Testing glazes and crazing

I have been doing much early spring cleaning and organizing in the studio.  Testing glazes is something I love to do but have struggled over the years with how to document results.  The new filing system consists of storing small glaze tiles in old plastic slide sheets.

These small tiles give me a base line of where to go next.  They show me such things as texture and weather the glaze will be matte or gloss.  This is a good place to start and then I can add stains or oxides for color.

A few years back I switched my throwing clay body to Troy porcelain from Standard Ceramics #437.
This clay body does not warp in my electric firing to cone 10 especially if the kiln gets a bit overfired.  I also began a wood firing adventure with Brinsley Tyrell and crew and the Troy porcelain will work for both the electric and wood firings.   I do love working with this clay body although my glazes seem to craze more than usual on this body.  I have tested my glazes on 4 clay bodies and the glaze on Troy porcelain crazes more that I like a glaze to craze.

So, I have been running many tests on the glaze and clay fit.  The last firing showed results I am happy to use but will still tweak the glaze to see if I can have a solid glaze fit with no crazing.

Glaze tests from last kiln firing.

The mug on the left had no crazing.  The mug on the right is the glaze I will still be experimenting with for a tighter clay body fit.  The crazing on the mug (right mug) is quite beautiful.  The crazing is tight and so far their is no staining of liquid in the mug.

I am grateful to have the time to spend on testing glazes.

Concept to Creation,
Theresa Yondo