Since my Faience work is getting a bit more traction, I thought I’d include some of my earlier tests to show a bit more of the progress in refining this recipe.
Here is the first recipe I developed. This one used Ball Clay to make it much more carve-able, but I had the colourant and firing temperature wrong, which led to a very dark and burnt colour.
Still wet and moldable
Dried, as the salts in the paste begin to leach to the surface, carrying with them the Silica and Colourant.
Fired, with a very burned colour due to overfiring. (I know this is a different scarab, but it was the same recipe/problem. I can’t find the photo of the other one when it was fired for some reason?)
Here is a historical example of faience that was also overfired, though mine was fired to a MUCH higher temperature than it should’ve been (I’m surprised it didn’t melt??)
This was the next recipe I developed (Lime based, with a little more soda ash/salt)
Pictures showing it dried alongside other coloured eyes, and then the firing result, with one Red, Two yellows, and three blues. This was fired at 04. Still overfired, however, with a different base (lime) it withstood the temperature a lot better.
Then I reached the most recent alteration, which you can see in my other post. Here are those same pieces drying, and then some closer looks at the cat and eye of ra.
Feel free to ask any questions!!!
