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Ceramic Ink, Crayon And Underglaze


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Hi all,

 

I would like to try to make some ceramic ink and crayon featured at the article "Drawn to Surface".  The recipe is

Ceramic Pencil Slip Recipe

White firing ball clay50%

Potash feldspar25

Silica25

 

Add:Macaloid (or 5% bentonite)3%

Colorant (maximum)15%

 

The article said to add ordinary commercial wax resist to form crayon, what wax resist is best to use?

 

About the ink, the recipe is

Black Ceramic Ink Recipe

Calcium borate30%

Potash feldspar30

Ball clay25

Silica15

 

Add:Bentonite5%

Mason Stain 6600 or other black stain10%

 

My other question is about Bentonites.  The article stated to add bentonite if apply to green ware.  Does it mean I will need to add bentonite on both recipes if I apply to greenware and not to add bentonite if I apply to bisque ware?

 

I would also like to try to make some underglaze, found couple recipes but just wondering which one is better so I can buy the raw materials.

 

Kaolin 15 Calcined Kaolin 35 Talc 5 Calcium Borate (or frit 3110) 0 Nepheline Syenite 15 Silica 15 Borax 5 Zircopax 10

 

 #6 Tile Clay (Georgia kaolin) 25g 25  EPK (Kaolin) 25g 25  Ball Clay 25g 25  Frit 3124 15g 15  Nepheline Syenite 10g 10

 

I am a novice in ceramic and love the decoration aspects.  Thanks for your input.

 

Sosan

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Jean Otis in Arizona made her own pencil "leads" years ago. NOt sure where the "drawn to surface" was printed. Jean bisque do her colored lead low bisque range. You don't mention any firing temperature. Sounds interesting. can you reference your source using author and book, journal, or whatever?

marcia

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great article. thanks. OK so the pencils are fired very low 1472- 1742 depending on hardened you want. These are not normal temperatures for bisque. 1900 is ^06. So you'll need to fire the leads in a test kiln. Jean

Otis extruded her leads to fit into a claw grip mechanical pencil. Also mention in the article but larger. I have used the commercial watercolors and pastels. You'll find these a lot lending themselves to a new direction for you in clay.

If you are mixing yourself and trying on greenwash, then mix with bentonite. usually a supplier just has one brand. That is good enough. in Texas many people use Mayco under glazes and they like them. maybe read about those or Amaco. it may save you some expense if you start out with a few commercial colors and see what you like. You can buy small jars to start.

marcia

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Thanks Marcia.  I do have couple commerical made underglaze but would like to explore DIY option and learn from the raw material.  

 

Can you comment on my question about the wax and which underglaze receipts looks more promising to try?

 

Thanks again.

 

Sosan

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In my opinion it's not worth making your own underglazes. Commercial underglazes are plentiful, work very well, and can be purchased relatively cheaply, especially when they go on sale. In addition to all the testing that will be required to get a homemade underglaze to work the way you want it to, it will take numerous rounds of testing to work out the colors and a lot of wasted money buying stains that won't be right. Plus underglazes are saturated with colorants, and it may not be all that much cheaper to make your own once you factor in the cost of the stains, especially reds and oranges.

 

I use Speedball brand underglazes. They are quite cheap and work very well. Sign up for the newsletter at www.Clay-King.com and watch for their sales. Several times a year they'll have Speedball products at 40%-50% off, which gets them down to about $6 per pint or less, and they usually need to be watered down a bit so it's a really good deal.

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Thanks Marcia.  I do have couple commerical made underglaze but would like to explore DIY option and learn from the raw materials

Can you comment on my question about the wax and which underglaze receipts looks more promising to try?

 

Thanks again.

 

Sosan

Sounds like you're ready to jump in. I can't say what wax is best. I use several for different things. I haven't tried this either. So, go for it and keep us posted and if you need some input.

Marcia

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