Whites

GLAZE OF THE WEEK 12

THE MANY HUES OF WHITES

  • What is shiny white? (Glossy White)

  • What is satiny white? (Miller White)

  • What is matte white? (Mamo, Spodumene)

  • Each white is very stable

  • All whites, on dark clay will show iron freckles v Nice combinations suggested

MILLER WHITE has been the most dependable glaze in the studio for a long time.
It looks good with either oxidation or reduction, so one can not go wrong. On white clay bodies, it forms a satiny opaque white which does not run at all. It is perfectly safe for dinnerware and mugs. Just by itself it is quite beautiful. It accepts almost every other glaze as an accent for color. Brushwork with Tenmoku makes a handsome brown design. Oribe makes a soft green accent. Limestone Blue shimmers. Royal Blue is a good solid blue, but these blues tend to run, even on this glaze, so use sparingly. The copper reds might come out red, or pinkish, always iffy. Cobalt blue stain and chromium green stain forms a good color, but not brilliant as in the clear glazes. G Black when brushed on makes a soft blue. The most elegant combination is a trail of Nelson’s Transparent on Miller White. The trail becomes a pearly silvery color against the white. Toshiko Orange can work well as a thin trail sometimes.

Another good trick is to use a wax resist design on a bisqued pot, then glaze with Miller White. The result is a matte (unglazed design) in the white glaze. Sometimes the design is outlined in light rust color due to the iron in the clay.

On dark clay, Miller White retains the satin white appearance with many freckles from the iron in the dark clay. This can be very effective on patterned or carved pieces.

Patient potters usually mix the glaze very well, then strain the amount they will use to get a very smooth coating of glaze. Drips can be rubbed out when dry.

Miller White is one of the glazes that can be used to make a cool stoney surface on porcelain. Glaze the pot by keeping it in the tub a long time. Then let it dry as usual. Using a mask, thoroughly scrape off all the glaze into a tub of water to prevent excess glaze dust. Leave nothing on the pot; there has been enough of the glaze to get into the surface. The result is a matte finish with a suggestion of reflected light. Depending upon the shape of the piece, this is an interesting effect.

GLOSSY WHITE is just that: glossy, like enamel. It does not run particularly. It accepts colored stains very well, as Marie Kodama has shown. On porcelain it is very shiny white, like a white refrigerator. On darker clays it is shiny, too, but has brown freckles from the iron in the clay, quite interesting.

MAMO is a matte, off white, which seems to cover porcelain and other white clays as well as dark clays with a matte finish in oxidation or reduction. On dark clay, not too thick, Mamo is very attractive and functional-looking, especially when Queenie Kwock uses this glaze. On carved pieces which are glazed, then wiped off leaving

1

Mamo in the recesses, the carvings are outlined in white. Wax resist designs work well on dark clay with Mamo. Glazes of other colors and stains can be used with Mamo, greens and blues. Give it a try. Patti Jones uses a blend of Turquoise Matte with Mamo resulting in a soft sea green. The mix tends to run, so use it as an accent. Brian Molmen has used Mamo very effectively on several clay bodies.

RUTILE contains an iron/titanium mixture which can produce an opalescent blue sheen on white. Either white or dark clay can achieve this effect in reduction.

MAJOLICA is a creamy smooth yellow white which is well known for accepting colored stains for designs all over the world. It has a semi glossy finish. By itself it is not very interesting, but certainly safe for food serving pieces when inside the piece.

MAJOLICA WHITE is a pure white majolica which has a silky smooth finish, perfect for designs in color. This glaze is purchased from Ceramics Hawai’i.

EGGSHELL is a slightly creamy white semi matte glaze especially good on white clay and freckles a lot on dark clay. It is quite stable, doesn’t run in the firing. As an accent or design, most other glazes and stains work well with Eggshell. HPG uses the Carleton Ball formula.

EGGSHELL 2 ( from a bigger, browner chicken), eggshell in color, that is, beige or sand colored.

SHINO when thick and in oxidation firing is shiny white with some orange places where it is thinner or partly reduced.

MEYER’S SHINO is a glaze formula Yoko brought from a workshop in Colorado. It tends to be a white shino in our firings. Only a small batch has been made.

SPODUMENE is normally used as a lithium flux in glazes. It contains lithium, alumina and silica in its molecule, and therefore can be used as a glaze itself when combined with other stabilizing compounds. It makes a very white matte non- running glaze on white clay; white or off white with freckles on dark clay, generally more white and more matte than Mamo, but similar. It covers very well.

Pat Harwood 7/17/2005 ed Janury 2007 4/15/07 January, 2009 Ed April 23, 2009 Nov 2010

2

Naauao