Slip and decoration5 min read
How to Make Coloured Slip for Pottery
Coloured slip is white slip plus a stain or oxide, measured by dry weight. Here are the percentages that work, how to test them, and how to keep colours consistent between batches.
Glazing
8 posts filed under glazing.
Glazing4 min read
What Is Ceramic Glaze Made Of? The Three Ingredients
Every ceramic glaze is silica, a flux and alumina, plus colourants. Here is what each part does, where it comes from, and why glazes only work in a narrow range.
Glazing5 min read
How to Glaze Pottery at Home, Step by Step
Dipping, pouring and brushing glaze onto bisque ware, with the preparation and thickness checks that decide whether the result is even or patchy.
Glazing5 min read
How to Make Ceramic Glaze From Raw Materials
Mixing your own glaze from a recipe: the equipment, the weighing discipline, sieving, testing and the safety rules that come with handling dry glaze materials.
Glazing5 min read
What Is Glazing in Ceramics? What the Word Actually Covers
Glazing means coating fired clay with a glass-forming mixture and firing it again. Here is what it does, why it is done, and the vocabulary that surrounds it.
Buying guide5 min read
Where to Buy Pottery Glaze (and What to Check Before You Do)
Ceramic suppliers, studios and online sellers stock glaze in jars, dry powder and buckets. Here is which format suits which situation, and the four things to check on any label.
Firing5 min read
Cone 6 vs Cone 10: Which Firing Temperature Should You Work At?
Cone 6 mid-fire and cone 10 high-fire produce different colours, different costs and different equipment needs. Here is how to choose and what changes.
Glazing5 min read
Glaze Crawling: Why It Happens and How to Stop It
Crawling is a glaze pulling away from the clay into beads and bare patches. Almost always it is contamination, dust, or a glaze layer applied too thick.