Ceramic Glaze Test Tiles

If you work in several clay bodies it s good to make test tiles out of all of them.

Ceramic glaze test tiles.

Chances are you ll find one that makes sense with what you are making. It allows you to test combinations of glazes easily and inexpensively and serves as a permanent reminder of what a glaze looked like on a certain clay. The easiest way to make up your test glazes is to make a series of different ceramic tiles in the different types of clay you ll be working with. How to test tweak and perfect your glazes john britt shows several different ways to make test tiles.

The hole in the base allows the tile to be hung on a glaze bucket or on a display. Just make sure to indicate the clay body on the test tile somehow. In today s post an excerpt from the may june 2019 issue of pottery making illustrated gabriel kline shares two tests that can help you determine if you re using food safe ceramic glazes in your practice. Test tile in upright 60 degree position.

This shows her whether the glaze will accentuate her designs. Thin the glaze with water to the appropriate consistency. Jennifer poellot harnetty editor. Test tile in 30 degree position.

If you plan to use the glaze in a multiple layer glazing strategy the glaze or glazes should be thin and milky. Glaze tests and test tiles there are many benefits to having test tiles for glazes. Most people use some form of. It effectively tests the influence of adding an ingredient to a glaze in five consecutive increments 0 10 20 30 40 in my examples all on one test tile.

This test tile clearly reveals how much and to what extent the ingredient influences the glaze. Glazes can look and behave vastly different on different clay bodies. I stamp the back of the tile with a code for the type of clay and there is ample space to write information about the test using an underglaze pencil. For more ways to test your glazes check out the may june 2019 issue of pottery making.

Otherwise if you re like me you forget very quickly. Prepare a test tile. The ceramic glaze testing process. This pair of diy tile stands addresses numerous problems.

Ashley keller hand carves her test tiles. In this video an excerpt from his dvd understanding glazes. For single color application this is liable to be the thickness of heavy cream. My l shaped glaze test tile design is ideal for glaze testing for several reasons.

And to improve your results it helps to have test tiles that mimic the kind of work you make.