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a safer way with oxide colourants

updated wed 26 sep 01

 

Martin Howard on tue 25 sep 01


We discussed some time ago the idea of using slips as the medium for putting
colour onto pots. Then clear glaze to seal it in and protect the colourant
chemicals from leaching out.
Has anyone on the list tried this as a project, exercise or as general
method in their pottery?
It seems to me that we could get really lovely and safe glaze effects in
this way.

I noticed with a bucket of white clay slip with 2% CuO, that in the bisque
fire it looks really awful, just blobs of darker grey green on dirty white.
But I expect (hope, pray for!) a real transformation when I put different
glazes on top of it, even just the clear glaze. Then the copper will do it's
thing.
Perhaps this might be a path for adding other interesting elements which can
have health problems when added only to the glaze coat.

Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England

martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk