Overview of Target & Solve feature
Target & Solve is a Patron-only feature in Glazy that allows users to automatically make material substitutions, re-create recipes using different materials, and generate recipes based on chemical analyses.
Glazy Help & Documentation
website·Indexed 33 days ago
https://help.glazy.org/Comprehensive guides and conceptual resources for ceramic glaze formulation and studio management. Includes documentation on using the Glazy calculator, managing material inventories, creating recipes, and performing blend testing. Covers technical concepts such as Unity Molecular Formula (UMF), material substitution, specific gravity, and kiln schedules, alongside safety guidelines for the glaze lab.
What's inside Glazy
Understand Glazy recipe proportions and batches
Recipes in Glazy are defined by proportions, which can be treated as percentages. All recipes are measured by weight, not volume. A recipe can be expressed as percentages (e.g., 40% Potash Feldspar, 30% Silica, 20% Whiting, 10% Kaolin) or as a specific batch weight (e.g., 4000g, 3000g, 2000g, 1000g for a 10,000g total).Use Unity Molecular Formula (UMF) for glaze analysis
The Unity Molecular Formula (UMF) allows developers and potters to predict and fine-tune glaze behavior by normalizing recipes to a molar basis. This enables:
- Apples-to-Apples Comparison: Different raw material recipes with the same UMF will likely exhibit similar melt behavior.
- Limit Formula Validation: Comparing UMF values against target 'windows' for Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ to prevent running, crazing, or underfiring.
- Ratio Analysis: Quickly identifying the silica:alumina ratio (determining gloss vs. matte) and flux ratios.
- Substitution: Swapping flux sources (e.g., whiting for dolomite) without altering the core chemical behavior of the glaze.
Create glaze recipes using the Glazy Calculator
The Glazy Calculator allows users to create recipes by adding Materials and Amounts. As these are entered, the tool automatically calculates the Chemical Analysis of the recipe and plots it on the Si:Al chart.Understand the fundamental properties of clay
Clay is a fine-grained material that is moldable when wet and hardens permanently when heated. Key concepts include:
- Plasticity: The ability of clay to be shaped and hold form without cracking, caused by flat mineral particles (like kaolinite) sliding over each other when wet.
- Primary Clay: Clay found at its original rock site; typically coarser and less workable.
- Secondary Clay: Clay moved and deposited elsewhere; typically finer, more uniform, and more plastic.
- Vitrification: The process where clay is heated to a temperature where mineral particles fuse, making the material glass-like and non-porous.
Understand Glazy Posts and System activity
Posts in Glazy serve as a timeline of activity for both the user and their studio. There are two types of posts:
- System Posts: Automatically generated by Glazy when a user performs an action, such as adding a recipe, uploading a photo, or creating a recipe batch.
- User Posts: Manually created by the user to document studio progress, write blog posts, or create support posts.
Understand different types of glaze blend tests
Blend testing allows a potter to explore the transition between different glaze recipes or the effect of adding coloring oxides. Common blend types include:
- Line Blend: Mixing two recipes (or a recipe and an additive) in varying proportions (e.g., 0% to 100%).
- Triaxial Blend: Mixing three different recipes. The edges of a triaxial are line blends, while the center tests blend all three recipes.
- Biaxial Blend: Mixing four different recipes. The center tests blend all four recipes.
Understand the two-stage ceramic firing process
Most ceramic studios use a two-step firing process to turn raw clay into durable ceramic:
- Bisque Firing: The initial firing that converts bone-dry clay into a porous, sintered ceramic body. This makes the piece durable enough to handle while remaining porous enough to absorb glaze.
- Glaze Firing: The second firing where glaze is applied to bisque-fired clay. Heat melts and fuses the glaze into a vitreous, glassy coating on the surface.
Understand Glazy's top-level material categories
Glazy organizes ceramic materials into several top-level categories to facilitate searching. These include Glazes, Clay Bodies, Slips and Engobes, Overglazes, Underglazes, and Refractory materials.Understand the role of oxides in a glaze recipe
A glaze recipe is a balance of oxides that determines melt temperature, surface texture (matte vs. gloss), color, and thermal expansion.
- Glass-formers (e.g., Silica/Flint): The primary structure of the glaze.
- Fluxes (e.g., Feldspar, Whiting): Lower the melting point of the silica.
- Stabilizers (e.g., Kaolin/Alumina): Prevent the melt from running off the pot.
- Colorants (e.g., Iron Oxide): Modify the color; some (like iron) can also act as fluxes under reduction atmospheres.
Example Recipe Balance: - 40% Feldspar (Sodium/Potassium fluxes, silica, alumina) - 30% Silica (Main glass-former) - 20% Whiting (Calcium flux) - 10% Kaolin (Alumina stabilizer) - +2% Red Iron Oxide (Colorant)Manage materials available in the Glazy Calculator
The Glazy Calculator only displays materials that have been added to your personal Inventory. This prevents the calculator from becoming overwhelmed by irrelevant materials in the global database. You can manage your current list of materials at https://glazy.org/inventory.Understand kiln schedule components
A kiln schedule (or firing program) is a planned sequence of temperature changes. It is composed of temperature ramps (segments), which are controlled increases or decreases in temperature. Each ramp consists of three primary components:
- Rate of Change: The speed of temperature increase or decrease (measured in °F/hr or °C/hr).
- Target Temperature: The final temperature to be reached during that specific segment.
- Hold Time: The duration to maintain the target temperature before moving to the next segment.