Today’s burning question is “what causes crazing in pottery”.
The answer: clay and glaze, like pretty much the rest of the universe, expand and contract depending on temperature, atmospheric pressure, etc. Not enough that you’d notice it without a microscope[1], but it happens. The thing is, the clay and the glaze are doing it at slightly different rates, and that creates stress. Over time, cracks form in the glaze. A potter can try to minimize crazing, by formulating a glaze that moves at close to the same rate as the clay, but it’s impossible to match the expansion rate exactly.
[1] Unless someone has actually managed to invent a magical mug that grows bigger every time you pour tea into it. I’d totally buy one of those.
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Published by maaikecharron
My name is Maaike Charron, and I'm a potter in St. John's, Newfoundland. I started fiddling around with pottery in summer 2006, when I was told volunteering in the local clay studio would get me free studio time. I mostly taught myself, spending a lot of time poring over books, magazines and websites, and occasionally pestering the more advanced (but very helpful) potters around me with questions. After about two years, I decided I'd gotten good enough to go into business for myself. This blog, started after my first big craft fair, was created to document the process of becoming a wondrously succesful craftsperson. (Or it will document How Not To Do It. We'll see.)
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