The lure of porcelain

Ash-glaze porcelain espresso cups in kilnI continue to experiment with porcelain, in throwing and slab-building, and despite the difficulties in building, I love the results. I’ve expanded more tests on the Goonvean kaolins, to which I’ve been adding a quarter of a percent of cellulose fibres. So far this seems to prevent cracking in bases. These kaolins yield great colour in slips too. Also as a crisp background to glaze, like the green hardwood ash glaze on the little espresso cups illustrated. I’ve also been adding molochite in small % to the larger hand-built forms, which is great for wet strength and even drying. Certainly it’s a love and hate relationship, and is it worth it? Well, probably! Besides which, the way in that it responds to applied texture and wet drawing, not to mention the brightness of the fired surfaces, it’s unimaginable that I won’t get seduced deeper still.

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