Graphite Pencil On Bisque

[algebraist]

If I sketch a design on bisque, then paint wax resist over it, then glaze, can I be sure that the pencil marks will burn away completely in a cone 6 glaze firing?

 

(I realize the best answer is "try it and see," but I'd rather not delay the piece I have in mind by a firing cycle, if possible.)

 

Thanks in advance.

[Mark C.]

Yes they burn away clean.

[algebraist]

Excellent, thanks.

[alabama]

Hey,

Unless your Doctor has told you not to bother winding your watch, or not to buy green bananas, you'll live long enough to try it and see. I was told in April of 1990 that a pencil lead was graphite and clay, and it would burn off.. I fired between 1100 and 1300 degrees and it didn't burn off. I used a number two pencil.

Since the vessel was black, only I could see/notice it.

Try it and keep on experimenting, and take notes! You'll appreciate the notes later.

Good luck. See ya,

Alabama

[neilestrick]

1300 is pretty low. By bisque temps it will be gone.

[Mark C.]

I use a pencil all the time  and it always burns off but 1300 degrees is well below what I bisque to.

[Marcia Selsor]

I use graphite pencils to draw on my raku slabs but I do fire them to 1900 and the pencil marks are gone.

Marcia

[GiselleNo5]

Sometimes the pencil marks stay depending on the glaze, even at Cone 5. Now when I use pencil I only use it with a dark glaze that'll cover it up.

[Pugaboo]

You also need to be careful with the hardness of pencil you use. Sometimes the ghost line that stays after firing is the slight indentation of the surface texture. I only use between 4-6B pencils when I sketch on pieces.

 

One thing I have used successfully as well is a red colored pencil. Make sure there is no wax in the blend, a red pastel pencil is great. Red tends to burn out a lower temps than other colors so there very little chance of a line remaining after biscue firing to ^04.

 

T

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I'd say it burns out most of the time, but I have one cone ten glaze that carbon traps, and I found out the hard way because my glaze notes that I wrote on the side of the pot are still visible.

 

On my last round of glazing, I used powdered graphite thinned with water to mark out some dividing lines. It all burned out at bisque.

[Min]

I'd say it burns out most of the time, but I have one cone ten glaze that carbon traps, and I found out the hard way because my glaze notes that I wrote on the side of the pot are still visible.

 

On my last round of glazing, I used powdered graphite thinned with water to mark out some dividing lines. It all burned out at bisque.

 

red food colouring and a fine paint brush works too. totally burns out.

[mdobay]

^{I am little confused   " sketch a design on bisque, then paint wax resist over it"  if you do this then the glaze will not sick to the peace where the wax is. So the you the design that you sketched to be un-glazed?}

[MatthewV]

That is an option, yes.

 

Just yesterday I used brush wax mixed with cobalt oxide so anywhere I waxed left an unglazed blue.

[algebraist]

Thanks everyone.  Mdobay: yes, that's the idea -- the wax resist gives me a design formed of unglazed clay.