Tasks Accomplished previously: The last firing, cone 04, resulted in a sugary coating like an under-fired glaze. Tasks to accomplish: 1. increase glass at cone 04. 2. develop colour. 3. measure linear shrinkage. References: Alan Caiger-Smith, Robin Hopper, John Britt, Amy Waller Reflections I left the test bar for B1 (fig.1) to dry for two to three weeks, much longer than I normally would. I noticed shortly before firing that the efflorescence seemed thicker than usual, and more blue than usual. I will experiment with timing. The shrinkage bar for B1 resulted in a deep, intense copper blue. I quite like it. You can see on the bead (fig.1) that the oxide percentage may be a little too high; it's flat black in places. I used 3.5% copper carbonate; however, drying time seems to be a factor that increases the saturation of the colorant. The crackle pattern is appropriate for a decorative object, providing an engaging break-up of light. There is the possibility of staining the crackle. The surface is still filled with micro-discontinuities, which a soak would likely cure, or going up one cone, to 03. The shrinkage bar is tricky to read. Shrinkage bars are fired without glaze, so it's easy to read the measure. But here there is no "without glaze", so it is a bit tricky to read the measure. It looks to be 14% shrinkage. I will have to make better marks. Workability is not awful, but I did not push it. You can see in the pic below that it takes a ragged edge which means relatively low plasticity and limited workability. It is also somewhat friable in drying. I think it needs some bones. B1 was the second iteration of a formula based on compositions by Robin Hopper and John Britt. Robin Hopper's Egyptian Paste ^08 Feldspar 36%. Silica 18 Kaolin 14 Ball clay 5 Sodium bicarbonate 5 Soda Ash 5 Calcium carbonate 4 Fine white sand 7 Bentonite 4.5 98.5% Flux: 50, Silica: 18, Clay 23.5 John Britt's Egyptian Paste ^06: Soda feldspar 38 Silica 38 Ball clay 12 Soda ash 6 Sodium bicarbonate 6 100% Flux: 50, Silica: 38, Clay: 12 I decided to fire toward the upper end of the Egyptian paste range, about ^04. If you look at Hopper's slides, his glaze is sugary, not glassy, and it has large discontinuities. Britt's on the other hand is closer to what I want, a more continuous glass surface. I don't see a reason for Kaolin, it will make it more refractory, and I would in any case choose a more plastic clay. So I came up with the following mix, B1 (fig.1), as a starting point: ^04 F3110. 4.3 Neph Sy 30.5 Soda Ash (lite) 10.5 Silica (400M). 30.5 OM4. 17.5 Vee Gum T 3.5 CuCo3 3.5 100% Flux: 45.3, Silica: 30.5, Clay: 21 It combines aspects of both Britt's and Hopper's formulae. B1 is much higher in silica like Britt, and much higher in clay, like Hopper. I think clay is going to be important for a decent range in workability, and some bones to help knit the body together. Temperature at 04 seems fine. Tasks accomplished: 1. Increased the glassiness of the surface 2. Developed an intense turquoise blue 3. Shrinkage is at 14% Task to accomplish: 1. Increase plasticity 2. Decrease friability 3. Test for different drying times 4. Decrease soda ash 5. Do an absorption test
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