Questions about Ash Glazes

So one of my goals is to dig clays from four different areas in Texas, throw or build forms, then decorate and glaze them. My ultimate goal is to use local material for everything, but there will be compromises. I want my glazes to be food safe and I want the materials used to be within the "safe-zone" of clay materials.

I know wood ash is a flux which melts at cone 8-10, and I don't have access to high fire kilns and I believe that, before doing my research, the clay I dig will be earthenware, so I'm going to experiment with ash and my earthenware I usually use.

I use one of two earthen wares: Trinity earthenware available at Trinity Clay in Dallas, or Armadillo Red, an earthenware available at Armadillo Clay in Austin.

For my experiments I will create a line blend of clay and wood ash, then I'll apply this to test tiles and look at results. I don't really expect an ash melt, but I do hope the ash mixed with the clay creates a texture I can use for decoration.

Greetings: Blog Mills

It taking graduate courses in Ceramics from Ft. Hays State University this spring and this is my first blog and I'm feeling it out. I will post entries weekly stating what I'm doing for the following classes:

Digging Texas Clay
Making Epitaph Books
Paper