[Clayart] using a base glaze

[mel jacobson]

Having a studio base glaze is always
a good thing. A glaze you trust for that
commission of plates. A glaze you can experiment
with forever.  The combinations are never ending.

For two years I turned my entire pottery world
over to electric, cone 6 pots. Mel6 clay, 5/20
glaze, fired as fast as it would go.  It was as
much fun as anything I have ever done in clay.
It was just for me. I have tried to share that
idea with many clayarters.

I made Covid time work for me. It was happy time being
Isolated with kilns.  Sharlene was happy in her new home
without pain. She is doing well. "She does not know who
I am ,so, we leave her be. Keep Her happy.

At my full time home here in the back woods of Wisconsin
I have two electric kilns, one big wood fired kiln, a salt
kiln, a raku kiln, and two stoneware kilns. All of them
fire well.  I use one small electric and a small stoneware
kiln that will fire to cone 7 in under four hours.

The electric kiln is a marvelous tool. It can make
any pots you want. And, it is easy to control and fire
in any weather.

And, without doubt, as you age, the thought of wood fired
pots makes you ill.  That is for the young and hearty.

90 percent of you will never have a fuel kiln. But, all
of you can have an electric kiln. Make it safe, make it your
home base and make pots until the end of life.

I took the gray glaze challenge  early this summer.
I am now making "hare's fur" white to gray to black
pots. Firing to cone 7 gets that glaze moving just a bit.
three layers of glaze moving. I use very soft reduction.
I break out laughing unloading the kiln.  All sorts of new
oxides are finding the buckets. "Nickle Ox".  wow.

I have always preached here on clayart..."simplify". Over
complication makes one crazy. With a base glaze you know
the firing will be fine, but you can make changes whenever
you want.

At present, I am not recording anything on paper. I add oxides
to my 6 buckets of 5,20..just a dab, or a quarter cup. See what
happens.  Like Carol Marians, I could spend the rest of my life
mess'n with cone 7 Mel6 and 5/20. And, I know I can sell it all.
My customers love the new color, they love the same dark clay body.
The glazes have that "wow" factor.

Try it, you might `fall in love`.
It will cure a drinking problem, biting your finger nails
and smoking dope. But, you will eat more sweets. And your sternum
will hurt from all the laughing. Making things with clay is one the oldest
task on earth...maybe baskets beats the time line...but it just brings
joy.
'mel

website: www.melpots.com
www.melpots.com/CLAYART.HTML