Clay and Glazes for the PotterMy purpose in writing this book has been to present in as clear and understandable form as possible the important facts about ceramic materials and their use in pottery. The ceramic medium has a rich potential. It is so various and adaptable that each culture and each succeeding generation finds in it a new means of expression. As a medium, it is capable of great beauty of form, color, and texture, and its expressions are unique not only for variety but for permanence and utility as well. To make full use of the medium, the ceramist or potter not only needs skill, imagination, and artistic vision, but he also needs to have a sound knowledge of the technical side of the craft. This knowledge has not been easy to come by, and many of those seriously engaged in pottery have learned through endless experimentation and discouraging failures. It is hoped that the present work will enable the creative worker to go more directly to his goal in pottery, and that it will enable him to experiment intelligently and with a minimum of lost effort. While technical information must not be considered as an end in itself, it is a necessary prerequisite to a free and creative choice of means in ceramics. None of the subjects included are dealt with exhaustively, and I have tried not to overwhelm the reader with details. The information given is presented in as practical form as possible, and no more technical data or chemical theory is given than has been thought necessary to clarify the subject. This work is organized as follows: Part One—Clay Chapter I. Geologic Origins of Clay Chapter 2. The Chemical Composition of Clay Chapter 3. The Physical Nature of Clay Chapter 4. Drying and Firing Clay Chapter 5. Kinds of Clay Chapter 6. Clay Bodies Chapter 7. Mining and Preparing Clay Part Two—Glazes Chapter 8. The Nature of Glass and Glazes Chapter 9. Early Types of Glazes Chapter 10. The Oxides and Their Function in Glaze Forming Chapter 11. Glaze Materials Chapter 12. Glaze Calculations, Theory and Objectives Chapter 13. Glaze Calculation Using Materials Containing More Than One Oxide Chapter 14. Calculating Glaze Formulas from Batches or Recipes Chapter 15. Practical Problems in Glaze Calculation Chapter 16. The Composition of Glazes Chapter 17. Types of Glazes Chapter 18. Originating Glaze Formulas Chapter 19. Fritted Glazes Chapter 20. Glaze Textures Chapter 21. Sources of Color in Glazes Chapter 22. Methods of Compounding and Blending Colored Glazes Chapter 23. Glaze Mixing and Application Chapter 24. Firing Glazes Chapter 25. Glaze Flaws Chapter 26. Engobes Chapter 27. Underglaze Colors and Decoration Chapter 28. Overglaze Decoration Chapter 29. Reduction Firing and Reduction Glazes Chapter 30. Special Glazes and Glaze Effects |
Contents
Calculating Glaze Formulas from Batches or Recipes | |
Practical Problems in Glaze Calculation | |
The Composition of Glazes | |
Types of Glazes | |
Originating Glaze Formulas | |
Fritted Glazes | |
Glaze Textures | |
Sources of Color in Glazes | |
Mining and Preparing Clay | |
Part TwoGlazes Chapter 8 The Nature of Glass and Glazes | |
Early Types of Glazes | |
The Oxides and Their Function in Glaze Forming | |
Glaze Materials | |
Glaze Calculations Theory and Objectives | |
Glaze Calculation Using Materials Containing More Than One Oxide | |
Methods of Compounding and Blending Colored Glazes | |
Glaze Mixing and Application | |
Firing Glazes | |
Glaze Flaws | |
Engobes | |
Underglaze Colors and Decoration | |
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Common terms and phrases
added addition alkaline glazes alumina ball clay barium base glaze batch boric oxide brown calcium oxide carbon cause ceramic chemical clay body cobalt oxide colemanite coloring oxides combinations cooling copper oxide crack crazing crystalline crystals decoration deflocculant difficulty earth earthenware effect engobe example feldspar fired clay flint flux frit fusion give glass glaze colorants glaze formula glaze materials glazes containing grey grog heat highfired glazes iron oxide kaolin kiln lead glazes lead oxide lowfired manganese melting point minerals mixed molecules nepheline syenite nonplastic onehalf opaque particles percent piece plastic clay porcelain potassium pots pottery present produce quantity raw materials recipe red clay reduction firing reduction glazes relatively result rutile salt glazing shrinkage silica slip glazes small amount soda sodium soluble stains stoneware stoneware clay surface talc temperature texture type of glaze underfired underglaze color usually various oxides vitrification ware weight zinc oxide