AMACO Cosmic Gold Dust Glaze Test by Kelsey Schroeder

Cosmic Gold Dust Glaze

This AMACO Cosmic Gold Dust glaze test by Kelsey Schroeder explores how a change in firing schedule affected the finished surface. Fired to cone 6 on Sheffield Pottery T6B clay, the test tiles compare one coat on the left with three coats on the right.

Kelsey’s earlier results had looked very similar to Cosmic Tea Dust. After discussing Cosmic Gold Dust with Cory at NCECA, she identified her drop-and-hold firing schedule as the likely reason.

AMACO Cosmic Gold Dust: Testing Without a Drop and Hold

For this test, Kelsey omitted the drop-and-hold stage and reported a much better gold result. She used the same schedule she normally chooses when aiming for copper crystals in AMACO Ancient Copper.

According to Kelsey’s account, Gold Dust shares a component with Ancient Copper that contributes to its gold appearance. She noted that, just as Ancient Copper can become matte brown during a slow cool, Gold Dust can also develop a browner finish.

Her test offers a useful reminder: the firing schedule deserves as much attention as the number of coats.

Clay, Application and Firing

• Glaze: AMACO Cosmic Gold Dust
• Clay body: Sheffield Pottery T6B
• Firing: Cone 6
• Schedule change: Drop-and-hold stage omitted
• Application: One coat on the left; three coats on the right of each tile

The complete firing programme was not included in the supplied account, so this result should be treated as a reference for testing rather than a schedule to reproduce exactly.