Understanding glaze chemistry has never come easy to me. I have to work very hard for it to sink in and make sense. In the past I avoided putting in the time to learn the science behind making glazes, even though I really had an interest. There are so many varibles, it's easy to over-think the process and make it more complex than it needs to be.
Yesterday I woke up with thoughts of glaze testing consuming my mind. I got out the Glaze Master Guide and with much determination I worked my way through the program. To help me better understand some of the chemistry concepts I referred to the books "Mastering Cone 6 Glazes" and "The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes".
Learning about the "Seger Unity Formula" is a hurdle that I'm still struggling to fully understand. I'm not good at just accepting a concept, I always think deeper and want to know why. I'm learning that sometimes I just have to accept the concept and trust that the why will reveal itself as I continue to study glaze.
I cracked open John Britt's "Understanding Glazes" DVD. The DVD is a great intro to glaze chemistry.
John gives a quick run through of different ways to test. He simplifies what glaze is chemically. He talks about many individual chemicals, explaining what category they belong and a brief about what they do.
John gives a quick run through of different ways to test. He simplifies what glaze is chemically. He talks about many individual chemicals, explaining what category they belong and a brief about what they do.
GLAZE
* Glass former = RO2
*Melter / Flux = RO, R2O
*Stabiliser / Refractory = R2, O3
10 hours later I had a much better understanding of all the things I still need to learn. Ha!
My glaze journey has just begun.
Happy Glaze Day!
My glaze journey has just begun.
Happy Glaze Day!