TROUBLESHOOTING GLAZES
Reader Jacqui asks:
“Until March and the dreaded lockdown, I was attending Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) to learn about ceramics and experimenting with the various clays, glazes etc they had. Before the lockdown, I had decided I would like to buy my own kiln and wheel, but I was intending on continuing to attend MAC, as I still had an awful lot to learn. However, having jumped in at the deep end and now with no lifeguard, I have had to rely on Youtube, Google and friends for the answers. I find that the more I seek answers, the more questions I have! Sometimes the answers from the internet conflict too. I have simply got bogged down with information overload, and I can no longer see the wood for the trees.
“At MAC I would make a pot, put it on a shelf for bisque firing, and when it came back, I would glaze it. A week or so later it came back, finished. Sometimes this was a very nice surprise, sometimes it wasn’t; either way, it was very exciting and like Christmas every week! The fact is, the bit in between was nothing more than a complete mystery to me.
“I have learnt an awful lot in the
