TIPS ON HOW TO APPLY GLAZE

 

The best way to decide which glaze is best is to test. Many potters use small test tiles like a flat piece of bisque or a tube but test tiles have a disadvantage. You don’t see how the glaze stands (or runs) on flat tile and if the slab is thinner or fatter than the object you want to  use it on, the results will be different. I like to test on a simple pot (that I haven’t spent hours on) that matches the thickness of the walls and has some vertical and horizontal features.

 

1) At Gavilan we glaze only bisqued work. Look for your bisqued piece in the glaze room (Art 111) on the dark blue cart. How do we know it’s bisqued? The color should change, it should feel hard and porous, and if you scratch it with your finger it should not make a mark.

 

2) Do not glaze unfired, ”green ware”. Not sure, scratch it. Put it on the “Green Ware” cart in the glaze room to be bisqued. 

 

3) Prepare the pot to be glazed. Sponge pots with a clean, damp (not dripping) sponge. This removes dust and moisturizes pot so the glaze sticks better. Too wet and the glaze won’t go on or it goes on too thinly.

 

4) Wax the bottom. Use the white “dry footing” wax (not floor wax). The term dry footing refers to not glazing the bottom of the pot because when it gets fired, it will get “wet”, i.e. it will melt, liquefy. When it does that if it is on the bottom it will stick to the shelf. Glaze prongs/props do not work well at cone 10.

 

5) Apply glaze by brushing, dipping, pouring, spraying or sponging. Dipping is the most efficient. The others may be chosen for their effect or the fact there isn’t enough glaze to dip.

 

6) No more than 2 coats should be applied. The pot should not be submerged more than 10 seconds. If you count 1-1000 up to 5-1000 that is a good place to begin. Adjust application accordingly.

There are cups under sink for pouring, ask for help for spraying.

7) Remember glaze clean-up is done in the set of 3 trays to the right of the Room 111 door. When finished please clean all tools and surfaces that got dirty. You need to use your fingers to rub the slip or glaze out and rinse well. Wax left in the brushes really destroy the bristles.

8) Don't forget to take notes (glaze log). This is important. You should know how you glazed it, what kiln, when. The log will help keep track of your work. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to be fired. The glaze before it's fired and afterwards can be quite different. The transparent glazes are very opaque until they melt and turn into clear glass.