Sunday, 5 April 2009

Red Iron Oxide




Sitting on 10 micron filter cloth, water dripping out.

Red iron oxide is a very useful thing to potters, and of course, to many others. But let's stick with potters for now. Red iron oxide is used in many glazes and also as a pigment or included as part of a pigment for painting upon pots, in glazes, it can give colours from honey yellow to blood, to rust red, also a range of greens.
Usually we buy it from materials suppliers, and it's in a fairly chemically pure, precipitated form. However, most of the pottery books will tell you that naturally occurring red iron is a better, more subtle pigment.
Well I have a source of it where I work. We have basements which are below the water table, and where the water gets in, red iron deposits form. Recently I decided to try harvest some...
Here are some pics, work in progress.

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Brick Library

Something from the brick library?



Not too heavy...

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