Laser Glazing
Works and tests using the lasercutter to sinter and fuse glaze onto ceramic slabs
research began in collaboration with Professor Eric Souther at the New York State College of Ceramics.
Rhino knot 2020

laser glazed print on porcelain
Tangled 2021. Two tone glaze print on porcelain. 40x25cm
The co2 laser heats the surface of the material very rapidly at one small location for a very short period of time. The phenomenon of ”firing” glaze with the laser is therefore entirely different than the know process of slowly heating and cooling the entire work in a kiln.


Rhino knot 2020

Detail
With the lasercutter, it’s possible to melt glaze using a fraction of the energy, and to select where the glaze is fused and where it isn’t. As the general purpose lasercutter isn’t intended to melt glass, and glazes aren’t yet formulated to heat and cool so rapidly and to deal with the extreme energy applied by the laser, there is allot of testing and experimenting going on in this process


Mountain vase 2020

3 color glaze print

laser glazed porcelain
20x13cm.
Some glazes must be re-fired in a conventional kiln after lasering to restore their desired characteristics. Using low power for the laser settings seems to help keep colors from vanishing.

Mountain vase 2020

detail

Mountain vase (study) 2020

4 color glaze print


laser glazed porcelain
14x9 cm.

“out of focus” test, to examine how intentionally working with the laser unfocused could effect the sintering of glaze. This test uses a cone 04 high frit glaze with cobalt. 202125x25cm.

Ball Reflecting Room 2020

three color laser glaze print on porcelain

15x13.5 cm.

a test of color mixing, modeled and rendered in Rhino and then converted to halftones in Photoshop and vectorized in Illustrator.

lasering test of oxide washes over an industurially produced glazed tile. From left to right: cobalt oxide, Best Black Mason stain, chrome oxide, black copper oxide, red iron oxide. strong copper reduction is definitely worth future investigation.
2019 20x10cm.
Kaboom 2020

Three color laser glazed porcelain

21x11 cm.

Kaboom 2020

detail

another out of focus test, to measure how intentionally working with the laser unfocused could effect the sintering of glaze. This test uses a cone 10 “St. John Black” glaze with a high content of red clay.

2021 27x27cm.

Zigzag lines instead of straight ones, and the addition of frit in the glaze, seem to help promote nice even melt in the glaze. Thin layers of glaze can be fired one on top of the other to create good adhesion with the ceramics. More notes will follow..

Tangled1 2021

Four glaze laser print on porcelain

18x24cm

Tangled1 2021

detail 

Twisted1 2021

5 color glaze laser print on porcelain

33x15 cm.
lasering test of Mason-stains over an industurially produced glazed tile. From left to right: evergreen, dark red, daisy purple, walnut brown, best black, orange, Praseodymium yellow, zr vn blue. 2019 20x20cm.

Kaboom (tall) 2020.

Three tone glaze laser print on porcelain.

18x15cm.

Kaboom (tall) 2020.

detail

Kaboom (study) 2020.

Three color glaze  laser print on porcelain

16x14 cm.