For Flux Sake

Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Susan Feagin! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Susan shares funny stories about working at the Penland School of Craft, as well as how she creates brightly colored slips for soda ...

Have you ever wondered when the magic happens during the firing? This week on the show the gang talk about the last 100 degrees C of the firing when glazes generally do their melting. They also answer a listener's question about thermocouples placement, and take a trip to Materials Corner to talk about Frit 3110. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at ForFl...

This show has been going on for so long that the gang thought they should reintroduce themselves. Kathy, Matt, and Rose start the show talking about the experiences that lead them into a life of clay. They also answer a listener's question about calcining clay. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at ForFluxSakePodcast@gmail.com and you could be featured on an upcoming show.

Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Meredith Host! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Meredith shares about working with decals and layered underglaze, as well as how she had to pivot away from her favorite glaze in t...

Cristobalite and quartz inversion are the great boogie men of ceramics, often being used to explain cracking clay, glaze fit issues, and general ceramic mayhem. In this episode the gang sort fact from fiction and explain the changes that silica goes through during firing. They also start the episode talking about Matt’s amazing new computer keyboard, which has beautiful celadon-glaze...

Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Paul Andrew Wandless! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Paul shares about making casting slips out of dark clay bodies, as well as how he builds with cast slabs for extra strength ...

Have you ever tried to create budget-friendly glazes? It can be hard, especially when you want rich purples and blacks. This week the gang talk about ways to save money in your glaze lab, and how tariffs might affect the supply chain. They also start the episode commiserating on how cold it is this time of year in New England, and what to do if your clay freezes. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us ...

Have you noticed thermal expansion measurements on your clay or glaze recipes? If so you might be wondering what those measurements mean, and how you use them to predict glaze fit on a clay body. This week the gang discuss thermal expansion and why those numeric values aren’t always so helpful. They also answer a listener question about glazes with rare earth elements. Do you have qu...

New kilns bring lots of excitement to the studio, but also a few questions. Should I calibrate my thermocouple? And, Do I need to adjust my firing rate to my new elements? This episode the gang talk about new kilns, ASTM standards for ware, and the difference between K23 and K26 soft bricks. They also start the show discussing testing methods for glaze durability. Do you have questio...

Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Pattie Chalmers! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Pattie shares a mishap with clay formulation, as well as how she teaches her students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale ...

Pin holes are a pesky issue in ceramics, largely because multiple glaze defects are often called pinholes. The gang talk about the myriad issues with pinholes, and if you can fix them on an already fired pot. They also discuss why commercial glazes have wide firing ranges. They start the show laughing and questioning the existence of removable ceramic stickers. Do you have questions ...

Speckled clay bodies have come roaring back in popularity and in this episode our intrepid clay experts talk about what you can add to your clay body to create this phenomenon. They also talk about plucking and why potassium fluxes are best for clay bodies. To start the show the gang introduce the mysterious case of the A.I. glaze book. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes?...

Today’s episode features a simple question. Do I have to glaze my pieces? The FFS gang talk about unglazed surfaces, and also discuss what triggers vitrification during firing. To start the episode, they also gab about Producer Ben’s new book on

Have you ever wanted to bake bread in one of your pots? Today the gang answer a listener's question about the best way to make ceramic bakeware. They also discuss a new trend in environmental design and why using sodium fluxes in clay bodies can cause trouble when reclaiming clay. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at ForFluxSakePodcast@gmail.com and you could be featured on an upcoming show...

Get ready for a wild ride in the studio with ceramic artist Osa Atoe! In this episode of our Fluxed Up series, we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with personal stories, studio mishaps, and the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Osa shares her experience with letting go of a favorite glaze combo, and how this encouraged her to explore wild clay terra sigs. Tune i...

Do you have the hard pan blues when your glazes settle like a rock to the bottom of the bucket? The gang talk about how bentonite and Epsom Salts might solve hard panning, as well as when and how much you should use. They also talk about how to calcine a substance, and why you shouldn’t calcine egg shells as a calcium source.

Have you ever mixed a glaze with the correct amount of water, but it still seems gloopy and thick? If you have then you might need to add a dispersant to help solve this issue. The gang talk about using dispersants, and they answer a listener’s question about the robustness of cone six versus cone ten. They also return to Materials Corner to talk about the discontinuation of a popula...

Have you ever noticed how some pots get really hot in the microwave? The gang talk about why this happens, and answer a listener question about coloring reclaimed slop glaze. They also talk about glow in the dark glazes and Rose’s recent video about them on the CMW YouTube channel. Do you have questions or need advice on glazes? Drop us a line at ForFluxSakePodcast@gmail.com and you ...

Welcome to a very spooky edition of Fluxed Up with Brett Kern. Today we dive into the precarious world of ceramics filled with funny stories, studio mishaps, and the quest for the ever-elusive perfect glaze. Join us as Brett shares his journey with slip casting inflatable dinosaurs, using commercial glazes, and dealing with dunting after material changes. Tune in for a dose of humor,...