Monthly Archives: August 2024

Glaze, Technique

Ceramic decoration spectrum in perspective: Slip, Engobe, Glaze and Wash

Leave a comment

Slip, engobe, glaze and washes are terms you often hear when you delve into ceramic decoration. These terms have always been a source of confusion for me, especially since different ceramists give them different meanings. A clear definition can help to bring order in the chaos. But even more important is gaining insight.

You can memorize definitions, but I’m happy to leave that to AI models. More important is understanding both the differences and similarities between these materials for ceramic decoration. In my opinion, it is essential to recognize that all of these decorating techniques are part of a continuum.

This continuum extends from slip, through engobe and glaze, to washes. Based on the amount of clay (the source for Al2O3) and quartz (SiO2) you can put this into perspective.

Stull Chart from 1912

This is easy to visualize with the help of the “Stull graph”. R.T. Stull made this graphic in 1912 to classify glazes. But also very useful to gain insight into the entire ceramic decoration spectrum.

Continue reading Ceramic decoration spectrum in perspective: Slip, Engobe, Glaze and Wash →
Firing, News, Technique

Bentrup Superwise: a livestream of your ceramic firing

Leave a comment

With the new generation of Bentrup controllers, everyone can follow a ceramic firing live online: the Bentrup Superwise live stream.

Bentrup Superwise is platform-independent, so you can just as easily track your firing via your PC, laptop, tablet or mobile. But the Superwise app can do more than just live stream your ceramic firing.

It’s also an online logbook and a Swiss Army knife for your Bentrup controller. You can use the app to set and quickly adjust your personal firing programs. Also view and adjust the controller settings, receive live error messages and use the “KilnAssist”.

One of the first livestreams was of a coffee machine (Trojan Room coffee pot) in the computer lab of the University of Cambridge. In 1991, Quentin Stafford-Fraser put the webcam live. So the entire department was able to follow online whether the coffee was ready.

About ten years later, I wanted exactly the same thing, but to see if the pottery was ready. 🙂

Continue reading Bentrup Superwise: a livestream of your ceramic firing →
Firing, Technique

Ceramic kiln controller: what does today’s ceramist need to know?

Leave a comment

A ceramic kiln controller is as essential as a rudder for a ship. Without this crucial component, you may be able to move forward, but whether you will reach the desired destination remains in question. It is the same with a regulator or kiln controller: a ceramic kiln simply cannot do without a control, certainly not the current generation of kilns.

Modern ceramic kilns do not have an on or off switch, only a plug input (connector). Selecting a new ceramic kiln is a challenge in itself, let alone finding the right controller. This is especially true if you deviate from the standard controllers that come with the kiln.

Personally, I’ve always chosen a kiln controller that suited better my specific needs than the standard option. More than twenty years ago I chose the Bentrup TC 507, which I am still very satisfied with. However, the new generation of controllers offers significant advantages, such as SmoothPOWER for solar energy and Superwise for logging and an online firing livestream.

Is it time for an upgrade?

Continue reading Ceramic kiln controller: what does today’s ceramist need to know? →
Firing, Technique

Ceramic kiln control: from Kiln Sitter to microprocessor

Leave a comment

“The Times They Are A-Changin'”, Bob Dylan sang in 1964, and that’s right: the ceramic kiln control has changed a lot in recent decades.

Maybe he wasn’t singing about ceramic kilns, but he certainly could have done it! Political climate and human nature may have changed little since the ’50s. But the way ceramists operate their kilns has evolved dramatically.

From a hole in the ground to an electric kiln, it was a huge technological leap that took thousands of years. However, the transition from manual to fully automated control has taken place in less than 50 years. Making it accessible to urban potters like me.

For me, Lucie Rie is the founder of all “urban potters”. Rather than setting up a studio in the countryside with a gas or wood-burning kiln, she established her pottery shop at 18 Albion Mews, in the heart of London.

She ordered her first real electric stoneware kiln in 1948. It soon became clear that firing was more difficult than expected: the first firing during Christmas failed completely. The kiln over-fired!

Continue reading Ceramic kiln control: from Kiln Sitter to microprocessor →