Identify glaze faults on fired pieces
Every potter accumulates a collection of "learning moments." Time to examine them.
The inspection exercise
Examine a batch of glaze-fired work (or borrow from the studio shelves). Identify and label:
Common faults to look for
- Crawling: glaze pulls away from bare spots, leaving exposed clay islands
- Pinholing: tiny craters in the glaze surface (like acne)
- Crazing: fine crackle network across the glaze (looks like a shattered window)
- Shivering: glaze flaking or chipping off the clay body
- Running: glaze that melted too much and flowed down the pot
For each fault you find
- Name it
- Write the probable cause
- Write one corrective action for next time
The cheat sheet
- Crawling → dusty bisque or glaze too thick
- Pinholing → firing too fast or not enough soak
- Crazing → glaze shrinks more than clay (lower the silica)
- Running → glaze too thick or over-fired