Making Ceramic Test Tiles

It is generally a good idea to add texture to part of your test piece so you can see how the glaze will respond.

Making ceramic test tiles.

And to improve your results it helps to have test tiles that mimic the kind of work you make. General ideas regardless of the shape. How to test tweak and perfect your glazes john britt shows several different ways to make test tiles. To make simple melt test tiles i use this easy technique.

Put some type of word. Once they ve been through their first firing then you can test out your glazes on them. Spread clay to the edge of the bat and then begin to open. Roll out a slab of high fire clay and cut into 6x6cm squares.

Once bisqued these dishes can hold any type of crushed material for your next firing. For any work on the wheel centering clay is the first step. The easiest way to make up your test glazes is to make a series of different ceramic tiles in the different types of clay you ll be working with. In this video an excerpt from his dvd understanding glazes.

Chances are you ll find one that makes sense with what you are making. The clay will brought to the edge of this in the form of a bottomless cylinder. Using a piece of high density foam and a 4x4cm piece of wood quickly press each square into the foam creating a shallow dish.