An interesting view of my most recent round of test glazes. Each Oil Spot variation was dipped in porcelain and red stoneware with the red stoneware tiles shown. The firing was: 10 hr oxidation to Cone 7, 2hr oxidation slow climb to Cone 8, 3 hr slow climb to cone 10, 1 hour oxidation hold @ cone 10. The results were pretty cool, and under magnification they had just the right amount of galactic goodness. The pictures were taken with a USB digital microscope! Magnification is about 30-40x

For the longest time I’ve wanted to try firing oil spot glazes, and after a bit of research it was pretty satisfying to make it happen. I decided to begin by concentrating on black, single glaze variations – the recipes of which came from a number of sources, mainly John Britt’s ebook and Complete Guide to High Fire glazes, a few from Michael Bailey’s Oriental Glazes, and a couple from Hopper’s The Ceramic Spectrum. The next step is to start zeroing in on some of the more spectacular variations and then start changing up the recipes and the firing schedules for maximum effect. Enjoy!

Dolomite 5 Whiting 5 F4 Feldspar 65 Epk 5 Silica 20 Cobalt Carb 5 Red Iron 24 H20 65 Dolomite 5 Whiting 5 Custer 65 EPK 5 Silica 20 Cobalt 5 Red Iron 8 Dolomite 3.6 Whiting 3.7 F4 48 EPK 9.6 Silica 35 Cobalt 5 Red Iron 8 Dolomite 4.7 Whiting 4.7 F4 61 EPK 5.4 Silica 24.1 Cobalt Carb 5 Red Iron 8 Dolomite 3.9 Whiting 3.9 F4 51.1 EPK 4.8 Silica 36.2 Cobalt 5 Iron 8 Dolomite 4.4 Whiting 4.4 F4 57.3 EPK 9.7 SIlica 24.2 Cobalt 5 Iron 8 Local Dolomitic Limestone 10 F4 65 EPK 5 Silica 20 Cobalt 5 Red Iron 8 Dolomite 4.4 Whiting 4.4 F4 57.3 EPK 9.7 Silica 24.2 Iron 10 F4 52 Silica 22 Bone Ash 11 Talc 10 EPK 5 Red Iron 8 Cobalt 3 Cornwall Stone 35 F4 35 Alberta Slip 15 Whiting 15 Iron 8 Cobalt 5 F4 37 EPK 19 Silica 29 Whiting 12 Dolomite 3 Bone Ash 2 Iron 8 Dolomite 4.4 Whiting 4.4 F4 57.3 EPK 9.7 Silica 24.2 Cobalt 3.15 Iron 6 Manganese 4 Neph 24.4 Grolleg 28.4 Dolomite 24.9 Whiting 3.8 Silica 18.5 Red Iron 8 Neph Sye 19.6 EPK 32.2 Dolomite 20.1 Whiting 3.1 Silica 25 Red Iron 8 Custer 85 Silica 6 Whiting 4 Talc 5 Red Iron 8.5 Cobalt 2 Custer 40 Silica 30 Whiting 10 EPK 10 Talc 10 Red Iron 10 Cobalt 4