Making Bisque Ceramics With Glass And Clay
Up for some adventurous experimentation? Using a mixture of glass and clay to create bisque ceramics can result in artistic-looking and environment-friendly products. If you have some spare glass, you can try this technique in your very own studio. This article will instruct you on how to create bisque ceramic tiles.
To start, you need a source of crushed glass or a glass or ceramic kiln. Seek the help of a manufacturer near you with glass-crushing machinery or a glass recycler with a glass crusher. The glass you will use needs to be fine as dust. As for the clay, you may use Plastic Vitrox or Redart. Have your molds for forming tiles ready. They can be made of one-by-two boards with buttons that can be removed. Insert some screen material like a mosquito net at the bottom to release your tiles later.
Brush the sides of the mold with two parts water. Add a solution of one part soda ash to ten parts water for self-glazing. Take three parts of crushed glass and one part of dry clay and mix them in a bowl. Add some soda ash solution to the dry ingredients. The mixture will retain its form when left still but will start to disassociate when shaken.
Pour the mixture into the mold. Glass does not absorb water so the mixture will quickly drain. Using a putty knife, smoothen out the upper surface. Leave the tile mold on a warming table at 200 degrees Farenheit for about one hour. If you do not have a warming table, dry the mold out in the sun. Wait until the top layer of water evaporates.
When the tile is dry, remove the base and dry. Brush the top with 10% soda ash solution and heat to 250 degrees Farenheit in a kiln brick shelf. Within 15-minute intervals, raise the heat to 1,000 then 1,760 degrees. Allow to cool. You then have your own handmade bisque ceramics tiles.
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