 Tony Hansen's Thousand-Post TimeLineI am the creator of Digitalfire Insight, the Digitalfire Reference Database and Insight-live.com. ... more 
The incredible plasticity of bentonite. And a lesson it teaches.The 20cm vase on the left is thrown from what I thought was a very plastic body, I achieved close to the same thickness top-to-bottom (5mm). The one on the right was the same original height, 20cm. But it has dried down to only 18cm high, it shrinks 14% (vs. 6% for the other). The thinnest part of ... more Context: Bentonite, The Black Art of Drying Ceramics Without Cracks, Plasticity Monday 17th June 2019 3D Printing the Medalta 66 prototype mugThis took 12 hours! Notice the supports it prints for the handle. These break away after it is done. Of course the surface is not smooth enough to use as a model, but the purpose was to hold it to judge size, wall thickness, handle feel and shape. I will make the molds and jigger templates using the printer also. Context: 3D Printing Ceramics Friday 14th June 2019 
G3806C with lower thermal expansionG3806C has been our recommended base recipe for reactive glazes (by the addition of colorants and opacifiers). It excels for copper blues, for example. But its thermal expansion is high enough that it crazes on some bodies (e.g. Plainsman P300). To adjust it (via glaze chemistry) I introduced some ... more Context: G3806C - Cone 6 Clear Fluid-Melt Clear Base Glaze Monday 10th June 2019 
Almost final recipe for cone 6 copper blue - G2806BThis is the winner of a five-way cone 6 copper blue glaze comparison that started with my dissatisfaction with Panama blue. When I compared these glazes I did not just eyeball them on a tile. I compared the melt flow, thermal expansion and slurry performance of the bases (without the copper and ... more Context: Copper Carbonate, G3806C - Cone 6 Clear Fluid-Melt Clear Base Glaze Tuesday 4th June 2019 
Cone 6 copper glaze works because of the fluid-melting base recipeThis is not just a typical transparent cone 6 glaze with 2% copper carbonate added (and 2.5% tin oxide). Knowing what is different about this clear base, its trade-offs and how it was developed are important. The porcelains are Plainsman P300 and M370. The liner glossy glaze is G2926B, it has a much ... more Context: G3806C - Cone 6 Clear Fluid-Melt Clear Base Glaze Tuesday 4th June 2019 
It is impossible to dry this clay. Yet I did it. How?These are made from a 50:50 mix of bentonite and ball clay! The drying shrinkage is 14%, more than double that of normal pottery clay. It should be impossible to dry them, the most bentonite bodies can normally tolerate is 5%. Yet notice that the handle joins with the walls are flawless, not even a ... more Context: Bentonite, The Black Art of Drying Ceramics Without Cracks, Drying Performance, Drying Shrinkage, Clay Cracking During Drying Tuesday 28th May 2019 
Brushing glazes can go on unevenly for more than one reasonBoth of these were glazed by brushing. The inside transparent and white glazes are fairly easy to apply evenly but the bright color on the outside left one certainly is not. The problem is a combination of things. It is difficult to apply it evenly with a brush. It is difficult to get it on thick ... more Context: Brushing Glazes Tuesday 28th May 2019 
Partially and fully opacified cone 6 G1214Z matte glazeThis is a calcium matte base (as opposed to the magnesia matte G2934). The clay is Plainsman M390. 5% Zircopax was added on the left (normally 10% or more is needed to get full opacity, the partially opaque effect highlight contours well). 5% tin oxide was added to the one on the right (tin is a more effective, albeit expensive opacifier in oxidation). The PLC6DS firing schedule was used. Context: Zircopax, Tin Oxide, G1214Z - Cone 6 Silky Matte, Plainsman M390, Matte Glaze Tuesday 28th May 2019 
4% iron oxide in a clear glaze. Unscreened. The result: Fired specks.Iron oxide is a very fine powder. Unfortunately it can agglomerate badly and no amount of wet mixing seems to break down the lumps. However putting the glaze through a screen, in this case, 80 mesh, does reduce them in size. Ball milling would remove them completely. Other oxide colorants have this same issue (e.g. cobalt oxide). Stains disperse much better in slurries. Context: Iron Oxide Red, Agglomeration Sunday 26th May 2019 
Screened to 80 mesh and feels absolutely smooth, but still speckles in reductionThe reduction was fairly heavy and this piece went to cone 11. The tiny iron stone concretion particles melted vigorously and flowed. This is why clean firing results requires 200 mesh materials! Context: Particle Size Distribution, Specking Wednesday 15th May 2019 | Contact Us:Use the contact pages within or outside your account at Insight-Live.com 
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Still available for Mac, PC, Linux Interactive glaze chemistry calculations (legacy, no longer supported) What people have said about digitalfire• Thanks for your time. It's impressive to get this kind of customer service. • I knew nothing about chemistry, so I have already learned a great deal from the information you've so generously provided on-line. • High marks for the web site! • Nice to know you are out there to lend us a hand. You are very much appreciated by this potter and many more, I am sure. • I really enjoy the information you have on your website ... it is the best I have seen on the internet ... I appreciated your help on using and creating slips and adjusting base glazes. • Your attention to the people has been allways great, as its your software, thanks for the support. • Many Solution Regarding Ceramic Problems Got From Your Website.Thank You Very Much. Click here to see all 191 What people have said about Insight-Live• It's very impressive work you do. Thanks you for providing it. • Insight live is great...! • I discovered your website after trial and failure for 35 years. WOW ! The questions you have answered for me and the knowledge are immeasurable To think I am going to get past the Science and onto the Art makes me near giddy. Your site is amazing. My college age kids are going to be dazzled I did this. Every single college ceramic studio should know about your site. I want to tell them! • Thank you so much for the fantastic info and knowledge you provide for us potters on your page! • How amazing it is to have personal contact on such an amazing technical site and I can’t express my gratitude for your generous spirit. • Please continue this brilliant service! • I have learned alot from you. Click here to see all 113 |
