Glazing4 min read
What Is Ceramic Glaze Made Of? The Three Ingredients
Every ceramic glaze is silica, a flux and alumina, plus colourants. Here is what each part does, where it comes from, and why glazes only work in a narrow range.
Firing
9 posts filed under firing.
Glazing5 min read
How to Glaze Pottery at Home, Step by Step
Dipping, pouring and brushing glaze onto bisque ware, with the preparation and thickness checks that decide whether the result is even or patchy.
Troubleshooting4 min read
Drying Pots Evenly: The Step That Decides If They Survive
Most cracks are made during drying, not making or firing. Control airflow, keep bases and rims at similar rates, and slow the whole thing down.
Clay bodies5 min read
What Is Low Fire Clay? And Which Clay Ceramics Actually Use
Low fire clay matures around cone 06 to 02, roughly 1000 to 1100 C. It stays porous, takes bright colour, and depends on its glaze to hold liquid.
Firing4 min read
Firing Clay Without a Kiln: What Actually Works
Pit firing, a barrel, a raku setup or a paid community firing. Here is what each method can and cannot do, and why an oven is not one of the options.
Firing5 min read
Cone 6 vs Cone 10: Which Firing Temperature Should You Work At?
Cone 6 mid-fire and cone 10 high-fire produce different colours, different costs and different equipment needs. Here is how to choose and what changes.
Pottery basics5 min read
Stoneware, Porcelain or Earthenware: Choosing a Clay Body
Clay bodies differ in firing range, porosity, grog content and how forgiving they are. Here is how to pick one for what you actually make.
Glazing5 min read
Glaze Crawling: Why It Happens and How to Stop It
Crawling is a glaze pulling away from the clay into beads and bare patches. Almost always it is contamination, dust, or a glaze layer applied too thick.
Pottery basics5 min read
The Stages of Clay: Slip, Plastic, Leather-Hard, Bone Dry, Bisque
Every pottery instruction depends on the clay being at the right stage. Here is how to identify each one by feel and what you can and cannot do at each.