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Hi, Im Very New To Ceramics. I Have A Question About Bisque Firing And Underglaze.


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Hi, Im very new to ceramics. I have a question about bisque firing and underglaze. 

I haven't purchased clay or glaze yet, just researching before i do. 

I want to illustrate with different colours on bisque fired ceramic pieces and then glaze fire them. Ive read that underglaze is best for this purpose because it doesn't run when fired. 
Ive found a couple of different brands that do underglazes (amaco semi-moist underglaze, duncan concepts underglaze) that I'm interested in buying but they say recommended for bisque 04 and then fire to cone 06 to cone 6. Ive been trying to find underglazes that want you to fire at bisque 06 but i cant find any. 

 

These are the firings available at my local pottery place. I was just wondering whether it is crucial that I fire at bisque 04 for me to be able to use these underglazes? or can I say use duncan concepts, for instance on bisque 06 fired work or will the clay not adhere properly to it? 

 

The firings available are:
Bisque firing 960 - 1000°C (Cone 06)
Earthenware Glaze firing 1090°C (Cone 03)
Midfire Glaze firing 1200°C (Cone 5)
Stoneware Glaze firing 1280°C (Cone 9/10)
Thanks very much
Chloe
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I've used Amaco Underglazes for years.  They work great.  They are a bit pricier than some others however.  I've seen many posters here, state that they use other, cheaper brands, with great results as well.  

Also, keep in mind, Underglazes can be thinned with water, both for effects and to make them last longer.

 

I generally go by the recommended firing instructions for the commercial Glazes and Underglazes.  For a glaze, the appearance will probably not match the advertised color if you ignore it.  For underglazes, this may be the case as well.  With most underglazes, what you see is what you get, in terms of color.  But I have a couple that change a bit, when fired.  This may not be the case, if they are underfired.

 

You didn't say, what you are doing after the bisque.  Will you clear glaze, then refire?  Many underglazes are designed to have a clear on top.  Some look quite a bit off without it.  If you will be refiring at a higher temp later, then the lower bisque temp will be fine.  Also, if you are firing twice, you can always underglaze after the bisque as well.  Less chance for damaging the ware, while illustrating.  

Personally, I usually underglaze on greenware, but just because it gives me a chance to fix mistakes, before the glaze firing.  

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chloe, welcome!

 

you are planning to do something that could just take over your life.  getting into ceramic arts is a little like putting your toe into the ocean.  so much ahead of you.

 

if you could say a little about yourself, where do you live, what kind of "local pottery place" it is, whether you will be putting your illustrations on pieces that are already made greenware or do you plan to make the pieces from clay yourself, and whether you have some kind of similar work you could photograph and post here. using underglazes will be much more fun when you see what other people are doing.  look at the gallery.

 

the folks here do every kind of work and it helps to know your intentions.  you will probably get many good answers to your questions if you just give us a little more info. 

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You will be fine applying underglazes to 04 or 06 bisque ... there is not a huge world of difference there.

 

Some people like to bisque fire the decorated piece again before they apply the clear glaze so there is no chance of it smearing.

 

Final firing temperature will affect the color results somewhat as many underglazes get darker at higher temps.

 

Make yourself a couple flat tiles and divide them into squares ... paint your underglazes in the squares then fire one in the Cone 5 kiln and the other in the bisque. You could even apply glaze to half the colored squares to see how that changes the results. Try it with different clay bodies too.

 

If you are going to put a lot of work into decorating the pieces it is worth it to do this kind of testing beforehand so you will not be disappointed.

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