Bob Bergstrom
03-15-2016, 5:03 PM
These bowls rather plain ash which begs for coloring. Both have been a learning experience or what some may refer to as a series. Doing multi colored one I used mica powders mix with Formby's tung oil. The amount of powder made the mix somewhat opaque and was like the thickness of paint. As I was applying layers, the surface was becoming rougher. The oil took overnight to dry so progress was slow. I used an air gun to push the color around, but it was a little difficult to get it to spread freely.
The darker one I used alcohol as the medium and less powder. I had the mix in a small plastic cup and needed to jiggle the cup before pouring it on the surface to keep the powder from settling to the bottom. Once some was dribble on the surface I quickly tipped the bowl to a direction I wanted the slurry to run. Then tilted it back toward the starting point. Once the mica powder once evenly distributed, I hit it with the air pressure. This caused numerous small fingers to radiate out from the main stream. I started with the lightest color first and the darker gold over the lighter golds and the silver. Because of the alcohol and more transparent mix the surface was smoother and more transparent. The alcohol also dried quickly. When I poured one layer over another they also melted together more
333887333888333889333890
The darker one I used alcohol as the medium and less powder. I had the mix in a small plastic cup and needed to jiggle the cup before pouring it on the surface to keep the powder from settling to the bottom. Once some was dribble on the surface I quickly tipped the bowl to a direction I wanted the slurry to run. Then tilted it back toward the starting point. Once the mica powder once evenly distributed, I hit it with the air pressure. This caused numerous small fingers to radiate out from the main stream. I started with the lightest color first and the darker gold over the lighter golds and the silver. Because of the alcohol and more transparent mix the surface was smoother and more transparent. The alcohol also dried quickly. When I poured one layer over another they also melted together more
333887333888333889333890