glaze question

Hi Everyone, A friend asked me to make her an African violet pot. She loaned me one of hers which was made in Thaland to see what one looked like since I had never seen a pot made just for that purpose. It is one large pot with a hole in the side near the top to water the plant and it has another separate pot that fits inside of the big one. The big pot is glazed all over inside and out. The smaller pot is only glazed around the top about an inch or two down. The unglazed part of the inside pot is very porous, like bisque, so the roots of the plant can absorb water through the pot. It probably is earthenware. I have only worked in stoneware. My question is: can I make the pot with stoneware clay, bisque at say cone 06 and then use a glaze formulated to mature at an earthenware temperture maybe cone 04? I know---test,test,test, which I will if someone thinks it's possible to do this. Since this is the only thing I will probably make like this, I don't want to have to buy earthenware clay if I don't have to. I have tons of stoneware clay. Thanks, Sandi

Reply to
Red Deer
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Stoneware clay should be porous enough for the inner pot at bisque temperatures. Will a cone 04 glaze fit that clay without crazing and therefore leaking? As you say, test. If you know the shrinkage rates for your clay well enough, you could use a highfired outer pot with a lowfired liner.

Those pots are used for a variety of plant species. I know someone is marketing them as African violet pots but it makes more sense to call them self-watering pots. Unless of course, someone has copyrighted one of the designations :-}

Elaine

Reply to
Elaine Stutt

Dear Sandi,

From past experience I can it tell you that an earthenware glaze will not be a water tight fit on a stoneware clay; as their shrinkage rates are too different. I suggest you follow Elaine's advice and make the outer pot stoneware, and the inner fired to 04.

Steve Bath UK

Reply to
Stephen Mills

Of course you can. The result is something which is not as strong thats all.

Reply to
John Smith

I am also on the verge of making an african violet pot or two. My stoneware clay is excellent also when only fired to earthenware temperatures.

My dilemma is more that I love the colors of my stoneware glazes, but will have to use an earthenware glaze on the central pot. I am thinking of testing out some of my lovely stoneware glazes fired to only earthenware temperatures and see if the result is pleasant.

Marianne

Reply to
Bubbles

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