Making a jug for Chelmsford Museum- December updates

Chelmsford Museum- Making a Jug-Update

You may have been aware that I've had quite a task to make a special piece of Raku for Chelmsford Museum in Essex. They have a brand new Studio Ceramics Collection and have asked me to contribute a Jug.

The Jugs date back to some of my earliest pieces- but have evolved over the years into the "streamlined" form with circle or spot motiffs. (see opposite) They're much changed to the original pieces which I sold back in 1998/9 to Selfridges and Co in London.

The only problem (and the reason I don't make many these days!) is that they're notoriously difficult to "fume" with copper matte slips. The larger the piece you make- the more difficult it is to get the copper fuming to spread across the piece. Coupled with the thermal shock from the rapid cooling and reduction process- and you've got cracking to contend with. I think it's enough to turn a Potter's hair white!

Having said that- I now have at least 2- possibly 3 examples which I'm satisfied with. I have four more Jugs to fume. It's a great relief to have made them and got most of them fired. There's always a moment during the process where you think "can I actually do this?"

More on the final Jug contenders later this month!

View the making process on facebook-

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.301745003258779.54427.100002698447610&type=3

Comments

Making and firing Raku tiles

I have just had in one or two orders and enquiries concerning Raku tiles. Making them can drive you to despair- what with their tendancy to warp, crack and shrink! It's amazing how something so simple is in actual fact so hard to make. It's also very difficult to lift a flat object out of the kiln with tongs from a red hot kiln. Well, with some prior experience, I've developed a firing system for tiles now which is now working pretty well. Quite simply, I lay each tile on a flat bed of ceramic fibre. That way each tile is raised slightly off the kiln shelf- and it's then easy to grasp the tile with tongs and drop into your reduction chamber/smoking bin. I stack two or three kiln shelves and can pack in about 20 tiles in one batch - depending on size. I do let the kiln cool slightly before carefully removing each shelf of tiles. I back off the gas- get each shelf of tiles out- then power back up to temperature and repeat till they're all safely ...

Early days with volcanic and crater glaze part 2....

I glazed a couple of volcanic/crater glaze tapered bowls recently. They almost "half" work- but I'm still not convinced I've got it right- although it's promising. I layered combinations of glaze but I'm having a slight problem with the thick layers of silicon carbide glaze crawling. Sticky fingers maybe? Lots more to come over the next few months, probably with the next recipe- Pinnel Strontium Crater - with a variety of glaze stain additions . It's a pretty reliable recipe so fingers crossed.

Some more Crater glaze test results

I've been blathering on about Crater and Lava Glaze recipes here and on Facebook too. I suddenly "got the bug" as well as a commission- (more on this later) so hence the rather manic activity testing out glazes and destroying kiln shelves in the process with runny, bubbling glazes. I tested 2 recipes- after first trying the usual recipes from the internet and in various books. As I suspected - few of them gave satisfactory results- either it was "pilot error" or the glaze authors just happen to neglect to tell you that vital missing ingredient, kiln temperature or soak time etc! (Know the type of thing?) Anyway I resorted to testing 2 standard glaze recipes which I've had for years. A turquoise matte and a Lucy Rie white stoneware. The jury is still out on the turquoise variant- but the white is rather nice. A little suggestion from Potter Jan Lewin Cadogan http://www.janlewin-cadogancontemporaryceramics.co.uk/ put me right by suggesting to mix the g...

Shaun Hall's Raku Ceramics Blogspot

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