Category : Uncategorized

Here is a gallery of pots made with this enamel:

To obtain this "Nuage cendré" glaze, I started from my " fleurs de pissenlit " glaze, to which I added antimony in various proportions:

The test on the right appeals to me with its satin finish and shades of black, green and white...

I try again, weighing the ingredients to obtain a finer result than before. In fact, for the previous test, as is the case when I start from an existing base, I don't weigh all the ingredients, I take a volume of glaze that's already ready and add the metallic oxides to quickly see if a lead can be taken further. This is the case here, so I give it another try:

It seems to be interesting to dig between the second and third attempts. I carry out a new test with a concentration between the second and third test. I also use less material as the enamel looks runny:

I decided to test this recipe on a larger room:

I like the result! I carry out my thickness test:

Here are some pieces with this enamel:

I wanted to obtain a fish-scale glaze. The literature on the Internet indicates that this can be obtained starting from diagram 46 (see Daniel de Montmollin's book). On a first scan, I obtained the following result:

A first result close to laminated plaiting (what we call snowflakes or fish scales) appears. I decide to select sample no. 3 and test it with greater thicknesses:

The result is quite catastrophic! Craters appear, and it even looks as if the clay has been eaten away by the glaze. I'd never seen that before.

I'm going to give it another try by adding more silica (I can't remove any because I'm already at the minimum silica level in the recipe).

A lamination appears, but there's still a strange effect on the sample's periphery.

I'm trying it on a large piece of enamel to see if the effect isn't simply due to the smallness of the sample:

I like the result, but there's a lack of glaze around the edge of the pot, so I'm trying to glaze a second piece with a thicker glaze:

The greater thickness doesn't solve the problem - on the contrary, the same phenomenon occurs as before. At this stage of my research, I'm quite baffled and wonder how to solve this problem!

I decide to resume my initial sweep but spread the zone further apart:

After this trial, which didn't seem conclusive at first, I carried out 2 new separate searches, changing the raw materials in the recipe quite radically, while remaining in the same place on the diagram. These 2 searches didn't yield anything very interesting, so I won't go into them here. It was only after these two "failures" that I came back to the above result.

I looked at the result in the top right-hand corner and noticed that there was no "crater" formation around the edge. I reproduced this test by increasing the thickness:

On the plus side, the rim is once again correct. A flaky effect can be seen, even if it's not very obvious, and there's also a lack of homogeneity in the fusion, no doubt due to the glaze application.

So I decided to test this formula on a large workpiece by dipping to see what I could get:

the result is satisfactory. The edges look good, there's no "crater", and the laminated effect appears. I decide to make another thicker piece:

The enamel edges are just as good! (Phew!) The layered braiding also appears.

I perform my usual thickness test:

The result doesn't really appeal. I decided to do some research on this type of enamel, called fish scale for example. During my research, I came across 2 recipes that I decided to try "just to see":

The test was inconclusive. Perhaps a thickness problem? I'll do another test on a larger piece, increasing the thickness:

The result is starting to look very interesting. However, I decided to do a few tests to improve the recipe a little. I start by making a variation on lithium carbonate:

The sample (red dot) that doesn't contain lithium carbonate is closer to what I'm looking for.

Here are some more tests of raw material variations:

These tests do not improve the recipe.

I decided to experiment with thicknesses, here with the basic recipe:

and here the same thickness test but with the modification made by removing the lithium carbonate:

The result is less transparent and whiter. I like it better!

I'm doing a final test on a larger room with this recipe:

Impeccable! We approve!

Here are a few examples of projects using Craliné enamel:

To obtain this "Craliné" enamel, my starting point was my " Greku " enamel, to which I added Rutile in different proportions:

I'm interested in the color of the second test. So I try again, weighing the ingredients to get a finer result than before. Indeed, for the previous test, as with tests using an existing base, the ingredients are not weighed. Instead, I take a volume of ready-made enamel and add the metal oxides to quickly see if a lead can be further developed. This is the case here, so I'll give it another try by going through the weighing process:

I select the second sample and continue a scan of the Rutile concentration but more finely around this sample:

I select the central sample and carry out a test on a larger piece:

The result satisfies me! I do my famous thickness test:

Here are a few pieces made with this glacier-blue enamel:

To obtain this "Glacier Blue" glaze, my starting point was my " Greku " glaze, to which I added Cobalt in various proportions:

Even the lowest concentration of Cobalt produces a result that's too sharp for me. I therefore tried again, weighing the ingredients to refine the result. In fact, for the previous test, as with tests using an existing base, the ingredients are not weighed. Instead, I take a volume of ready-made enamel and add the metal oxides to quickly see if a lead can be further developed. This is the case here, so a new trial with weights corresponding to the 2 lowest concentrations of Cobalt:

As the blue was too strong, I carried out new tests by reducing the concentration of Cobalt:

Once again, the lower concentration of cobalt seems too dark.
Unable to weigh a lower concentration of cobalt with my equipment for testing on a wafer, I prepare a larger volume of enamel to halve the concentration and test it on a larger piece:

It's very close to what I'd like. On the other hand, the rendering isn't blue enough.

New test with a cobalt concentration 50% higher than before:

The result is satisfactory! I then carry out my famous thickness test:

Here is a gallery of pieces made with Feuilles d'automne enamel:

To obtain this "Autumn Leaves" glaze, my starting point was my " Dandelion Flowers " glaze, to which I added Iron Oxide in different proportions:

The test on the right suits me with its variations of green and orange.

I try again, weighing the ingredients to obtain a finer result than before. Indeed, for the previous test, as when testing from an existing base, the ingredients are not weighed. Instead, I take a volume of ready-made enamel and add the metal oxides to quickly see if a lead can be further developed. This is the case here, so try again:

I think it would be interesting to go deeper between the second and third trials with an intermediate concentration of Iron Oxide. I'm also using less material, as the glaze looks runny:

I decided to test this recipe on a larger room:

I love the result! I'm doing my thickness test:

Here are a few examples of pieces with this enamel:

To obtain this "Eucalyptus Green" glaze, my starting point was my " Dandelion Flowers " glaze to which I added Cobalt in different proportions:

The middle test suits me, with its turquoise color and the appearance of bright green at the edge, combined with the maintenance of a small nucleation.

I try again, weighing the ingredients to obtain a finer result than before.
Indeed, for the previous test, as when testing from an existing base, the ingredients are not weighed. Instead, I take a volume of ready-made enamel and add the metal oxides to quickly see if a lead can be further developed. This is the case here, so a new trial centered on the middle sample:

I'm a bit disappointed. The blue has faded, as have the nucleations, and the enamel seems particularly runny. I select the right test and reduce the silica (left) and increase it (right):

We can clearly see the impact of silica on the flowability of the glaze and on the appearance of nucleations. In the end, the middle test is a good compromise.

I decided to test this recipe on a larger room:

The result doesn't look blue to me. I try again, adding more Cobalt:

The result is more in line with what I was looking for! I carry out my thickness test:

Here's a gallery where you can see pieces made with this "Greku" enamel:

When I started thinking about this Greku, I wanted to obtain a "Snowflake" glaze. After some research on the Internet, diagram 46 of Daniel de Montmollin's book is an interesting lead.
When I first scan this diagram, I get this:

In the foreground, an area of the diagram seems conducive to the development of a snowflake glaze. You can follow the rest of this research here.

In the second row, we observe a fairly white glaze with significant braiding. The addition of India ink on the third sample clearly reveals this braiding, reminiscent of a Raku firing.

So I decided to direct my tests in this direction:

I retain the third sample and vary the contribution of silica (first row), then a greater thickness :

The thicker test seems more interesting. So I'm testing this formula on a larger piece:

The result is not satisfactory. Perhaps the enamel thickness is too thin.
I try again with a thicker enamel:

The results of this test are starting to go in the right direction.
However, small air bubbles appear and make the whole thing unsightly.
I then tried reducing the silica content to eliminate these imperfections:

Reducing silica seems to reduce the appearance of air bubbles.
I'm continuing in this direction with a lower silica intake:

The air bubbles seem to have disappeared. I select the sample on the right and glaze a new piece:

The result is much more convincing, but I would have preferred a whiter, less transparent glaze.
I then carry out another test (control sample above), adding: bone ash (row 1), Zinc Oxide (row 2), Zirconium Oxide (row 3) and Colemanite (row 4):

Tests with Zinc Oxide, Zirconium Oxide and Colemanite cause the braiding to disappear. However, the braiding persists with bone ash.
New test on a part with a concentration between the first and second test of row 1:

The result is a little disappointing, certainly due to the enamel thickness again being too thin.
I therefore carry out a thickness test:

The hypothesis seems to be confirmed: a greater enamel thickness (tests on the right) creates the desired effect.
I therefore carry out a new test by increasing the thickness:

I win! The result pleases me very much.
I therefore validate this glaze and name it Greku because it is indeed Stoneware with a Raku effect.

Here are a few pieces with this "Dandelion flowers" enamel:

To obtain this "Dandelion flowers" glaze, I started with my " Lychee" glaze. In fact, this very clear enamel has a good quantity of Titanium, so I wanted to observe the range of colors I could develop from this base.

I therefore carried out tests by weighing the same quantity of " Litchi " glaze (already prepared) and adding different oxides in different proportions. This imprecise method has the advantage of enabling me to carry out a large number of tests quickly, without having to do a lot of weighing. Following these tests, the most interesting ones, if any, can be confirmed by going back to the weighing method.

Here is the result of this first test, with the addition of Copper Oxide in various proportions:

I really like the third sample. So I decide to try again by actually weighing each raw material to determine the right amount of Copper Oxide for each:

The fourth sample is my favorite! However, the glaze seems very runny. I then make a progression of Silica:

The first sample selected, I then decided to make an Alumina progression using Kaolin :

I keep the medium sample and proceed with my thickness test:

Here are a few pieces with this "Pistachio" enamel:

To obtain this "Pistache" glaze, I started with my " Litchi" glaze. In fact, this very clear enamel has a good quantity of Titanium, so I wanted to observe the range of colors I could develop from this base.

I therefore carried out tests by weighing the same quantity of " Litchi " glaze (already prepared) and adding different oxides in different proportions. This imprecise method has the advantage of enabling me to carry out a large number of tests quickly, without having to do a lot of weighing. Following these tests, the most interesting ones, if any, can be confirmed by going back to the weighing method.

Here are the results of this first test, with Nickel Oxide added in various proportions:

Here, the third sample shows yellow, green and brown hues! So I decided to try again, actually weighing each raw material to find the right amount of Nickel Oxide for each:

I like the sample with the most Nickel Oxide, but what result do I get after adding more Nickel Oxide? So I decided to carry out new tests with, on the one hand, more Nickel Oxide :

I like the second one!

and, secondly, by varying the Titanium Oxide :

Not extraordinary.

I go back to my second sample and make a Silica variation because the enamel looks a bit runny :

I select the sample on the right, which looks a little less runny.

So I'm trying this enamel on larger pieces:

I'm delighted with the result!

I then carry out my thickness test:

Here are a few pieces with this "Caramel" enamel:

To obtain this "Caramel" glaze, I started with my " Litchi" glaze. This very light glaze contains a good quantity of Titanium Oxide, so I wanted to be able to observe the range of colors I could develop from this base.

I therefore carried out tests by weighing the same quantity of " Litchi " glaze (already prepared) and adding different oxides in different proportions. This imprecise method has the advantage of enabling me to carry out a large number of tests quickly, without having to do a lot of weighing. Following these tests, the most interesting ones, if any, can be confirmed by going back to the weighing method.

Here's the result of this first test by adding Iron Oxide in different proportions:

Here, I note the "Caramel" brown color that appears in the fourth sample. So I decided to try again, actually weighing each raw material to find the right amount of corresponding Iron Oxide:

It's not easy to find the enamel of the fourth sample. It must be between the 3rd and 4th, so I repeat the sampling of different proportions of Iron Oxide, but in a more targeted way:

I select the fourth sample. But given its slight runniness, I carry out a test by varying the Silica :

I decide to stay with the middle sample and carry out my thickness test at the same time:

I'm testing this formula on larger pieces: