Have you ever found the perfect glaze, but it is formulated for a different temperature? Today the gang talk about adjusting glazes from cone 6 up to cone 10, and how you might tell if your kiln can handle going to cone 10. They also start the episode checking in about their summer plans. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. Today's episode is brought to you by Cornell Studio Supply and Ceram...
Jun 20, 2025•32 min•Season 4Ep. 105
Have you noticed how a tight kiln pack can slightly change your cones? In this week’s episode the gang talk about why this happens, as well as answer a listener’s question about firing a balloon inside of a ceramic sculpture. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This episode is made in memory of Megan Whetstine, a beloved member of the For Flux Sake and Ceramic Materials Workshop family. Her ...
Jun 11, 2025•25 min•Season 4Ep. 104
Have you ever wondered why vinegar is added to joining slip? This week on the show the gang talk about the use of vinegar in the studio and the absorption rates of blending reclaimed clays. They also answer a listener's question about glazing terracotta flower pots. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Vinegar, Vitrification, reclaim, absorpt...
Jun 05, 2025•34 min•Season 4Ep. 103
Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Steve Lee! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Steven shares about his path to harnessing failure to create his beautiful porcelain forms, as well as his time as director of the Archie Bray Foundation and his role in starting the Brickyard Network. Tune in for a dose of humor, technical tips, an...
May 21, 2025•52 min•Season 4Ep. 102
Today we return to the much loved topic of glaze durability on For Flux Sake. Kathy, Matt, and Rose start by talking about the long term durability of Bristol glazes. Then they delve into listener questions about ceramic sealers and substituting for Gerstley Borate in Raku glazes. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Glaze durability, Bristol...
May 14, 2025•30 min•Season 4Ep. 101
Today we are celebrating the 100th episode of For Flux Sake! We’d like to thank the listeners for their excellent questions and for following along as the show has evolved over the last four years. To start this episode Kathy, Matt, and Rose share a few things they have learned making the show. They also answer listener questions about aging your glazes and single firing. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on a...
May 07, 2025•28 min•Season 4Ep. 100
Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Susan Feagin! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Susan shares funny stories about working at the Penland School of Craft, as well as how she creates brightly colored slips for soda firing. Tune in for a dose of humor, technical tips, and a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a ceramic artist....
Apr 23, 2025•41 min•Season 4Ep. 99
Have you ever wondered when the magic happens during the firing? This week on the show the gang talk about the last 100 degrees C of the firing when glazes generally do their melting. They also answer a listener's question about thermocouples placement, and take a trip to Materials Corner to talk about Frit 3110. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following ...
Apr 17, 2025•32 min•Season 4Ep. 98
This show has been going on for so long that the gang thought they should reintroduce themselves. Kathy, Matt, and Rose start the show talking about the experiences that lead them into a life of clay. They also answer a listener's question about calcining clay. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Kaolin, calcining, Alfred, Connecticut Colleg...
Apr 09, 2025•36 min•Season 4Ep. 97
Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Meredith Host! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Meredith shares about working with decals and layered underglaze, as well as how she had to pivot away from her favorite glaze in the middle of a major commission. Tune in for a dose of humor, technical tips, and a behind-the-scenes look at the ...
Mar 25, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 96
Cristobalite and quartz inversion are the great boogie men of ceramics, often being used to explain cracking clay, glaze fit issues, and general ceramic mayhem. In this episode the gang sort fact from fiction and explain the changes that silica goes through during firing. They also start the episode talking about Matt’s amazing new computer keyboard, which has beautiful celadon-glazed porcelain keys. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] a...
Mar 06, 2025•32 min•Season 4Ep. 95
Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Paul Andrew Wandless! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Paul shares about making casting slips out of dark clay bodies, as well as how he builds with cast slabs for extra strength and durability. Tune in for a dose of humor, technical tips, and a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a ceramic...
Feb 20, 2025•41 min•Season 4Ep. 94
Have you ever tried to create budget-friendly glazes? It can be hard, especially when you want rich purples and blacks. This week the gang talk about ways to save money in your glaze lab, and how tariffs might affect the supply chain. They also start the episode commiserating on how cold it is this time of year in New England, and what to do if your clay freezes. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcomin...
Feb 13, 2025•36 min•Season 4Ep. 93
Have you noticed thermal expansion measurements on your clay or glaze recipes? If so you might be wondering what those measurements mean, and how you use them to predict glaze fit on a clay body. This week the gang discuss thermal expansion and why those numeric values aren’t always so helpful. They also answer a listener question about glazes with rare earth elements. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an u...
Feb 06, 2025•30 min•Season 4Ep. 92
New kilns bring lots of excitement to the studio, but also a few questions. Should I calibrate my thermocouple? And, Do I need to adjust my firing rate to my new elements? This episode the gang talk about new kilns, ASTM standards for ware, and the difference between K23 and K26 soft bricks. They also start the show discussing testing methods for glaze durability. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcomi...
Jan 29, 2025•33 min•Season 4Ep. 91
Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Pattie Chalmers! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Pattie shares a mishap with clay formulation, as well as how she teaches her students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale to be resourceful in the glaze lab. Tune in for a dose of humor, technical tips, and a behind-the-scenes look at t...
Jan 22, 2025•36 min•Season 4Ep. 90
Pin holes are a pesky issue in ceramics, largely because multiple glaze defects are often called pinholes. The gang talk about the myriad issues with pinholes, and if you can fix them on an already fired pot. They also discuss why commercial glazes have wide firing ranges. They start the show laughing and questioning the existence of removable ceramic stickers. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming ...
Jan 15, 2025•34 min•Season 4Ep. 89
Speckled clay bodies have come roaring back in popularity and in this episode our intrepid clay experts talk about what you can add to your clay body to create this phenomenon. They also talk about plucking and why potassium fluxes are best for clay bodies. To start the show the gang introduce the mysterious case of the A.I. glaze book. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. As the end of the y...
Dec 18, 2024•30 min•Season 4Ep. 88
Today’s episode features a simple question. Do I have to glaze my pieces? The FFS gang talk about unglazed surfaces, and also discuss what triggers vitrification during firing. To start the episode, they also gab about Producer Ben’s new book on low-fire glazes for potters and sculptors. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Low fire, vitrific...
Dec 11, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 87
Have you ever wanted to bake bread in one of your pots? Today the gang answer a listener's question about the best way to make ceramic bakeware. They also discuss a new trend in environmental design and why using sodium fluxes in clay bodies can cause trouble when reclaiming clay. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Bread, Sourdough, bakewar...
Dec 04, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 86
Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Osa Atoe! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Osa shares her experience with letting go of a favorite glaze combo, and how this encouraged her to explore wild clay terra sigs. Tune in for a dose of humor, technical tips, and a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a ceramic artist. Got questions...
Nov 27, 2024•40 min•Season 4Ep. 85
Do you have the hard pan blues when your glazes settle like a rock to the bottom of the bucket? The gang talk about how bentonite and Epsom Salts might solve hard panning, as well as when and how much you should use. They also talk about how to calcine a substance, and why you shouldn’t calcine egg shells as a calcium source. This week’s episode features the following topics: Bentonite, Epsom Salts, calcine, calcium carbonate versus calcium oxide, glaze suspension, glaze settling For today's epi...
Nov 20, 2024•38 min•Season 4Ep. 84
Have you ever mixed a glaze with the correct amount of water, but it still seems gloopy and thick? If you have then you might need to add a dispersant to help solve this issue. The gang talk about using dispersants, and they answer a listener’s question about the robustness of cone six versus cone ten. They also return to Materials Corner to talk about the discontinuation of a popular luster brand. This week’s episode features the following topics: Gillespie Borate, Bentonite, Darvan, sodium sil...
Nov 13, 2024•43 min•Season 4Ep. 83
Have you ever noticed how some pots get really hot in the microwave? The gang talk about why this happens, and answer a listener question about coloring reclaimed slop glaze. They also talk about glow in the dark glazes and Rose’s recent video about them on the CMW YouTube channel . Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Glaze colorants, glow i...
Nov 04, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 82
Welcome to a very spooky edition of Fluxed Up with Brett Kern. Today we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with funny stories, studio mishaps, and the quest for the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Brett shares his journey with slip casting inflatable dinosaurs, using commercial glazes, and dealing with dunting after material changes. Tune in for a dose of humor, technical tips, and a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a ceramic artist. Got questions or need advice? Drop ...
Oct 30, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 81
Have you wondered how you can help support artists affected by Hurricane Helene? This week’s show is dedicated to sharing information and resources to assist the North Carolina clay community in rebuilding. The gang talks about assessing damage after a natural disaster, what supply chain issues we expect, and organizations needing support. If you’d like to contribute to disaster relief, please donate to the Craft Emergency Relief Fund at www.cerfplus.org . This week’s episode features the follow...
Oct 23, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 80
Atmospheric firing is so much fun! What’s not to like about a process where you get to spray soda into a flaming hot kiln. This week the gang talk about the durability of cone 6 soda fired pots, and the process for identifying mystery materials. They also take us behind the scenes to talk about what goes into making videos for the CMW YouTube channel. This week’s episode features the following topics: Glaze troubleshooting, atmospheric firing, cone 6, soda firing, glaze, flashing slip Today's ep...
Oct 16, 2024•38 min•Season 4Ep. 79
Have you heard of a Bristol glaze? This week on For Flux Sake the gang talk about the chemistry that makes these glazes work. They also discuss the crackle vs. crazing nomenclature, as well as the definition of porcelain. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Glaze troubleshooting, crazing, porcelain, Bristol Glaze, glaze Today's episode is br...
Oct 09, 2024•35 min•Season 4Ep. 78
Get ready for the wonderful and hilarious ceramic artist Lisa Orr! In this episode of our new For Flux Sake segment Fluxed Up , we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Lisa shares her journey with making low fired white wares, the influence red iron oxide has on aventurine glazes, and her recent research into Persian luster firing. Also, the gang talk about Lisa’s development of the Rocket Kiln, a ...
Oct 02, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 77
Have you ever heard of an Oolite? Find out more about this rare and interesting glaze precipitate on this week’s episode. The gang also take a trip to materials corner to discuss new potassium feldspars that could replace Custer Feldspar, and answer a question about kiln venting. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at [email protected] and you could be featured on an upcoming show. This week’s episode features the following topics: Glaze troubleshooting, kil...
Sep 25, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 76
