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The Ceramics
Insider
08/01/08
Contents:- More Simple Ceramic Ideas
- Duncan Q & A
- Customer's Projects
- Glass Slumping Molds
- Sale
- Submit Your Tip and Get a Gift Certificate
- Web Links
More Simple Ceramic Ideas
1. How to use Kemper's Designer Dots - Find the design that best suits your purposes. Use a damp sponge to lightly cover the dots with underglaze, then carefully press the dots on your bisque to print the design. If you use a solid shaped design you can go back when the paint is dry and add a little contrast or highlight with another underglaze color and a detail brush like BR596.Or, if you are working with clay, press the Designer Dots into the damp clay to incise the design. When clay is dry antique with EZ Strokes, wiping back with a damp cloth. The color will stay in the incised design, making it show up beautifully after firing. And, yes, this will work with your molded greenware, too.
In addition, these Kemper's Designer Dots can be used with acrylic paint on your finished ceramic pieces as well as notecards, scrapbooks, wood projects, furniture - and more! This is a great opportunity to use your imagination.
2. Gorgeous glazes you should know about - Pumpkin Spice. This Courtyard glaze gives a beautiful rich dark orange color to your fall pumpkins. Pumpkin Spice settles into the detailed areas bringing out every little nook and cranny to give your pumpkin an authentic pumpkin look, and it is non-toxic so you can even use it on dishes, bowls, cups, etc. Try CY118 Pumpkin Spice, send us pictures of your completed work and let us know what you think. We think it is spectacular!
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Duncan Q & A
We found these questions and answers on the Duncan website (along
with a lot more) and thought they deserved to be shared. We will have more Q
& A in our next newsletter.
Can I apply glaze directly to
greenware?
No. Firing glazes on greenware is an unsatisfactory
shortcut to a finished object and, more often than not, will produce a less
than perfect finished piece. Gases are released from the clay when firing
greenware. If you apply a glaze over greenware, gases will be released through
the glaze. This can cause imperfections in the glazed surface.
My
glaze cratered or bubbled, why?
Craters or bubbles are caused by
underfiring, a too thick application of glaze, or immature bisque.
To remedy, sand or grind down the bubbles, add a thin coat of glaze and refire
to proper cone.
My glaze left pin-holes, why? Can I fix it?
You may see pin-holes in your glaze because of underfired (immature)
bisque, dust on ware, applying glaze to greenware, firing too rapidly,
improperly adjusted slip, or firing wet glazes. To remedy, apply a thin
coat of glaze, refire to proper cone.
My piece has a gritty
surface, what caused this?
A gritty surface can be caused by an
insufficient application of glaze or because the glaze was misfired. To
remedy, reapply the glaze and fire to proper cone.
My piece has
blisters, what caused this?
Blistering can be caused by
over-application or under-application of the glaze, overfired or underfired
glaze or a poorly ventilated kiln.
What caused my glaze to craze?
Crazing is caused by immature bisque, thermal shock, improperly
formulated body, or a heavy glaze application. This can sometimes be
fixed by refiring the piece one cone hotter than the original
cone.
What causes glaze to crawl?
Dust on ware
or glaze puddling in recessed areas may cause glaze to crawl. You
can try to fix this by removing the dust, reapplying the glaze and
firing to proper cone.
Why did my Satin Glaze fire out shiny?
If satin glazes are fired hotter than a cone 06 they will fire out
shiny.
My red glaze fired out to a grey color, what happened?
Red fired products containing cadmium can experience a washed out or
greyed appearance if they are fired too hot, do not have enough color applied,
or are fired with items decorated with copper formula glazes or
greenware.
Customer Projects
New Feature - Our first customer project is submitted by Robbie Bell of The Speckled Dog Pottery . Robbie hand sculpts and wheel throws little teapots, then fires both Duncan and Mayco low fire glazes to cone 6 with outstanding results. Be sure to check out these beautiful teapots, then visit Robbie's website to see more.
Glass Slumping Molds
We have found a website we thought might be of interest to those who do glass slumping and/or fusing. It is called Slumpy's and has tons of molds for slumping glass, fusing glass, fiber paper and more. If you like working with glass this site seems to have it all.
Sale Items
Visit our sale page to see all the items on sale this month. Be sure to check out the special sale on 8oz Concepts Underglaze for Bisque!
Submit Your Tip and Get a Gift Certificate
If you have a helpful hint, tip, or trick you would like to share, send your tip along with your name and address to: theceramicsinsider@creativeglazes.com. If we use your tip in The Ceramics Insider, you will receive a $15 gift certificate (via US mail) from Creative Glazes and get your name in print! (or remain anonymous if you prefer)
Simple, Secure, Convenient - Creative Glazes.
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