Monday, December 5, 2011

Glazing!


I am starting to glaze today.  There are four shelves for my kiln and I think I have enough done this time to fill it to the rim.  At least I hope so! 

New glazes are so exciting, finding out which ones work for me is fun.  Some are delightful, some not so much.  A few new brushes are fun too.  I like size number four and eight with natural bristles.  Most of the things I glaze are small, so small brushes work well for me.

I made a couple new bead holders.  Bead boxes do not work for me and I don't know why.  I've tried a couple and was not happy with them.  So after a while I finally thought of this idea.  It works very well.  Kind of dangerous!  I have to be careful or get stuck, but I like it so much better than anything I've used so far.  The little mounds keep the bottom of the bead off the floor of the bead holder and the glazed bead won't get stuck.  I am going to use a little kiln wash on it.
The first one I made had the wires too close together and even my small beads would bump into each other.  If you've ever had glazed beads stick together, you know what a disaster that can be...no fun at all!  So this one is a little more spacious and I'm anxious to see how it works.  More will be made in this fashion if it is successful for me.

9 comments:

  1. Very interesting, Marti. As one that does NOT glaze beads, it is always nice to see how it is done. Thank you for sharing that. It really is true - necessity is the mother of invention.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow - that is awesome! I may have to try something similar. I too, hate the typical bead holders and bead boxes. I can see how your design would be very easy to quickly load beads up. What clay body did you use for this?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Karen! I just used a cone six clay, like all the rest of my clay pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is really interesting - I'm anxious to see a picture of it loaded with beads. Thanks for sharing. - Elaine

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, it works very well. The beads don't stick, easy to load and remove, just have to be careful not to get stuck!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is fascinating...would love to hear more about kilns firings etc. I have thought about learning the craft and purchasing a kiln as well? Thanks for sharing and all your work is lovely and irresistible!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you so much Sophie! I've crafted all my life and did the typical clay things in grade school, but have been doing this only about five-six years now. I did take a couple adult clay classes, but mostly that was so I could work on a wheel! Not for me! I could do it, but just enjoy making beads so much more! If you have an opportunity--go for it!
    I taught a couple classes just so people could say they made their own things, most said they'll let me do it, it was not for them! Lol

    ReplyDelete