[Clayart] testing clay and glazes

[mel jacobson]

i am of the mind that the best way to find out about
clay and glaze is...`try and break it`.

rather then all sorts of chemistry tests...try and break it.
that is what i have been doing for a month.

make some plates with your normal clay.
set them out wet, turn on fans and up your studio
heat.  see if the clay cracks during drying.
see how far you can push your clay.
force it.  roll out clay and wrap it around your
fingers, or over a rolling pin.  turn on the fans.
use a hair dryer.  see what happens.
then throw the entire mess back in the scrap bucket
i sure would not make plates for six years then write a story.
\`my plates have been S cracking for six years...after one
s crack i would find out why>>>>? 
or this is classic...`it takes my white clay two weeks to dry
for bisque firing.`   that clay would be out of my studio for ever..
one s crack...gone.  and don't tell me its compression.  it is the clay.
too tight.

when using ron's black glaze i have re/fired, added more glaze to a fired
piece.  how does it fit...or does it run off.???
make four layers of the glaze...dip four times..4 seconds each'
what happens.?  how does the glaze stay on the pot after the glaze is dry.
does it flake, does it peel, does it shed??????when you load the kiln
is there flakes of clay on the shelf???

why do you think i started four hour firings..down firing????? i had to find
out what would happen.  as it turns out...nothing happens,
the pots are fine...great...perfect.

i can dip a fired mug into a sorta thick ron roy black and it sticks
i did this to 7 mugs.  re/fired..they looked great.
like magic.  why?..i don't care  it works.  if it did not...well, i 
would call
ron...`hey ron, why does this glaze act funny`.  ??

-- 
Mel's Website:  www.melpots.com
CLAYART PAGE:
http://www.melpots.com/CLAYART.HTML

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