Question:
How do I apply glaze?
Peeling
You may find that glazes are peeling from your ware. This is usually caused by too heavy and application of glaze over underglazes or one-strokes
Dry between coats
Before applying second and third coats of colour, be sure that previous coats have dried completely.
To avoid pinholes
During the glazing process, you may notice some pinholes appearing. To avoid any problems after the piece is fired, be sure to take the end of your brush and work your glaze into the holes, or simply rub your fingers over the glaze surface, gently.
Decorating the yard with ceramics
Decorating the yard with ceramic pieces is always a lot of fun, but many forget to prepare the inside of pieces. Be sure to glaze the inside of all your pieces as well as staining outside. This will help to protect the piece from moisture and make the decoration on the outside last a lot longer. If you do not protect the inside moisture can get into the bisque and push the decoration off the outside, usually in the form of chipping.
Semi-matte/satin glazes Smoothing
It is a good idea to smooth coats of semi-matte or satin glazes with finger tips between coats.
Matte-glazes
Matte-glazes do not flow during firing and must be applied evenly.
Running
Remember that glazes run when fired so you will want to leave your coats of colour approximately 1/16-1/8” up from the bottom of the piece.
General guidelines
Glazes are easy to use and produce excellent results if applied and fired properly. Read all recipes and lables carefully. Keep working areas clean of dust.
Brush on: check labels
Most manufacturers recommend that you apply glazes with three coats. There are some one and two coat glazes so be sure to check labels.
Transparent glazes Description
As the name implies, transparent glazes will allow colour to show through, but in the process diffuses them.
Coverage
Whatever the number of coats, glazes should be applied to your ware in a flowing manner, being sure that you cover your pieces well and evenly.
application of transparent glazes
The best method of application of transparent glazes is to thin glaze with water so it is just slightly thicker than water itself and apply recommended number of coats.
Know your brush tendency
After you have used glazes a few times, you will discover if you fall in the light or heavy glaze category. Everyone loads their brush differently and you should know your own tendency so you can gauge how much glaze to apply.
Glaze flow
Some glazes do flow more than others during firing, but it is impossible as a beginner to know which ones do and don't. You will have to rely on the knowledge of your teacher. Though a common rule of thumb is: the thicker and more varied the application the greater the tendency to run.
Lead safe glazes.
Pieces that you plan to use for food should be glazed only with ‘lead safe' glazes.
Lead safe glazes are those that are formulated to meet federal minimum standards for the amount of lead contained in the formulas.
Opaque White
Opaque White Glaze
Cone 9-10
Reduction
Potash Feldspar 45.35
Ball Clay 12.85
Whiting 17.5
Borax 1.45
Slilica 20.5
Zinc Oxide 2.35
Zircopax 30.2
Applying semi-matte or satin glazes
The best method of applying semi-matte or satin glazes is to thin the first coat of colour before applying which will help eliminate pinholes.
Textured glazes
When using textured glazes, be sure that you are applying the proper number of coats. If you do not apply enough, or if you over-fire your piece, the texture you wanted will be almost smooth.
Clear glaze
Since clear glaze is the most frequently used and it is often to tell which coat you are on, it is possible to colour it with food clouring and use a different colour for each coat.
Description
What is a glaze?
We're all familiar with glaze as a coating of glassy material on the surface of a pot. A glaze is exactly that, though we may not recognize some types of glazes as particularly glassy. Glazes can be glossy, matt, rough, and all variations in between. They can also be transparent, translucent, or opaque and may have most any color. A glaze can show depth--in gradations of color for a transparent glaze, or in the surface itself for some special effect glazes such as crater or crawl glazes.
Brush marks with matt glazes
Brush marks will show when a matte glaze is fired, so be sure to smooth each coat of colour with fingertips before applying the next.
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| Guru Spotlight |
| Jolyn Wells-Moran |
