Making Ceramic Test Tiles

For any work on the wheel centering clay is the first step.

Making ceramic test tiles.

Spread clay to the edge of the bat and then begin to open. Chances are you ll find one that makes sense with what you are making. How to test tweak and perfect your glazes john britt shows several different ways to make test tiles. General ideas regardless of the shape.

Put a hole somewhere to hang your tiles on a wall board or to hang off the handle of the bucket. After centering spread the clay out flat similar to a plate. It is generally a good idea to add texture to part of your test piece so you can see how the glaze will respond. The easiest way to make up your test glazes is to make a series of different ceramic tiles in the different types of clay you ll be working with.

The clay will brought to the edge of this in the form of a bottomless cylinder. And to improve your results it helps to have test tiles that mimic the kind of work you make. For this test tile we are using a 15 diameter bat. Once bisqued these dishes can hold any type of crushed material for your next firing.

To make simple melt test tiles i use this easy technique. Roll out a slab of high fire clay and cut into 6x6cm squares. Once they ve been through their first firing then you can test out your glazes on them.