More of the Mayco Glazes, Please
As promised, here is part 2 of Testing Glazes and Clay Bodies in the Electric Kiln.
I shared three Mayco glazes tested on three clay bodies, although I didn’t run a full glaze x clay body test. What I found is that I adore Kentucky Mudworks Speckled Brown Bear clay under just about anything: the Pullen Arts glazes, the Mayco glazes and even Amaco Potter’s Choice Indigo Float. There was another Mayco glaze that I ran a patch test on, Aurora Green, that made a stellar showing in my second firing.
When I saw the test tiles, I knew Aurora Green was a winner and made it the feature of my second firing. The glaze did not behave over PC Indigo Float on the bowls. The Indigo Float jumped off the sides and slid around. But Aurora Green looked gorgeous over Mayco Black Walnut and Milk Glass.
I also applied it over a pie plate thrown in Speckled Brown Bear and glazed with Mayco Birch. The Birch on its own was disappointing, so I figured a refire was worth the risk. Because there is always a chance of glaze runs sealing a lidded vessel shut, I limited the layering somewhat from what I had seen advised online. For the base coat, I applied two to three layers while the previous layer was still drying, then brushed only two layers of Aurora Green over the top instead of three.
The combination of brown and black crystals in Aurora Green adds a little texture and pairs well with my otherwise smooth and understated shapes. As I brushed on the glaze, the crystals would sometimes get knocked off during the second pass with the brush. It takes a little attention to get them spaced across the surface in a way that still feels random while avoiding obvious blank spots.
The pint also needs to be stirred regularly because the crystals settle to the bottom. Aurora Green over Black Walnut gave off a warm glow around the brown crystals that I really loved. I can’t wait to do more with this glaze and see how it looks on mugs.
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through my affiliate links give me a small commission to help run this blog, but don’t cost you any extra.
