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When supply chains broke, prices soared.
We have not forgotten. Time for DIY!
As potters, we learned during COVID that no one is affected by supply chain problems more than prepared glaze manufacturers; they have complex recipes that require complex supply chains. It wasn't just availability; product consistency was also affected. It is again time to think about DIY, to start learning how to weigh out the ingredients to make at least some of your own. Arm yourself with good base recipes that fit your clay bodies (without crazing or shivering). Add stains, opacifiers and variegators to the bases to make anything you want. Admittedly, ingredients in your recipes can also become unavailable! But DIY as about options. When you "understand" glaze ingredients and what each contributes to the recipe and oxide chemistry, you are equipped to go well beyond weathering material supply issues. You will improve recipes, not just adjust them, to accommodate alternative materials. It is not rocket science; it is just work accompanied by organized record-keeping and good labelling.
Related Pictures
Global supply chain issues?
A DIY mindset can make you more resilient
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The more complex your supplier's supply chain, the more likely they won't be able to deliver. And that prices will rise even further. How can you adapt to disruptions, even turn them into a benefit? Historically, pottery has been a shining star of resilience and independence because the materials were in the ground nearby. You cannot likely head out to the nearest hill with your wheelbarrow to get clay, but you can do something even better.
Rather than viewing these containers as full of specific brand-name clays, minerals and man-made powders, it is better to view them as full of materials that supply the physical properties and chemistries needed to make bodies, glazes, engobes, slips, etc. By characterizing your glazes and bodies, using an effective record-keeping system, you can not only adjust recipes to adapt to changing supplies, but even improve them in the process (adjusting glaze thermal expansion, temperature, surface, color, etc). Or, use materials native to your area. It is not rocket science; it is just work and gradual learning accompanied by organized record-keeping, good labelling and interpretation skills.
Here is my setup to make brushing glazes and underglazes by-the-jar
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Although I promote DIY dipping glazes, you can also make DIY brushing glazes. Let's make a low SG version of G2934BL. Weigh out a 340g batch of dipping glaze powder. Include 5g Veegum (to gel the slurry to enable more than normal water) and 5g CMC gum (to slow drying and impart brushing properties). Measure 440g of water initially (adjusting later if needed). Shake-mix all the powder in a plastic bag. Pour it into the water, which is blender mixing on low speed, and finish with 20 seconds on high speed. This just fills a 500ml jar. In subsequent batches, I adjust the Veegum for more or less gel, the CMC for slower or faster drying and the water amount for thicker or thinner painted layers. Later I also assess whether the CMC gum is being degraded by microbial attack - often evident if the slurry thins and loses its gel. Dipping glaze recipes can and do respond differently to the gums. Those having little clay content work well (e.g. reactive and crystalline glazes). If bentonite is present it is often best to leave it out. Recipes having high percentages of ball clay or kaolin might work best with less Veegum. Keeping good notes (with pictures) is essential to reach the objective here: Good brushing properties. We always use code-numbering (in our group account at Insight-live.com) and write those on the jars and test pieces. This is so worthwhile doing that I make quality custom labels for each jar!
Make your own vibrating sieve
And process your own super-fine clays
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Being more independent is now cool again. Actually, it is being forced upon us by necessity because of supply chain issues and skyrocketing prices of convenience glazes, bodies, engobes, etc. Independence involves using sieves. True, it is no problem for a potter or lab tech to manually coax a glaze slurry through a small 80# sieve. But real independence is about sieving in volume - clay bodies made from your own native clays. And doing it at up to 325 mesh. That requires a vibrating sieve. This one cost us less than $100 to make. Of course, a Tyler sieve (or similar) is needed, these can be purchased on Ebay or Amazon. And a vibration motor, some metal and hardware and a friend with metal fabrication tools. This demonstrates the utility of a vibrating sieve, the idea can be scaled to any size you need. As an example, oil well drilling sites here have to remove particulates from huge volumes of drilling mud and they do it on giant multi-level units.
A plaster table: Better than a pugmill, essential for testing
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This is an example of an angle iron utility table being made into a plaster table. The cardboard sides extend upward to make the slab thicker and create a buffer gap to prevent the expanding and setting plaster from pressing outward on the frame. 150 lbs plaster (92 lbs water) was poured into the plastic-lined space (the bottom cardboard sections were supported from below). In a dry enough climate, this table could make enough clay to support slurry-to-plastic production for a potter (a thicker slab and a fan would enable even more capacity). The slurry-up process is better than a pugmill for small operations. It's much cheaper and is an easier way to utilize scrap material and weigh out custom recipes. The clay quality and de-airing is better (without hard chunks and contamination common to pugmilling). The procedure generates much less dust and the tank is easily cleaned. Slurries are easily sieved, especially if you have a sieve shaker.
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. |
| Recipes |
G1916Q - Low Fire Highly-Expansion-Adjustable Transparent
An expansion-adjustable cone 04 transparent glaze made using three common Ferro frits (low and high expansion), it produces an easy-to-use slurry. |
| Recipes |
G3879 - Cone 04 Transparent Low-Expansion transparent glaze
A super transparent low fire base clear glaze created by reverse engineering a commercial product. |
| Articles |
Where do I start in understanding glazes?
Break your addiction to online recipes that don't work or bottled expensive glazes that you could DIY. Learn why glazes fire as they do. Why each material is used. How to create perfect dipping and brushing properties. Even some chemistry. |
| Glossary |
Base Glaze
Understand your a glaze and learn how to adjust and improve it. Build others from that. We have bases for low, medium and high fire. |
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