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majolica and black

updated fri 4 aug 00

 

Wynne Wilbur on thu 3 aug 00


Hi Sharon,

You didn't say what temperature you are firing to with your majolica,
but I'm guessing that the black is a bit refractory and might not be
melting enough. Also, is it pinholes that you are getting or white
spots? These are generally caused by different things, but if it's white
spots that you are getting, firing slower might help (I usually aim for
a 10 to 12 hour firing, going fairly slowly around red heat). Another
possibility is that your white glaze might be too thick although for me
this tends to be a pinholing problem rather than a white spot problem.
Using a black majolica glaze would certainly eliminate the white
spotting in the background. If you don't need a completely solid colored
figure, try painting white just where your figures go, and then use
color on top of the white and leave the background black.

Cheers,
Wynne Wilbur
grad student, University of Florida