I know that eutectics is a complex subject and I'm not looking for any fast answers. June from Shambhala Pottery very kindly pointed me in the right direction when I was querying Si:Al ratios and their relationship to gloss/matt variations and broached the subject of eutectics which, I know, in simple terms concerns the lowest melting temperature of two or more materials. This prompted me to check out Digitalfire's site for more info and I came across a discussion initiated by Ron Roy over the value of understanding eutectics to the making of glazes (see
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the contributors was Tom Buck who gave a straightforward (and, in my case, more understanderble) viewpoint and Gavin Stairs who left me grasping for more brain cells. To quote Gavin . ."the local governing eutectic sets the REmelting temperature of the glaze" not the initial melt. He also says . ."for a 3-phase mixture like Ron's, there are actually more than one eutectic . . .".How does the studio potter apply this to his day to day glazemaking?(Like me, for instance)Thanks in advance (assuming anybody's got the patience to explain it to me who shares my remaining braincell with my dogs.