Arakawa Shino

Almost pure feldspar
- Do melt tests to find the whitest burning feldspars
- Should be 95+% feldspar
  - Even 10-15% white burning kaolins can turn the glaze gray
- Suspended with white burning bentonite
  - Maybe not VeeGum-T as it has fluxing properties
Mechanics
- Matte texture comes from underfiring feldspar, not from silica-alumina ratio
- Translucency comes from partially melted feldspar
- Red color comes from alkali flashing with the clay body
  - This means developing the clay is just as important as the glaze
Clay body
- 1-3% iron content
  - Iron must come from the clay, not added iron oxide
  - The specific color is determined by the clay's iron content and mineral structure
- Low silica-alumina ratio
  - Seems to help promote flashing
Firing
- Reduction brings out the flashing color
- Traditional noborigama firings take several days
- Can either mix several feldspars to target a specific firing temperature or adjust firing temperature to match your feldspar
  - White burning, low melting Canadian neph sye should allow shino glazes at very low temperatures
  - I think 1100C is the minimum temperature because the alkali flashing is dependent on iron crystal formation that takes place around 900-1000C (many iron glazes change behavior with a slow cool / hold around this temp)