Copper Red

 

Red is a colour that attracts attention. At the very high temperatures we fire to (1280 degrees C or cone 10 in potters talk) copper is the material to produce the best reds. If you can separate copper from the oxidising effect of the oxygen in the atmosphere while sealing it in a glass layer, the colour illustrated is achieved. Sounds simple. Just ask another potter. It took me about 10 years of grand frustration before I finally achieved predictable reds. You wouldn't believe how many books, articles and notes have been written covering this procedure. Our kiln is a top-hat design, 50 cubic feet, LPG fuelled fibre lined machine with a computer as baby-sitter.

Copper red brush stroke over naked porcelain 32cm shallow bowl made from Imperial Porcelain. The clay is exceptionally white, left uncovered to contrast in colour and texture with the shiny copper red glaze
Copper red with a pinch of cobalt added to give the jug a red wine colour

 

 Copper red over matt green glaze

Pot, 60cm in diameter and thrown in three parts has copper red glaze sprayed over the top half of the pot over a wax resist decoration.
A series of large copper red vases, 60cm high Computer display during firing
Without a computer helping me I don't think I could fire this glaze nearly as consistently
Refired copper red glaze

Glazed and fired over and over. Most of the time multiple firings leads to disaster, sometimes something interesting happens. 23cm high

  

Clean white edges are the result of using porcelain clay. A simple, confident pot design will always work. 35cm long

Copper red vase with low fired additions

Vase,15cm high
Making a big pot
The bigger pots are made piece by piece firmed up with heat and assembled.

Big pot dwarfs the pottery wheel
The same copper "red" glaze fired differently

Oxidised firing    Reduced firing

The right hand picture shows mugs fired in an oxygen starved firing (called reduction firing) and on the left, a neutral firing, same porcelain clay and same glaze.
 

Web video on making a large pot

Revised: 09/06/07

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