Is the V.C. 71 pottery glaze a true matte?

The top glaze is V.C. 71, a popular matte cone 6 glaze used by potters. Bottom is G2934 matte, a public domain recipe produced by Plainsman Clays. The latter is a high-MgO matte, it melts well and does not cutlery mark or stain easily. As evidence that it is a true matte, notice that it is still matte when fired to cone 7 or 8. V.C. 71, while having a similar pleasant silky matte surface at cone 6, converts to a glossy if fired higher. This suggests that the cone 6 matteness is due to incomplete melting. For the same reason, it is whiter in color (as soon as it begins to melt and have depth the color darkens).

Related Pictures

Why does VC71 not cutlery mark when it is barely melting?

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Left: VC71 cone 6 silky matte glaze. Right: An adjustment that adds boron melter and SiO₂/Al₂O₃ (which preserves their ratio). The dramatic improvement in melting was unexpected. Even though B has the same Si:Al ratio, it is completely glossy. Why? A (left) is simply not melting completely, that is why it is silky matte (not a true matte). Yet it feels like a good silky matte and is resistant to cutlery marking. Why? Touch alone can be misleading. Cutlery marking usually happens with matte glazes or heavily opacified whites, this is neither, it is an under-fired glossy glaze, fired just high enough not to mark.

No crazing out of the kiln. But an ice-water test did this.

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The side of this white porcelain test mug is glazed with varying thicknesses of V.C. 71 (a popular silky matte used by potters), then fired to cone 6. Out of the kiln, there was no crazing, and it felt silky and wonderful. But after a 300F/icewater IWCT this happened (it was felt-pen marked and cleaned with acetone). The glaze was apparently elastic enough to handle the gradual cooling in the kiln. However, the recipe has 40% feldspar and low Al₂O₃ and SiO₂, in a cone 6 glaze these are red flags for crazing.

No matter what anyone tells you, glaze fit can rarely be fixed by firing differently (that just delays it). If someone needs to cool their kiln slowly to prevent crazing it simply means the glaze does not fit - its needs to be adjusted to reduce its co-efficient of thermal expansion.

Two matte mechanisms: One crazes the other does not

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These two glazes look the same, they are both cone 6 satin mattes. On the same porcelain. But the matteness "mechanism" of the one on the left, VC71, is a low Si:Al ratio melted by zinc and sodium. The mechanism of the one on the right, G2934, is high MgO melted by enough boron to also have plenty of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃. The "baggage" of the mechanism on the left is high thermal expansion and crazing (drastically reducing strength and providing a space for a germ zoo). If your ware develops this your customers will bring it back for replacement. No change in firing will fix this, the body and glaze are not expansion compatible. Period.

Videos

Links

Recipes	G2934 - Matte Glaze Base for Cone 6 A base MgO matte glaze recipe fires to a hard utilitarian surface and has very good working properties. Blend in the glossy if it is too matte.
Glossary	Matte Glaze Random material mixes that melt well overwhelmingly want to be glossy, creating a matte glaze that is also functional is not an easy task.
Glossary	Trafficking At Digitalfire we use the term "recipe trafficking" to describe the online trade in ceramic and pottery glaze recipes that can waste your time and cost you lots of money. Better to learn to understand glazes.
Troubles	Over Firing of Ceramic Glazes and Bodies Overfiring can happen with glaze, engobes or clay bodies. The problem is more subtle than you might think.

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