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suemcleodceramics

Weekly blog posts about ceramic glazes & studio tips
Free specific gravity guide
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One of the most common causes for a cloudy clear glaze is it's applied too thick.⁠
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But how do you make sure you're always applying it at its optimal thickness?⁠
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By measuring SPECIFIC GRAVITY, of course! 🤓⁠
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This image shows our studio clear glaze at 3 different thicknesses. All tiles are dipped for 6 seconds so dip length isn't a factor.⁠
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The difference is that the specific gravity (SG) goes down from left to right. In other words, the water content goes up from left to right.⁠
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The SG of the left glaze is 1.6 g/mL⁠
The SG of the middle glaze is 1.5 g/mL⁠
The SG of the right glaze is 1.4 g/mL⁠
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If you want to learn how to figure out the best SG for your clear glaze so you can always keep it consistent, check out my blog post: Getting Clarity with Clear Glazes. Follow the link in my bio.⁠
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#cloudyclears #cloudyclearglazes #clearglazes #ceramics #glazes #ceramicglaze #understandingglazes #howglazeswork #glazetesting #testtiles #glazetests #exploringtheartandscienceofceramics #canadianceramics #yyjceramics #yyjpottery #vancouverislandpottery⁠

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New Blog Post: Getting Clarity with Clear Glazes⁠
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Have you ever had trouble with a clear glaze that clouds up and covers the colours and images underneath it? Isn't it annoying?⁠
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Instead of enhancing your artwork, it muddies it up.⁠
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Maybe sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and you can't seem to control the results.⁠
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In today's blog, I discuss 3 possible causes of cloudy clear glazes.⁠
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One has to do with temperature, one with chemistry and one with application thickness.⁠
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The good news is, if your clear glaze is great SOMETIMES but not ALL the time, then we know it's POSSIBLE for it to be great all the time.⁠
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We just need to do a bit of testing.⁠
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Find out how and get some clarity with your clear glaze by following the link in my bio 😁⁠
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#cloudyclears #cloudyclearglazes #clearglazes #ceramics #glazes #ceramicglaze #specificgravity #glazeflaws #understandingglazes #howglazeswork #glazetesting #glazetests #exploringtheartandscienceofceramics #canadianceramics #yyjceramics #yyjpottery #vancouverislandpottery⁠

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Yesterday I posted an article about what to keep track of in your glaze journal. It's a list of all the details I write down during the glaze mixing, glazing, firing and kiln unloading processes.⁠
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It's a pretty lengthy list so I created a free downloadable checklist to go along with the article. You can print it out and keep it in your studio for reference.⁠
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Diligent note taking is going to help you understand and master your glazes so much faster. There's also a section about photo journaling if you prefer visual record keeping. I like to do both!⁠
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The link to the pdf is within the blog post. They go hand in hand. Just follow the link in my bio to read the article and grab your free checklist.⁠
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#ceramics #glazes #understandingglazes #notetaking #recordkeeping #howglazeswork #glazechemistry #ceramicscience #glazetesting #glazetests #exploringtheartandscienceofceramics #sciencemeetsart #canadianceramics #yyjceramics #yyjpottery #vancouverislandpottery

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New Blog Post: What to Keep Track of in Your Glaze Journal⁠
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Do you take notes of your glazing process? Do you record which glazes you use over and under other glazes? Do you keep track of how long you hold your pieces in the glaze for?⁠
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These are all good things to keep track of, especially if you haven't mastered the glazes you're using yet. The more details you pay attention to while you're glazing, the faster you'll "get to know" your glazes and how they work.⁠
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I recommend everyone has a "glaze journal" where they keep track of these things. I've been keeping one for 10 years and it's definitely helped me learn a lot of patterns and solve a lot of problems.⁠
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In today's blog post, I list out all the things I like to keep track of during the glaze mixing, glazing, firing and kiln unloading processes.⁠
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The last section is about what I like to take photos of during all those stages as well. A picture of a glazed piece before the firing can be so valuable when your pieces come out looking amazing!⁠
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There are lots of photos of my messy handwriting in my own glaze journal over the years, showing the notes I've taken. I hope they inspire you be a diligent note/picture taker during your glazing process.⁠
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The magic is in the details!⁠
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To read the article, follow the link in my bio.⁠
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#ceramics #glazes #understandingglazes #notetaking #recordkeeping #howglazeswork #glazechemistry #ceramicscience #glazetesting #glazetests #exploringtheartandscienceofceramics #sciencemeetsart #canadianceramics #yyjceramics #yyjpottery #vancouverislandpottery⁠
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Lichen glazed translucent porcelain. Check out yesterday's post to see how it glows 🔥 #translucentporcelain #lichenglaze #glowcandles #lagunafrost

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Translucent porcelain is AHH-MAZING! 😍 #translucentporcelain #lichenglaze #glowcandles #lagunafrost

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New Blog Post: Different Styles of Test Tiles for Glaze Testing⁠
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A test tile is just a piece of clay that's used to test a glaze in the kiln. Test tiles can be any shape or size that you wish and they can be made in a number of ways.⁠
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They can be extruded, cut from a slab, thrown on the wheel, pinched, pressed into a mold, slip cast... really, any method you use to make pots can be used to make test tiles.⁠
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Today's blog post is about all the different ways you can make test tiles. It's a collaborative post, which I love.⁠
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It contains LOTS of images shared by members of my FB community of all the different ways they make their test tiles.⁠
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The images shown here are from (left-right) Ashley Keller, Brenda Keirsebilck and Eleanor Hendricks.⁠
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If you're going to make glaze testing a habit, the first step is to make a whole bunch of test tiles! I hope this article will give you some inspiration to do that.⁠
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#putatesttileineveryfiring⁠
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To read the article OR join my Facebook community, follow the link in my bio.⁠
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#ceramics #glazes #ceramicglaze #understandingglazes #howglazeswork #glazetesting #testtiles #glazetests #exploringtheartandscienceofceramics #canadianceramics #yyjceramics #yyjpottery #vancouverislandpottery⁠

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One glaze test I like to do is take one of my recipes, remove the colourants and test the base on its own.⁠
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If I'm testing a new glaze recipe I found, I'll mix up the base and dip a test tile before adding the colourants.⁠
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This will help you really see the glaze at its core, without being aesthetically influenced by its colour.⁠
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It's good to get used to looking at clear/white glazes without colourants. The more you look at uncoloured glazes, the more details you'll start to notice about the glaze.⁠
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Just like paint, white isn't white isn't white. Glossy isn't glossy isn't glossy. There are nuances that can end up being very important at some point. Start training yourself to see them. ⁠
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Compare your base glazes to each other. What makes them similar? What makes them different? How do they feel?⁠
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Most matte base glazes are white. Glossy base glazes can be white or clear. It's good to see the foundation you're starting with. Then you can compare the base to how it looks with colourants and understand the effect of the colourants a bit better.⁠
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This photo shows my Black Velvet glaze (recipe on Glazy.org) with and without the colourants. The base is a matte white glaze and I add 9% Red Iron Oxide and 2% Cobalt Oxide to make a matte black glaze.⁠
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Have you read my latest blog post about glaze test tips? If not, follow the link in my bio.⁠
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#ceramics #glazes #ceramicglaze #understandingglazes #howglazeswork #glazetesting #testtiles #glazetests #exploringtheartandscienceofceramics #canadianceramics #yyjceramics #yyjpottery #vancouverislandpottery⁠

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Wanna know what my #1 habit is that has led me to a fairly deep understanding of how glazes work?⁠
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I put at least one test tile in every glaze firing.⁠
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This is a habit I adopted right from day one. After leaving art school and starting a home studio practice, my glaze firings were often weeks apart.⁠
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No way was I going to let a glaze firing go by without testing some glazes. Sometimes I'd have a whole shelf full of tests, sometimes there would just be one.⁠
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Sometimes I'd be loading the kiln and notice some extra space so I'd whip up a glaze test or two at the last minute.⁠
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I always had more glaze tests in my head than I had time for, but I had to make the time. Testing, learning and making discoveries are the main reasons I still do ceramics after 10 years. I'll never be done with it.⁠
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So yeah, sometimes I had to force myself to squeeze another test in but it was always worth it!⁠
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It's kind of like exercising. You might not feel like it at the time, but you're always so glad you did it once it's over!⁠
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If you really want to learn about glazes and come up with some amazing colours and textures for your pieces, my challenge to you is this:⁠
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PUT A TEST TILE IN EVERY FIRING⁠
#putatesttileineveryfiring⁠
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Don't waste another opportunity for glaze results and information. This is how you're going to finally discover that perfect glaze for your unique pots (and learn a few things along the way).⁠
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Next time you're loading the kiln and you sneak a few tests in, I hope you think of me 😁⁠
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#ceramics #glazes #understandingglazes #howglazeswork #glazechemistry #glazecalc #glazetesting #testtiles #glazetests #exploringtheartandscienceofceramics #sciencemeetsart #canadianceramics #yyjceramics #yyjpottery #vancouverislandpottery⁠
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