Tenmoku is a beautiful black / brown glaze that is characterized by a high percentage of red iron oxide and is typically fired in reduction to cone 10. I wanted to see if similar results could be achieved in a cone 6 electric oxidation firing, so I scoured glazy.org for recipes and tested a few. The most successful result in my kiln was the glaze Base Vinod T, developed by Clara Giorello.
This glaze, when applied thickly, has the deep black characteristics of a high-fire tenmoku, and some of the more translucent brown highlights. It’s not exactly a tenmoku, but it’s a nice glaze. The recipe developer also posted the base glaze along (sort of a milky clear) along with tests with other oxides.
Here’s the recipe, and more images are below.
Base Vinod T cone 6 tenmoku
| Ingredient | Percentage | 1000g batch |
|---|---|---|
| Potash Feldspar (Custer Feldspar used in this test) | 26 | 260g |
| Frit 3134 | 26 | 260g |
| Kaolin (EPK used in this test) | 18 | 180g |
| Silica | 22 | 220g |
| Whiting | 6 | 60g |
| Talc | 5 | 50g |
| Add: | ||
| Red Iron Oxide | 10 | 100g |
Test Tile Images
These test tiles were all fired on Laguna Frost mid range porcelain, to best bring out the tenmoku characteristics. I’m sure the glaze will also work well on white or red stoneware, but the lighter brown highlights will be less likely to show up on darker stoneware.
Base Vinod T glaze with a thick application.
Base Vinod T glaze with a thin application.
Four of the glazes tested: Base Vinod T in thick and thin applications, Vinod T glaze plus red iron oxide, Song Dynasty Tenmoku 0.18 and 0.23 glazes, and Pierre’s tenmoku.
Conclusion
Tenmoku-like results can be achieved in a cone 6 oxidation firing. It’s not exactly a traditional tenmoku, but it’s definitely in the ball park! In my kiln, the glaze Base Vinod T gave the best results (see recipe at glazy.org). Testing is always recommended in your kiln before committing to a larger batch.
Do you fire tenmoku glazes in cone 6 oxidation? If so, let us know about your recipes and results in the comments.
