In this three-part class, the principles of testing glazes will be introduced, and small batches of a cone 6 glaze will be prepared, fired, and examined in order to understand the functions of the various glaze ingredients.

 

The class will include easy-to-understand background information on the chemistry of glazes. We will take a basic glaze recipe and vary the proportions of the ingredients to see the effects of the different components on the properties of the fired glaze, and then we will test the effects of colorants and opacifiers:

 

First class (February 15, 2020): Introductory information on glaze chemistry and glaze testing procedures; preparation of small batches of base glaze and application to test specimens (test pieces will be fired before the second class meeting.)

 

Second class (February 22, 2020: Additional background information; examination and discussion of the results of the first firing; addition of selected colorants and opacifiers to the same base glaze and application to test specimens (test pieces will be fired before the third class.)

 

Third class (February 29, 2020): Examination and discussion of the firing results. Suggestions for additional testing. 

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All three classes are held on Saturdays, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (3 hours) at the Washington Street Studios Ceramics classroom. Class size is limited to eight. Tuition of $95.00 includes all three classes and materials.