LittleGreenPot Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 Hello, I am new here and also just taken over a small pottery studio with limited experience. I have done pottery as a hobby and now in at the deep end, which is fun but also daunting and expensive! I have looked online for the best and cheapest way to make underglazes for kids to use on greenware for one-off groups. (also considering just keeping it un-glazed and send off bisqued to paint at home?!) I made some stained glaze powder/ ball clay concoctions but were very weak in colour and too thick. Can someone please advise on the cheapest way to make underglazes? I have seen other potters have jars of it in kids classes in the past... Does mixing it with ball clay always dull down the colour and what ratio is best? Using just water is too runny. Advice greatly appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 "colour" tells me you might be in england or somewhere close to it. here in the usa we are spoiled because there are so many varieties of underglaze made by various manufacturers. i have seen several books published in england showing potters making colors with "pigments". no translation so i do not know exactly what they are. if you can get a copy of "the complete potter" by steve mattison, he has several helpful suggestions starting at page 176. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 Ball clay and stain sounds like a wash (with some frit) rather than an underglaze recipe. I'm not sure what you mean when you say "stained glaze powder"? Underglazes can be used on greenware or bisque. Speedball ones seem to be the least expensive, don't know if they are an option where you live? Making your own underglazes takes a lot of stain, would have to price out to see if it works out any less expensive. Commercial ones I've used could all be watered down also. I’ve used an underglaze recipe from Mason Stains, if you try it don’t leave out the VeegumT, even though it’s only a tiny amount it’s really necessary to keep the stains in suspension. EPK Kaolin 10 parts Feldspar (any) 25 parts Silica 25 parts Stain. 40 parts Mix well with water, add 1 part VeeGum T that has been FULLY broken down in water, screen through 100 or finer screen, bring to your painting consistency by addition of more water if needed. When using very strong stains such as cobalt blues or chrome greens you will need to reduce the amount of stain if the fired colour is too strong for your requirements. This can be used to decorate on clay or bisque. Dry fully before glazing. Good luck with your new pottery studio! @oldlady, we use "colour" in Canada too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 The commercial pottery painting places near me (Essex, England) use large jars of commercial underglaze. I suspect that if you compare the cost of commercial vs home-made, and take all costs into account (materials and time to mix, test; mix, re-test) the commercial will turn out cheaper. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 For use by kids, I would use commercial underglazes, because you can be sure to use products that are certified non-toxic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleGreenPot Posted February 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Thanks for the replies. I am in Dorset, UK. I used the ball clay to make the consistency better, but also looking for better ways to do this (just read : https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/ceramic-supplies/ceramic-glazes-and-underglazes/using-glaze-additives-to-make-average-glazes-great/) Thanks Min for the recipe, how much underglaze would you think you would get with this and 100g of underglaze powder? x x x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 It sounds like all you need to use is an underglaze medium as you have underglaze powders not ceramic stains. The recipe I posted is for stains like these. Don't know where your powdered underglaze is from but from Potterycrafts there is P4479 - Underglaze medium that they recommend for mixing with their underglaze powders. We don't have underglaze powders on this side of the pond so it was a bit confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleGreenPot Posted April 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Thanks for the replies... I tried using underglaze powder, water and a bit of ball clay powder to give it a thicker texture. It muted the colour a bit. I need to keep the cost down and wondered if anyone uses something other than a ready made medium as it it expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 Perhaps the reason ready made stuff is expensive is due to the testing over many years, and the experience of those who make it. You will end up spending more money in terms of time and waste, than biting the bullet and paying for the commercial stuff. Harsh, but true. Unless you're in this for the long, (very long) haul and willing to spend the time and money to test, test, tes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 why not go for coloured slips, if your clay is white just use that plus stain. Mix with water but when it's thickish use a defloc like sodium silicate, couple of drops. This will make it fluid without extra water. use on moist leather hard work. if clay is red o coloured buy a bag of porcelain. And yes, ball clay, well ones I'm familiar with will dull the colour. some stains are WYSIWYG and others are not. I used to label jars thus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheryl Leigh Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 I know I'm coming late to the party but .... I inherited a bunch of Velvets and my studio folks got addicted to them - now finding that it takes between $22- $46 dollars (for the reds, of course) for a pint .... but I imagine using Min's recipe, 40% Mason stain will add up pretty quickly, as well. *sigh* .... the prices in this industry can be daunting at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 Last year I did the math on making my own underglazes. While it can be cheaper to make your own, once you figure in the time it takes to test and develop the color pallet you want, and calculate the cost per pot, it's just not worth it to save a few cents on each mug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheryl Leigh Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 So, it really is just "cents" saved? I do spend a lot of time at the studio mostly being a presence, so the time factor isn't quite as big of a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yappystudent Posted August 25, 2018 Report Share Posted August 25, 2018 Speaking of Amaco Velvets, I noticed their "Bright Red" was literally the brightest most reliably intense medium red I've managed to find. I used up my small jar, and was going to replace it, but it was $15 or more than the same size Duncans (still pretty good, not the same though) and passed them up at my local store with some disappointment. Also they only had it in pints of course, whereas everything else was available in small sizes. I resent being gouged which also figured into my choices. I'd still like to use it for tiny dots and such, but forget anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.