From: William Melstrom [william@handspiral.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 7:14 PM
To: phil@elegantimports.us
Subject: Re: I would like top buy more of your work.
Dear Phil:
I discovered my signature "blue on ruby" glaze by accident.  The colorants are cobalt, rutile and manganese.  They yield a rather unappealing blackish-blue.  I added gold lustre to a piece of it, re-fired it to cone 018, and miraculously created the ruby and mustard yellow colors.  This was my discovery of striking, although I didn't know that that was what it was called.  I now know that manganese is known to sometimes create reds, and that the rutile helps to develop reds, yellows and oranges.  A key factor in the creation of ruby, is that it only occurs where the glaze has pooled.  I can get it on bowls and plates, but never on vases, except, perhaps on a very flat shoulder, or on a ridge that traps glaze behind it.
I currently have several pieces of blue on ruby ready to be fired, including some very nice large square plates and a nice, medium-sized square platter.  In fact they've been ready for at least nine months.  The problem, is that I have fumed-out my big kiln with silver nitrate, and silver nitrate does not mix well with manganese, and ruins the color.  So, I've been waiting to do a few non-silver firings in my big kiln to clean it out.  Except that the only kiln that I have fired all year is my little kiln, because all I've been doing is small loads of experimental work.  But, I will eventually  fire my existing blue on rubys, and I will eventually make more -- it is one of my very best and most popular glazes.  I have never seen anyone else produce anything like it.
 
The orange glaze is created by striking cobalt and rutile.  It too usually only develops where glaze has pooled.  For some reason, I got it to work on several vases, and I plan to make more in the future.
Best -- William
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Hamling
To: William Melstrom
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 10:05 AM
Subject: RE: I would like top buy more of your work.

William,
Thanks, but bummer! Should I just send a check for the 1 piece?
Phil
-----Original Message-----
From: William Melstrom [mailto:william@handspiral.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 11:03 AM
To: phil@elegantimports.us
Subject: Re: I would like top buy more of your work.

Hi Phil:
The ruffle rim vase is beautiful, and is still available.
I don't think that I have anything like the red or orange pieces.  They are NOT colored with slip.  I'll tell you how I do it, and respond in more detail in a couple of hours.
Thank you very much,
William
----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Hamling
To: william@handspiral.com
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 9:04 AM
Subject: FW: I would like top buy more of your work.

Oh, is the red color obtained through the use of a colored slip?
Phil
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Hamling [mailto:phil@elegantimports.us]
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 10:02 AM
To: william@handspiral.com
Subject: I would like top buy more of your work.

William,
Good morning.
I would like to buy this piece. Is it still available?
 
Also,
Do you have any work for sale with the coloration exhibited by these 2 pieces?
crystal glaze platterruffle rim vase
 
Phil Hamling