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uses for lowfire glazes

updated thu 6 nov 03

 

Ron Wright on mon 3 nov 03


Most Duncan Courtyard 04 glazes can be fired to cone 5. Their web site
has a chart on which of their glazes can be fired up to at cone 5 and
the color changes. Most of them work fairly well.

Ron Wright
3 Dogs Pottery
Chicago

Sthrngrl wrote:

>I am new to the potters world first starting with lowfire. I accumulated about $300 worth of lowfire glazes before moving up to Cone 5. The glazes are Spectrum and Duncan Courtyard. Now that I am using 4-6 clay/glazes and firing to Cone 5 can
>
>

Sthrngrl on mon 3 nov 03


I am new to the potters world first starting with lowfire. I =
accumulated about $300 worth of lowfire glazes before moving up to Cone =
5. The glazes are Spectrum and Duncan Courtyard. Now that I am using =
4-6 clay/glazes and firing to Cone 5 can any of the lowfire glazes be =
used. What are the goods and the bads of trying them? If I can use them =
can I use them under or over a 4-6 glaze?

Debbie Wilson
dmwilson@tampabay.rr.com

Cindi Anderson on tue 4 nov 03


Hi Debbie
Duncan put out a color chart book showing their low fire glazes at Cone 5-6.
I am looking at the color chips and I will try to describe them. When low
fired, the glaze is stiff and textured patterns really show. When high
fired they melt much more. The glaze flows into the recesses of any texture
and is darker there, while on the high spots you see mostly the clay color.
The colors don't burn out too much at the higher temperature, except all the
darker ones end up looking pretty similar (dark brown/black). I think they
could give some interesting effects if you experiment with them. If you use
them on a vertical surface of course they are more likely to run, so fire
your initial tests inside a bisque bowl or such.

Another option is a second firing at low fire, on pieces that you have high
fire glazed. Sometimes people do this to get more layered effects, or if
they don't like the outcome of the first firing.

Duncan also shows the Courtyard glazes being used in a Spritzing Technique.
Generally this is done over an underglaze. They mix the Courtyard glaze
50/50 with water in a spray bottle and squirt it on. You can use the mist
setting for overall coverage and the stream setting to make random lines.
You get an interesting textured color, kind of like bagging or ragging in
faux painting. At high fire if you did this you would probably get more
running, but if you did it at the top of the pot it might be nice.

And if you don't want to worry about running off pieces at the higher temp,
you can always use them for painting on flat surfaces such as platters. For
example slip trailing or decorative brush strokes.

Cindi
BigCeramicStore.com

----- Original Message -----

I am new to the potters world first starting with lowfire. I accumulated
about $300 worth of lowfire glazes before moving up to Cone 5. The glazes
are Spectrum and Duncan Courtyard. Now that I am using 4-6 clay/glazes and
firing to Cone 5 can any of the lowfire glazes be used. What are the goods
and the bads of trying them? If I can use them can I use them under or over
a 4-6 glaze?

Snail Scott on tue 4 nov 03


At 08:04 PM 11/3/03 -0500, you wrote:
>I am new to the potters world first starting with lowfire...Now that I am
using 4-6 clay/glazes and firing to Cone 5 can any of the lowfire glazes be
used...


Some lowfire glazes actually do OK at ^5. Duncan
even used to have a chart showing what each of
their products did at that temperature. (Many of
them said "Not Recommended", but not all.) As
always, TEST before putting them on anything that
matters. You can also combine them with ^5 glaze.
I do this mainly by firing to stoneware temps
first (with or without a stoneware glaze), then
applying low-fire glaze where I want it and
refiring to ^06 (or even a bit lower, for a
slightly different effect). It can help to heat
the fired clay to help the fresh glaze stick.
Other folks recomend wallpaper paste added to
the glaze, especially if it's going over another
glaze, to help it stick. Brush it on with a soft
brush; dipping doesn't work well.

Contrary to sensible practice, you CAN actually
use low-fire glaze with a high-fire glaze in
the same stoneware firing. TEST FIRST! I doubt
I would ever have tried this for myself, but
when I was a college tech, I 'bounced' a big pot
from the ^10 firing shelf because I recognized
the glaze as low-fire. (The student was one of
those who seldom showed up for class, but really
needed to! He'd missed the lecture when they
learned that all those plastic buckets had the
^10 glaze in them, so he'd used those cute
little jars instead..."the same stuff, right?")
I explained (again) how ^10 firings needed ^10
materials, and sent him off to the bins of high-
fire glazes. Next firing, the pot was back on
the ^10 shelf but with a ^10 glaze on it, so I
loaded it and fired. I discovered when unloading
that he hadn't cleaned off the low-fire glaze;
he'd just put the ^10 glaze over top of it. (!)

Amazingly, it only dripped a little, and the
pattern it made (sort of a lumpy marbled effect)
was bizarre but intriguing, and probably the
best looking thing to come out of that kiln.
So, feel free to give it a try on your own.
Might be interesting. (Or not.) I'd make a clay
slab to go under it, though, with kilnwash on
it, in case your chosen combos are a lot runnier
than you hope. Using the low-fire stuff only on
upper parts of the piece might reduce dripping,
too.

-Snail

Art Davis on tue 4 nov 03








You can also use lowfire underglazes and put a ^5 clear on top and it works great. I use Amaco Velvet Underglazes and Gloss Decorating Colors with clear on top or an occasional swipe of color that I don't want to try to mix up myself and most of the colors hold up OK.


Note that the velvet underglazes are not food safe without the clear on top (not because of being toxic but the texture is rough and you can't effectively clean it.


Art Davis, Yellow Field Pottery, Dripping Springs, TX





 







Art Davis
Yellow Field Pottery
508 Post Oak Drive
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620
512-858-9606








>From: Snail Scott

>Reply-To: Clayart

>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG

>Subject: Re: Uses for lowfire glazes

>Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 07:48:59 -0800

>

>At 08:04 PM 11/3/03 -0500, you wrote:

> >I am new to the potters world first starting with lowfire...Now that I am

>using 4-6 clay/glazes and firing to Cone 5 can any of the lowfire glazes be

>used...

>

>

>Some lowfire glazes actually do OK at ^5. Duncan

>even used to have a chart showing what each of

>their products did at that temperature. (Many of

>them said "Not Recommended", but not all.) As

>always, TEST before putting them on anything that

>matters. You can also combine them with ^5 glaze.

>I do this mainly by firing to stoneware temps

>first (with or without a stoneware glaze), then

>applying low-fire glaze where I want it and

>refiring to ^06 (or even a bit lower, for a

>slightly different effect). It can help to heat

>the fired clay to help the fresh glaze stick.

>Other folks recomend wallpaper paste added to

>the glaze, especially if it's going over another

>glaze, to help it stick. Brush it on with a soft

>brush; dipping doesn't work well.

>

>Contrary to sensible practice, you CAN actually

>use low-fire glaze with a high-fire glaze in

>the same stoneware firing. TEST FIRST! I doubt

>I would ever have tried this for myself, but

>when I was a college tech, I 'bounced' a big pot

>from the ^10 firing shelf because I recognized

>the glaze as low-fire. (The student was one of

>those who seldom showed up for class, but really

>needed to! He'd missed the lecture when they

>learned that all those plastic buckets had the

>^10 glaze in them, so he'd used those cute

>little jars instead..."the same stuff, right?")

>I explained (again) how ^10 firings needed ^10

>materials, and sent him off to the bins of high-

>fire glazes. Next firing, the pot was back on

>the ^10 shelf but with a ^10 glaze on it, so I

>loaded it and fired. I discovered when unloading

>that he hadn't cleaned off the low-fire glaze;

>he'd just put the ^10 glaze over top of it. (!)

>

>Amazingly, it only dripped a little, and the

>pattern it made (sort of a lumpy marbled effect)

>was bizarre but intriguing, and probably the

>best looking thing to come out of that kiln.

>So, feel free to give it a try on your own.

>Might be interesting. (Or not.) I'd make a clay

>slab to go under it, though, with kilnwash on

>it, in case your chosen combos are a lot runnier

>than you hope. Using the low-fire stuff only on

>upper parts of the piece might reduce dripping,

>too.

>

> -Snail

>

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>

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>

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Valice Raffi on wed 5 nov 03


>At 08:04 PM 11/3/03 -0500, you wrote:
>>I am new to the potters world first starting with lowfire...Now that I am
>using 4-6 clay/glazes and firing to Cone 5 can any of the lowfire glazes be
>used...

The Courtyard glazes can be fired to ^6. Duncan's Colorworks catalog
pictures the glazes both at ^06 and at ^5-6. I've used two of them at ^6;
Cool Night and Iron Ore, both are (of course) more melted. I like the look
of Iron Ore applied thinly on highly textured clay.

Valice
in Sacramento