manganese purple base

[Mark Armstrong]

Looking for some advice from the experts. I have mostly just batched from recipes from Petes colour class. I am looking to batch a manganese purple. Trying to replace soda with more potash, and eliminate lithium and borax. Here's what I thought I might start with, given what I have on hand.
Silica 83lbs
Potash 30 lbs
Soda Ash 6.5 lbs
Feldspar 8 lbs
Barium Carb. 3.5lbs
Zinc Oxide 1 lbs
Pot. Nitrate .25lbs
Antimony Oxide .25lbs

E and T 94.6

Initially this would be used as a stand alone batch. Hopefully as a base where the colour intensity could be varied easily by increasing or decreasing manganese

[Pete VanderLaan]

just remember, no antimony in the purple. It makes it harder to fine out but.. tough.

[Josh Bernbaum]

If you're making color bars or casing this with clear, I'd agree it'd probably be helpful to have that much potash vs. soda ash in there, but if you plan on just making things (especially thin things) out of this current ratio of alkali I'd think it'll be too "fat" of a glass to work with any ease. I've gotten some really nice vibrant purple from manganese with about half and half potassium and sodium. I like an ooch of cobalt in there too.

[Greg Vriethoff]

Now I have to ask.

What's an "ooch"?

[Pete VanderLaan]

A pooch that's been screwed?

[Mark Armstrong]

Thanks for that Josh, I will start with a half and half soda/potash.
I have been looking at the Helmer recipes to get a ball park on the manganese/cobalt proportions. It won't be for 2 or 3 weeks, but i will probably do a 35lb melt. I'll report back