A study of producing ceramic glaze utilizing shihmen reservoir silt

Abstract

This study is based on the Shihmen Reservoir silt, where the largest quantity of silt is deposited and is located right next to the National Taiwan University of Art, and with combinations of other simple components, like various kinds of clay, plant ashes or other raw materials, to produce quality glazes that can perform artistic charm and give great additional values. The development of the new glaze formula is processed by the "Triangular Coordinate Method" to organize and distribute proportions of the raw materials and through the practical reconcile and firing experiments to acquire the suitable formulas. This study has successfully produced glazes such as the Oil-spot Glaze, Red Iron Glaze, Red Iron Crystalline Glaze, Golden Black Glaze, Golden Purple Glaze, Amber Glaze, Yellow Glaze, Beige Glaze and Celadon Glaze. In some of these glazes, the employment proportion of the silt can reach up to the range of 80% to 90%. In general, to employ the Shihmen Reservoir as a type of raw material can not only be practical, but possess many distinctive qualities. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.