TIPS FOR USING CLEAR GLAZES

POTTERY GLAZING IS AN ESSENTIAL ASPECT OF CERAMIC ART THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK THE FINAL OUTCOME OF YOUR CREATIONS. CLEAR POTTERY GLAZE, IN PARTICULAR, PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ACCENTUATING THE BEAUTY OF YOUR CERAMICS BY PROVIDING A GLOSSY, PROTECTIVE FINISH. HOWEVER, ACHIEVING THAT PERFECT FINISH CAN BE A BIT CHALLENGING, ESPECIALLY FOR BEGINNERS. IN THIS GUIDE, WE'LL DELVE INTO A WEALTH OF TIPS AND TRICKS TO HELP YOU MASTER THE ART OF USING CLEAR POTTERY GLAZE.

1. PROPER PREPARATION
THE FIRST STEP TO SUCCESS WITH CLEAR POTTERY GLAZE IS PROPER PREPARATION. THIS INCLUDES ENSURING THAT YOUR POTTERY PIECES ARE CLEAN, DRY, AND FREE FROM DUST OR DEBRIS. CLEANLINESS IS CRUCIAL, AS ANY IMPURITIES ON THE SURFACE CAN RESULT IN IMPERFECTIONS IN THE GLAZE FINISH. TAKE CARE TO ENSURE THAT ANYTHING YOU HAVE USED ON YOUR HANDS (LIKE SOAP OR MOISTURISER) IS NOT TRANSFERRED TO THE POTTERY.

2. TEST TILES
BEFORE APPLYING CLEAR GLAZE TO YOUR ACTUAL POTTERY PIECES, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO CREATE TEST TILES. THESE ARE SMALL, FLAT PIECES OF CLAY THAT YOU GLAZE AND FIRE. TEST TILES ALLOW YOU TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT APPLICATION TECHNIQUES, LAYERING, AND FIRING TEMPERATURES WITHOUT RISKING YOUR PRIMARY CREATIONS. THEY ALSO ENSURE THAT THE GLAZE IS A GOOD FIT FOR THE CLAY YOU ARE USING I.E. THAT THEY HAVE COMPATIBLE EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION RATES WHEN HEATED AND COOLING.

3. MIXING RATION AND CONSISTENCY
CONSISTENCY IS KEY WHEN WORKING WITH CLEAR GLAZE. STIR THE GLAZE THOROUGHLY BEFORE APPLYING IT TO YOUR PIECES. MAKE SURE IT'S NEITHER TOO THICK NOR TOO THIN. YOU CAN ADJUST THE CONSISTENCY BY ADDING A LITTLE WATER OR DEFLOCCULANT, BUT BE CAUTIOUS NOT TO OVERDO IT. FOR THE GLAZES WE SELL, WE WOULD RECOMMEND STARTING WITH A RATIO OF 1:1 WATER TO POWDER (E.G. 1 LITRE OF WATER TO 1KG OF POWDER). THEN ADD A LITTLE MORE WATER TO ACHIEVE A CONSISTENCY SIMILAR TO THAT OF BLUE TOP MILK. SIEVE AT 100 - 120#.

4. GLAZE APPLICATION TECHNIQUES
VARIOUS TECHNIQUES CAN BE EMPLOYED TO APPLY CLEAR GLAZE TO YOUR POTTERY. SOME COMMON METHODS INCLUDE:
A. DIPPING: SUBMERGE YOUR POTTERY PIECE INTO THE GLAZE BUCKET AND LIFT IT OUT, ALLOWING EXCESS GLAZE TO DRIP OFF.
B. POURING: POUR THE GLAZE OVER YOUR POTTERY PIECE, ROTATING IT TO ENSURE EVEN COVERAGE.
C. BRUSHING: USE SOFT, NATURAL BRISTLE BRUSHES TO APPLY THE GLAZE IN EVEN STROKES.
D. SPRAYING: INVEST IN AN AIRBRUSH OR SPRAY GUN FOR A MORE CONTROLLED APPLICATION OF GLAZE.

ONCE THE GLAZE HAS DRIED YOU CAN 'FETTLE' WHICH MEANS USING YOUR FINGER, KNIFE OR OTHER TOOL TO REMOVE AND SMOOTH OUT EXCESS GLAZE.

EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU. WE FIND THAT A GLAZE THICKNESS OF AROUND 1MM GIVES A LOVELY EVEN FINISH WITHOUT DRIPS AND RUNS.

5. MULTIPLE COATS
TO ACHIEVE A UNIFORM AND LUSTROUS FINISH, IT'S OFTEN NECESSARY TO APPLY MULTIPLE COATS OF CLEAR GLAZE RATHER THAN ONE SINGLE THICK COAT. AFTER EACH COAT, ALLOW THE PIECE TO DRY. BE PATIENT AND APPLY AS MANY COATS AS NEEDED, ENSURING THAT EACH LAYER DRIES PROPERLY BEFORE ADDING THE NEXT.

6. FIRING TEMPERATURE
THE FIRING TEMPERATURE PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE OUTCOME OF YOUR CLEAR GLAZE. BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BEST RESULTS, AND EVEN THEN WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE USE OF TEST TILES FIRST. YOUR COMBINATION OF CLAY, GLAZE, TECHNIQUE AND KILN WILL OFTEN BE UNIQUE TO YOU, AND RESULTS CAN VARY.

TYPICAL KILN FIRING PROFILE TO 1180 DEGREES CELSIUS (EXAMPLE ONLY):
STAGE 1 RAMP: 50 DEGREES PER HOUR TEMP: 400 DEGREES HOLD: 0
STAGE 2 RAMP: 100 DEGREES PER HOUR TEMP: 600 DEGREES HOLD: 0
STAGE 3 RAMP: 150 DEGREES PER HOUR TEMP: 1180 DEGREES HOLD: 15 MINUTES
STAGE 4 RAMP DOWN: 100 DEGREES PER HOUR TEMP: 1050 DEGREES HOLD: 1 HOUR
BUNGS IN AT STAGE 3

7. AVOID CONTAMINATION
CONTAMINATING YOUR CLEAR GLAZE CAN LEAD TO UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS. KEEP YOUR GLAZE AND GLAZING TOOLS SEPARATE FROM OTHER POTTERY MATERIALS AND USE A DEDICATED SET OF BRUSHES AND CONTAINERS TO PREVENT CROSS-CONTAMINATION.

8. KILN VENTILATION
PROPER KILN VENTILATION IS ESSENTIAL TO ELIMINATE TOXIC FUMES AND ACHIEVE CONSISTENT FIRING RESULTS. ENSURE THAT YOUR KILN IS ADEQUATELY VENTILATED, ESPECIALLY WHEN FIRING CLEAR GLAZE, AS IT CAN PRODUCE MORE FUMES THAN OTHER GLAZES.

9. KILN PLACEMENT
WHEN LOADING YOUR POTTERY PIECES INTO THE KILN, TAKE CARE WITH THEIR PLACEMENT. AVOID STACKING OR OVERCROWDING, AS THIS CAN LEAD TO GLAZE RUNNING AND FUSION BETWEEN PIECES. ADEQUATE SPACING BETWEEN ITEMS ENSURES A MORE EVEN AND SUCCESSFUL FIRING.

10. SAFETY FIRST
SAFETY SHOULD ALWAYS BE A TOP PRIORITY WHEN WORKING WITH CLEAR GLAZE. USE APPROPRIATE SAFETY GEAR, INCLUDING GLOVES, GOGGLES, AND A MASK, WHEN HANDLING GLAZE AND WORKING IN THE KILN ROOM. ADDITIONALLY, MAKE SURE YOUR WORKSPACE IS WELL-VENTILATED TO MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO FUMES.

11. EXPERIMENT AND RECORD
EVERY POTTER'S JOURNEY WITH CLEAR GLAZE IS UNIQUE. TAKE THE TIME TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES, LAYERING, AND FIRING SCHEDULES. KEEP DETAILED RECORDS OF YOUR EXPERIMENTS, INCLUDING THE TYPE OF GLAZE, APPLICATION METHODS, AND FIRING TEMPERATURES, SO YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERIENCES AND IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS OVER TIME.

12. GLAZE COMBINATIONS
CLEAR GLAZE CAN BE USED IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER GLAZES (ESPECIALLY KIWI UNDERGLAZE!) TO ACHIEVE STUNNING EFFECTS. EXPERIMENT WITH LAYERING CLEAR GLAZE OVER UNDERGLAZES, ENGOBES, OR OTHER GLAZE COLORS TO CREATE DEPTH AND UNIQUE FINISHES.

13. AVOID BUBBLES
BUBBLES IN CLEAR GLAZE CAN BE UNSIGHTLY AND DETRACT FROM THE OVERALL APPEARANCE OF YOUR POTTERY. TO MINIMIZE BUBBLE FORMATION, MAKE SURE YOUR GLAZE IS WELL-MIXED, AND APPLY IT IN THIN, EVEN LAYERS. ADDITIONALLY, AVOID OVERFIRING YOUR POTTERY, AS THIS CAN LEAD TO EXCESSIVE BUBBLING. CONSIDER A 'SOAK' AT YOUR TOP KILN TEMPERATURE (OR JUST BELOW) TO HELP BUBBLES ESCAPE THE GLAZE.

14. MIND THE EDGES
CLEAR GLAZE TENDS TO FLOW TOWARD THE EDGES OF YOUR POTTERY DURING FIRING, WHICH CAN RESULT IN DRIPS OR RUNNING GLAZE. TO AVOID THIS, WIPE AWAY EXCESS GLAZE FROM THE EDGES BEFORE FIRING. A CLEAN, DRY SPONGE OR A DAMP CLOTH CAN HELP ACHIEVE THIS.

15. TEST YOUR KILN
REGULARLY TEST YOUR KILN TO ENSURE THAT IT IS FIRING ACCURATELY AND CONSISTENTLY. USE CONE PACKS OR WITNESS CONES TO MONITOR THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE THE KILN DURING FIRING, AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULTS.

16. ASK FOR HELP
IF YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING PERSISTENT ISSUES OR LOOKING TO ACHIEVE SPECIFIC RESULTS WITH CLEAR GLAZE, CONSIDER GIVING US A CALL OR EMAIL, CONSULTING WITH ANOTHER POTTER OR CERAMICIST, OR EVEN ENQUIRING AT YOUR LOCAL POTTERY CLUB. THEY CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHTS, TIPS, AND GUIDANCE TO HELP YOU OVERCOME CHALLENGES AND ENHANCE YOUR SKILLS.

WORKING WITH CLEAR POTTERY GLAZE IS A REWARDING BUT INTRICATE PROCESS THAT REQUIRES PATIENCE, EXPERIMENTATION, AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL. BY FOLLOWING THESE TIPS AND TRICKS, YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR GLAZING TECHNIQUES AND CONSISTENTLY PRODUCE POTTERY PIECES WITH A FLAWLESS, GLOSSY FINISH. REMEMBER TO EMBRACE THE LEARNING PROCESS AND NEVER STOP EXPLORING NEW WAYS TO ACHIEVE STUNNING RESULTS WITH CLEAR GLAZE. WITH PRACTICE, YOU'LL BE WELL ON YOUR WAY TO MASTERING THIS ESSENTIAL ASPECT OF CERAMIC ART.