Category : Uncategorized

Here are a few pieces made with this "Peau d'abricot" enamel:

To create this "Peau d'abricot" enamel, I started with my white enamel, to which I added rutile in various proportions:

Samples 2 and 4 (red dot) hold my interest, so I keep these rutile concentrations.

Tin oxide (part of my white glaze) is a rather expensive raw material. According to the literature, it is possible to use zirconium silicate as a substitute. So I replace the tin oxide by zirconium silicate. I use the 2 concentrations of rutile selected above and vary the zirconium silicate in two different concentrations:

On the top, we find the low concentration of rutile and on the bottom the slightly higher concentration. The top tests seem a bit bland to me. Therefore, I abandon the tests with the lowest rutile concentration and concentrate on the sample (with the red dot), the one with the least zirconium silicate.

I decided to test a larger room to see the result:

Where the enamel thickness is greater, we find the slightly orange speckled aspect.

Unsuccessful attempts

At the same time, we observe the development of the orange hue with the increase of the rutile concentration. Therefore, I decide to increase it a little more:

The rutile concentration on the left gives the desired aspect. The 2 others give a more homogeneous and matte aspect which interests me less.

I add iron to this recipe to check if the orange color appears more pronounced :

This is an interesting test! I add it and comment it because we see that, in this case, we move away from the desired orange shade. At first we think, well, we've made a mistake and lost time. It's partly true... and many tests end up like that.

In order to stay in the process of obtaining more orange hue, I add a little bone ash:

then a little zinc oxide:

a little titanium oxide:

Finally, I decided to go back to the original sample during the zirconium test. I liked this aspect the most.

So I decided to do a thickness test using this recipe(link to build a small tool to measure the thickness of the enamel) :

That's it! After multiple tests, this enamel is validated!

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Here are a few pieces with this "Snail Slime" enamel:

To obtain this "Bave d'escargot" glaze, I followed the same methodology as for my Vert d'eau glaze. Namely, I had my Tressaillé transparent glaze based on oak ash. Then I added various oxides in different concentrations.

Here we can see the addition of green chromium oxide at different concentrations:

This is the first time I see chromium giving blue! I decide to continue the tests by varying the silica and by keeping the 2 concentrations tested above:

Below, test with high green chromium oxide concentration:

I find the look a little too "chemical" and "fluorescent", I don't really like it.

And below, second test with a lower concentration of green chromium oxide:

I have some difficulties to define the color obtained! Is it gray? White? Blue? Green? A mixture of all of these! Anyway, I like this shade!

I then decide to perform a thickness test (You have a small description of the tool making here) by adding a little green chromium oxide. For this, I place myself close to the sample with the low concentration above but much less than the tests with the high concentration of chromium oxide :

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

The starting point for this "Mushroom" glaze was my research into the " Forest Green " glaze. The test below was obtained by adding kaolin and copper to my Tressaillé transparent oak ash glaze:

So I selected the sample on the right (in the red dot on the picture above). The copper is replaced by nickel oxide in different proportions:

The middle result has my preference. You can see 2 brown colors, chocolate? However, we can see that at the bottom of the sample, the glaze is partially melted. In order to increase the fusibility of the glaze, I decided to lower the kaolin content. Here is what we get:

I select sample no. 3 (red dot), which appears a little more melted but not runny, and retains its "milk chocolate" appearance.

I decided to do a thickness test(link to build a small tool to measure the thickness of the enamel) with this base to confirm that this aspect is obtained:

The result is satisfactory. We can see that the sample with the thickness n°3 allows us to obtain the desired effect. We can also see that the enamel does not run, even with a large thickness.

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Here are a few pieces with this "Bleu de chine" enamel:

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To find this "Bleu de chine" glaze, I used the results of my research on the " Vert forêt" glaze. The test below was obtained by adding kaolin and copper to my Tressaillé transparent oak ash glaze:

My starting point was the sample (in the red dot on the picture above). I removed the copper oxide, which provides the green, and replaced it with cobalt in different proportions, which results in a glaze in the blue tones:

The test shows a melted glaze. In order to make it more fusible, I decide to proceed to a test by lowering the kaolin content (see below):

Sample #2 (with the red dot) shows a slightly glittery satin blue that looks promising to me! The samples with more kaolin are less melted. Sample #1 with less kaolin is starting to lose its satin look and also to sink. I decide to do a thickness test starting from this base (sample n°2)(link to build a small tool to measure the thickness of the glaze):

The result is good. We observe on the sample n°3 the aspect and the color sought.

Here are some examples of achievements with this enamel Meteorite:

Obtaining this "Meteorite" glaze was a matter of chance. In fact, the beginnings of this glaze appeared during research into obtaining an Iron Red. At this stage, I was varying the bone ash to try to bring out the red:

On this first try, I get a sample with a rough metallic appearance, which immediately makes me think of a meteorite. Here is a close-up:

I then decide to perform a cross test (addition and removal of silica in vertical and alumina in horizontal) starting from this sample:

At the same time, I decided to test the enamel on a larger piece:

On the crosshatch test, we find on the middle sample our metallic grey aspect. On the other hand, on the large samples it is less the case. We can see that when the enamel is thicker, .

I decide to do a thickness test(link to build a small tool to measure the thickness of the enamel):

We find the meteorite aspect with a great thickness. Unfortunately, the enamel becomes runny with this thickness and the installation will be complicated...

So I'm trying to lay it thick on a larger piece:

We can see that the enamel has flowed less than on a sample, we get the rough texture of the enamel. This will have to be confirmed on larger pieces, but it is satisfactory.

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

To find this glaze, which I call "sahara", my starting point was my research into the Vert forêt glaze. The test below was found by adding kaolin and copper to my Tressaillé transparent oak ash glaze:

So I started with the sample (in the red dot on the picture above). I removed the copper and replaced it with rutile in different proportions:

The test with the larger amount of rutile gives me a matte but melted and slightly runny look. This is the first time I will be working with this type of glaze (matte). I find the look and the idea interesting. So I'm starting with this sample and testing it on larger pieces:

Small disappointment... The color is there, the matte aspect too but it doesn't really look like the visual of my sample... 2 solutions: either I didn't enamel the pieces thick enough, or I end up with the same disappointment during my tests for the development of the Forest Green enamel.

Before performing a thickness test, I decided to decrease the kaolin concentration at this base; here is the result:

The sample on the right (with the highest kaolin concentration and corresponding to the large piece tests above) shows again an interesting result. The very mixed results on the large pieces must be due to the thickness of the glaze, as I was able to prove when developing the Forest Green glaze.

A thickness test here too should make it possible to realize this(link to build a small tool to measure the thickness of the enamel):

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Here are a few pieces with this "Cobalt Blue" enamel:

To obtain this "Cobalt Blue" glaze, my starting point was my initial research with oak ash, thanks to which I had obtained a transparent Tressaillé glaze. I decided to keep the same base and add cobalt metal oxides in different proportions:

The enamel being quite transparent, I try to add zirconium silicate to try to make it more opaque, while keeping the crackle network:

We observe that at low concentration the zirconium silicate has no obvious effect and at high concentration the braiding is absent or masked. This is not the desired effect, so I go back to my original tests:

We can see that the glaze is very runny. The left sample lacks blue and the middle one has too much (in my opinion). I decide to continue the tests by using a concentration of cobalt between the 2 left tests. While selecting this concentration of oxides, I also add silica:

The result is more relevant. I choose the middle sample to proceed to a thickness test (You have a small description of the tool making here):

The enamel remains runny just like my Lichen Green, be sure to apply it to pieces that allow it.

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

To obtain this "Linen" glaze, I followed the same methodology as for my Water Green glaze. Namely, I had my Tressaillé transparent glaze based on oak ash. I then added various oxides in different concentrations.

Here, the addition of nickel oxide at different concentrations is visible:

The 3rd sample seems interesting! Is the fact of having 2 different brown samples in the same glaze due to a different thickness or a beginning of crystallization? Anyway, I select this sample and I vary the silica:

Here we can clearly see the impact of silica on this glaze: more silica implies a less flowing and less melted glaze. I select the 2nd sample which does not flow too much but allows to keep the 2 different colors.

I can't wait to see what the thickness test is going to give (You have a description of the tool making process here). Will we keep the 2 colors? Will the result be yellow when the thickness is great and brown when it is less? :

Bingo! When the enamel appears, we get a beige/gray color while the enamel appears brown in thin layers or on the edges.

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

I discovered this "Bleuet" glaze when I was researching a rose, in this case my Vieux rose. I then obtained a pink as can be seen here:

The goal of my research was to develop a purple glaze from this pink. To do this, I added to the sample (with the red dot) a little cobalt oxide in different proportions:

The sample with a high cobalt content will result in my Night Blue. But I use the second sample to develop my Blueberry!

Finding the color and the aspect already interesting, I realize a test of thickness (You have a small description of the manufacture of the tool here):

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Here are a few pieces with this "Old Rose" enamel:

To obtain this "Old Rose" glaze, I followed the same methodology as for my Water Green glaze. Namely, I had my Tressaillé transparent glaze based on oak ash, to which I then added various oxides in different concentrations.

Here we can see the addition of manganese oxide at different concentrations:

I select the middle sample and in the same way as for my Water Green glaze, I add silica:

I like the sample n°6! We can observe a color close to mauve.

In order to accentuate even more to go towards pink or purple, I perform a series of tests starting with sample #6 and adding to it:

• Different concentrations of cobalt:

Here I discover 2 new colors! You can follow their development: here for " Bleuet " (the 2nd sample) and here for " Bleu nuit " (the 4th sample).

• Different concentrations of titanium:

• Different concentrations of rutile:

• Different concentrations of zinc:

The additions of titanium, rutile and zinc do not bring me anything very convincing. However, the addition of cobalt is interesting! So here I am with 3 new colors to explore!

Then I decide to make a thickness test for the purple enamel without any addition (You have a small description of the tool making here):

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