My New Washes for Earthenware Clay - 1000 °C / 1832 °F

My New Washes for Earthenware Clay, developed for a reduction atmosphere and wood-fired kilns.

A typical wash is 50% Metal oxide and 50% flux; this fluxes with the clay body. I have tested fired washes where your fingertips get colored by rubbing them against the surface, so in my new washes for earthenware clay I am looking for something better. I am looking for more variation on the final expression, and a glossier wash means it needs some more quartz to melt.

All these washes are tested with iron oxide, as expected; several look kind of like. Applying a second color wash (with another color) after the first dries makes the expression more complex, and it’s here the magic starts.

Also read:

/once-firing-greenware-glazing-pottery/

/white-low-fire-glazes-for-terracotta/

“New test coming” – marked in red

Wash_1000C_1
Red Thin Wash:
50 – Gerstley Borate
50 – Rutil
20 – Quartz
20 – Ball clay
—
50 – Iron Oxide yellow

I like it, to dry, tested both in reduction and oxidation. Second time: Glazed on 3 objects; two were prefired.

Wash_1000C_2
Black Thin Wash
30 – Borax-E-Frit-P2953-1
30 – Burned-Terracotta
20 – Quartz
20 – Kaoline
—
40 – Black Iron Oxide

1050C in reduction

Wash_1000C_3
Nice Wash
70 – Borax
30 – Nepheline Syenite
10 – Kaolin
—
10 – Copper Carbonate

New Washes for Earthenware Clay - Reduction: Borax, Copper

I love this work: White and dry when thin, black and glossy when thick; the texture of the shape itself worked nicely together with the wash. This wash is ugly on white clay. I use granular Borax, and it’s easiest to dissolve in boiling water; then I added the rest of the powder to the hot water, but in 60 seconds the Copper was a hard, green flake at the bottom. The rest of the wash was like brushing with water. So the result was great, but the glaze process was terrible.

Wash_1000C_4
70 – Baking powder (type: Freia, Norwegian)
10 – Feldspar
10 – Ball Clay
—
40 – Black Iron Oxide

Baking powder dissolves in water, reacts with water, and starts to bubble; it is easy to apply the wash evenly with a brush. Looks good after firing at 1050C in reduction; black with small cracks when applied a little thicker.

Wash_1000C_5
Iron Orange
20 – Borax
20 – Sodium Bicarbonate
20 – Baking powder (type: Freia, Norwegian)
30 – Feldspar
10 – Ball Clay
—
30 – Red Iron Oxide

Too dry, interesting to see how the iron “escapes” the glaze and runs down making a more yellow and rusty feel at the base. A good start for my new washes for earthenware clay, these three melting agents, dissolved in boiling water, worked well; this was a nice and smooth wash to apply. Fired to 1050C in reduction. Nice color scale from red to (terracotta) orange as thin to dry, and next time need to add some quartz to lock the oxide color to the surface.

Wash_1000C_6
50 – Boric acid
10 – Feldspar
10 – Ball Clay
—
40 – Black Iron oxide

Iron red in reduction 1050C, boring and too dry, with no quartz; your finger gets red/brown when rubbing it against the wash.

Wash_1000C_7
Rutile/Iron Earth, Rust, bronse, mørk oker; mye flammevariasjon
30 – Gerstley Borate
20 – Feldspar
10 – Ball Clay
40 – Rutile
—
20 – Red Iron Oxide

Wash_1000C_8
10 – Gerstley Borate
10 – Quartz
10 – Ball clay
10 – Rutile
10 – Strontium carbonate
—
30 – Yellow Iron Oxide

Glaze 1000C once fired wash vine-red blue

Thin Wash needs a lot of water to make the glaze thin. I like it as-is!

Wash_1000C_9
30 – Borax E Frit P2953.1
30 – Burned Terracotta
40 – Green Oxide

Wash_1000C_10
40 – Gerstley Borate
20 – Feldspar Soda
30 – Wood Ash
10 – Kaolin
—
10 – Iron Oxide Red

Wood Ash Glaze, with Birch, coarse silt. Not washed. Quite thick when applying the glaze; after it’s fired, it’s just a thin layer left. The red iron oxide color is nowhere to be seen, but the glaze is interesting. Makes the most sense as a thin glaze/wash. I like it. Ash is fluffy; when mixing the glaze, you get more volume and need to mix more water.