Busy week – both in finishing as much work as possible and in preparing the space for display and hopefully even sales.
I wanted to glaze the christmas decorations I made with copper oxide in transparent glaze so that the green would sit into the text. This entailed mixing different batches with varying degrees of copper added from 0.5% to 5%. Then I noticed that my (kitchen) scales didnt seem to be very good at knowing how much 1 gramme was, so I did a second lot of the smallest additions by wieghing out 3g and then dividing it by eye into 0.5g. 1g and 1.5g. Here’s the results:
First batch of mixes – in order from L-R = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5g
top row = 1 dip in glaze, second row = 2 dips
My preferred mixes are these:
As you can see from the weigths of copper noted on the backs – they are rather wildly varying! From this I deduce:
1 – I need some proper accurate scales
2 – the amount of water in the glaze mix also makes a difference.
Having chosen the 5g mix as my favourite (against a dark green background) I have glazed a batch of the decs and put them in for firing (with sand on the shelf below them to prevent sticking just in case the glaze runs). Fingers crossed they come out ok!
Also in the kiln right now are:
Lots of my developmental mugs, glazed in a shiny white I mixed from a Murfitt recipe and the commercial matt black I mixed
The first batch of rib mugs, in the same glazes
And also a whole series of cutout shapes – in the header image – destined to become jewellery.
To accompany all that I have the mother of all shopping lists that I am gradually working through, acquiring a ream of tissue paper, a tape dispenser, a notebook to record sales and orders in, plus panel pins, fairy lights, more slates, some greenery and what all else besides.
I’ll post some pics of the finished display to show you the outcome.
Here's mud in your toes 
Scales are a lot cheaper these days. Scales for 1 or 0.1 gram accuracy will only go up to max 100g so you always need more than one set. I bought from the internet: the first was accurate to 1g, used AA batteries (about £18), but the battery compartment degraded quickly. I then bought scales accurate to 0.1g (about £25), small, but with those small circular batteries. This is holding up well. The sites that sell the scales often look a bit dodgy, the scales are used for ‘recreational herbs and chemicals’, but they work OK. good luck!
Thanks Carys – I shall have a look, at that price it sounds well worth the trials of a dodgy website!