Collection: The Waste to Glaze Collection

My reclaimed glazes are made by collecting the small amounts of glaze left behind from washing up my studio equipment, tools and glaze buckets. These remnants are combined rather than being washed away or discarded, creating a new glaze from materials that would otherwise become studio waste.

Only glazes used within my own studio are included in this process, so I know exactly what materials are entering the reclaim. I do not use lead or cadmium-containing materials in my studio. The reclaimed glazes can contain very small residual amounts of colouring oxides, such as cobalt and copper, carried over from the original glazes.

The reclaimed glaze is applied to stoneware pieces and fired to a temperature at which the clay body is fully vitrified. The resulting pieces are suitable for normal food and drink use.

Some reclaimed glaze combinations develop a fine, light crazing during firing. As a precaution, I recommend washing these pieces promptly and thoroughly after use, rather than leaving food or drink residue on the surface. I also recommend that they are not used for long-term food storage.

I choose to be transparent about the nature of these glazes: their colour and surface are created from the accumulated history of my studio glazes, so every batch is slightly different. What might otherwise be considered waste becomes part of the character of the finished piece.