sheila Clennell
>Sour Cherry Pottery

Mike Gordon on sat 20 nov 99

Hi,
My mother used to put egg shells around the base of her hydrangea's in
order to get blue and iron nails if she wanted pink. Mike