Files
Download Full Text (3.4 MB)
Description
This region of eastern Kentucky has an important and rich history of clay, from the brick companies like Haldeman, Louisville, and Granh, to the once-thriving Lee clay that employed a large percentage of the Morehead community and the surrounding areas of Appalachia. To further explore the rich history of local clay in Kentucky, this study analyzed the effects of using local clay on traditional glaze recipes. The purpose of our study was to prove that adding specific increments of local iron-rich clay to a basic glaze recipe would impact the glaze in one of the following ways: texture, opacity, color, or viscosity. We began by collecting batches of clay from a single deposit on Clack Mountain in Rowan County, Kentucky. The clay was put through preliminary testing to ensure its viability. We then chose to use a standard triaxial line blend of materials, using silica for our glass, G200 for our flux, and local clay. Secondary tests were executed by adding local clay to common glaze bases in increments. Then we recorded the visible changes in the glaze’s characteristics. These results were recorded on white porcelain test tiles that were selected to showcase the added clay sample. To celebrate and connect to the history of clay in Kentucky and Appalachia, our research looks to find new ways to utilize the rich and abundant resource of clay that has always been vital to this area.
Publication Date
4-16-2025
Disciplines
Higher Education | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Recommended Citation
Fischer, Emily; Morgan, Abigail; and Maher, Quinn, "Impacts of Local Clay on Ceramic Glazes" (2025). 2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations. 22.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2025/22