Experiments in the potentialities of glazes developed from naturally occurring minerals and industrial waste products common to Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York

Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Scholar Works Theses Thesis/Dissertation Collections 3-31-1964 Experiments in the potentialities of glazes developed from naturally occurring minerals and industrial waste products common to Potsdam, St Lawrence County, New York Arthur Sennett Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.rit.edu/theses Recommended Citation Sennett, Arthur, "Experiments in the potentialities of glazes developed from naturally occurring minerals and industrial waste products common to Potsdam, St Lawrence County, New York" (1964) Thesis Rochester Institute of Technology Accessed from This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Thesis/Dissertation Collections at RIT Scholar Works It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of RIT Scholar Works For more information, please contact ritscholarworks@rit.edu EXPERIMENTS IN THE POTENTIALITIES OF GLAZES DEVELOPED FROM NATURALLY OCCURRING MINERALS AND INDUSTRIAL ldASTE PRODUCTS COMMON TO POTSDAM, ST LAWRENCE COUNTY, NEW YORK Submitted by Arthur H Sennett Candidate for the Master of Fine Arts in the College of Fine and Applied Arts of the Rochester Institute of Technology March 31, 1964 Hobart Cowles Hobart Cowles, Advisor I -/t;~y ;J L J / ('l0 ll- ii CONTENTS INTRODUCTION vi CHAPTER I PAGE LOCATION, DESCRIPTION AND PROCESSING OF MATERIALS General Location Material Description, Source, and Fusion Test Results Wood ash limestone Feldspar Quarts Sand Liver clay Ochre clay Skutterudite Talc Dolomitic marble DEVELOPMENT OF A SLIP GLAZE USING POTSDAM 10 CLAY III - Potsdam clay Dolomitic II Preparation 16 WOOD ASH GLAZES Wood Ash, Wood Ash Wood Ash, Feldspar and and Clay 17 Clay Clay and 16 Dolomitic Limestone 19 iii CHAPTER IV PAGE FELDSPAR GLAZES 23 Feldspar, Wood Ash Clay and Quartz Feldspar, Ochre Clay and Wood Ash Ochre Quartz Feldspar, Marble SUMMARY BIBLIOGRAPHY Clay, Dolomitic 23 25 Ochre and Dolomitic Limestone Feldspar, Feldspar, V and 25 Limestone 26 and Talc 32 35 41 iv LIST OF TABLES PAGE TABLE I Tri-Axial Blend Clay II and and Dolomitic Ochre 20 Limestone, 24 Wood Ash Withdrawn From Text: and IV Wood Ash I, Dolomitic Limestone Tri-Axial Blend II: Feldspar III I: Feldspar, Ochre Clay 25 Quartz Tri-Axial Blend IV: Wood Ash I, Feldspar, Feldspar Feldspar and Ochre Clay and 27 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE Map: Kodachrome Slide: Glaze P-63 C 36 Kodachrome Slide: Glaze P-63 C 36 Kodachrome Slide: Glaze St Lawrence County, New York P-72 X on Dinnerware 37 Kodachrome Slide: Kodachrome Kodachrome Slide Kodachrome Slide Glaze P-72 X 37 Glaze P-72 X 37 : Glaze P-72 X 37 : Glaze P-?2 X 38 Kodachrome Slide: Glaze P-72 X 38 38 Slide: 10 Kodachrome Slide: Glaze 11 Kodachrome Slide: Glaze P-72 X; and 12 P-72 X Cobalt 38 Nickel Panel Kodachrome Slide: Tri-Axial Blend I, Point 28 13- Kodachrome Slide: Point 14 28, Tri-Axial Blend I, Over Sand Kodachrome Slide: Point 15 =39 39 Tri-Axial Blend I, 39 97 Kodachrome Point 12 Slide: Tri-Axial Blend IV, 39 vl INTRODUCTION In source of temporary was the region, existed as the at major experiments ceramic sample established building a account no which glazes study to materials from this slip How- of a pottery having not prove of of industry, sites project of a result, and Lawrence and geological and the County, ^Franklin of B History (Albany: various Hough, Little New York were of hist raw necessary to perceptible materials St and occurring survey, procurement known deposits of waste mining Technical research included empirical, blends possibilities from naturally St physically useful in the development lumbering history showed As glaze derived were Potsdam, the of a conducted industrial accounts line in history temperatures, but of then were common and needs, area detailed clay taken did of portion products render in note was stoneware and orical to that there minerals A had readily found in the curious first body a settlers The as natural sought was clay local, a shop costs, brickyards to furnish their that it ever, was clay reduce fact that early The dicated to effort an Lawrence Company, tri-axial to discover County glazes New York 1853), 713 pp vii suitable for Selected of dinnerware of the stoneware glazes and temperatures were assorted requirements then pots applied in for the Master to partial of a complete set fulfillment Fine Arts degree CHAPTER I AND PROCESSING OF MATERIALS LOCATION, DESCRIPTION GENERAL LOCATION I The materials described, found were Potsdam, St the map, Figure within Lawrence 1, County, the St and natural minerals glacial till mixture of cropping s as the (a of of given rise still in feldspar century 2D to These sand, until thirty New subsequently radius mile York, of indicated as on between the Adirondack Moun are drift gravel and has an abundance form in the either an of consisting boulders), and of unassorted out or formations metamorphic of exposed receded these, as in the commercial operation near a Lawrence River igneous glacier Some area glacial clay, tests glaze page The geographical tains in the used ventures, of the some of The Green Hill Mining DeKalb Junction it case ceased which in the are Company from the early operations had feldspar, part late mined of the 1930's "The Mining and Quarry Industries of New York State for 1927 to New York State Museum Bulletin No 295 (Albany: University of H the State Newland, of New C A York, Hartnagel, 1932), p 36 1929," Talc mining Gouverneur Iron where area Talc national is presently Company mines are a in the industry major the Gouverneur Talc the and Inter located are in still operation southwest of Potsdam The Canton high slag piles of proved to be a iron In oxide to the the viously mentioned, amounts as an of ore II and clay whichever talc local other iron, nickel, of of feldspar, a skutterudite, dolomitic sand, source diggings pyrite near with minerals content addition tests were: abandoned metal limestone, Is and is dominant-5, variable classified quartz, dolomitic marble, SOURCE, MATERIAL DESCRIPTION, in the used containing cobalt, pre clay materials mineral and and and wood ash PREPARATION AND FUSION TEST RESULTS Potsdam type dug four miles green in clay, in slip form, large to remove or fluid mud, ^Herbert (New York: northeast of and color a clay, of passed and dried, was through a 30 organic crushed, surface common gray- consistency matter- and Zim, Paul R Shaffer, Golden Press, 1957), p 44S a Potsdam, very gummy was stones was Potsdam The clay passed Rocks mesh The This screen slurry, through and a Minerals .. .EXPERIMENTS IN THE POTENTIALITIES OF GLAZES DEVELOPED FROM NATURALLY OCCURRING MINERALS AND INDUSTRIAL ldASTE PRODUCTS COMMON TO POTSDAM, ST LAWRENCE COUNTY, NEW YORK Submitted... late mined of the 1930''s "The Mining and Quarry Industries of New York State for 1927 to New York State Museum Bulletin No 295 (Albany: University of H the State Newland, of New C A York, Hartnagel,... glazes study to materials from this slip How- of a pottery having not prove of of industry, sites project of a result, and Lawrence and geological and the County, ^Franklin of B History (Albany: