Dipping 10" plus plates

[Dorene]

New to dipping plates.  Plates are 10"+.  Picture on upper side which is waxed.  Trying to dip in one color that should be a uniform color (no runs or streaks).  Tried make a frame for plate to sit in to be dipped but no way to pour out glaze from top of plate.  Not enough glaze to use tongs and the plate vertical.  Tried using fingers but glaze is smudgy and irregular where I touched it.  Please tell me how it should be done.  

[neilestrick]

You need a big enough bucket of glaze to dip the whole thing at once vertically, using tongs.

[Min]

If you have a shallow basin wide enough you can dip it horizontally so you won't need as much glaze, a couple inches more than the depth of the plate should do it and wide enough to be able to skim the plate into and out of the basin.

Staple removers with the prongs filed down so they will fit on the rim of the plate (or tiles or lids etc) one on each side and skim it through the glaze. The filed down prongs just leave tiny little snake bite type marks that are easy to smooth over. (btw your glaze looks like it needs to be sieved to get those lumps out or mixed up some more before dipping)

[elaine clapper]

I dip my plates vertical, using a split bucket meant for mops. Then you have a deep narrow bucket that can be filled with less glaze.  You can also consider doing something different on the edges.   You can apply glaze with a brush just on the rims, then wax over the brushed rim.  The waxed rim gives you have a place to hold the plate.  

[RuthB]

Another option is to use a bulb syringe and a 1- 2” brush on the wheel. This technique allows large pieces to be glazed with a cup or so of glaze. The syringe is used to supply a continuous flow of glaze to the brush. Hold the filled syringe just behind the brush and gently and steadily squeeze it to supply the glaze to the brush as the wheel turns at slow to moderate speed. Too slow and the brush will not be able to evenly disperse the glaze. Too fast and you’ll encounter a dry brush with insufficient glaze to disperse. Do the back of the plate first, then flip and do the inside so that the rim will not be disturbed. I usually cost the rim first and then go inward. Refill the syringe as needed. Three passes is usually enough, but that depends on the thickness of the glaze.You can also add CMC to a couple of cups of glaze to make it brush-able.. CMC needs to be mixed with hot water in a blender before adding it to the glaze. Replace about 1/3 of the water with the CMC mixture. There are also a couple of commercially made brushing mediums, Spectrum Brushing Medium or APT II... though I have not used either of these.  I can make a quick video of the syringe/brush technique if you’d like try it. 

[Rae Reich]

On 3/12/2018 at 2:47 PM, RuthB said:

Another option is to use a bulb syringe and a 1- 2” brush on the wheel. This technique allows large pieces to be glazed with a cup or so of glaze. The syringe is used to supply a continuous flow of glaze to the brush. Hold the filled syringe just behind the brush and gently and steadily squeeze it to supply the glaze to the brush as the wheel turns at slow to moderate speed. Too slow and the brush will not be able to evenly disperse the glaze. Too fast and you’ll encounter a dry brush with insufficient glaze to disperse. Do the back of the plate first, then flip and do the inside so that the rim will not be disturbed. I usually cost the rim first and then go inward. Refill the syringe as needed. Three passes is usually enough, but that depends on the thickness of the glaze.You can also add CMC to a couple of cups of glaze to make it brush-able.. CMC needs to be mixed with hot water in a blender before adding it to the glaze. Replace about 1/3 of the water with the CMC mixture. There are also a couple of commercially made brushing mediums, Spectrum Brushing Medium or APT II... though I have not used either of these.  I can make a quick video of the syringe/brush technique if you’d like try it. 

I'd love to see your video - that's a technique new to me and could be very useful. 

[Dorene]

Thank you all!

[PottaFella]

On 3/12/2018 at 6:52 PM, Min said:

If you have a shallow basin wide enough you can dip it horizontally so you won't need as much glaze, a couple inches more than the depth of the plate should do it and wide enough to be able to skim the plate into and out of the basin.

Staple removers with the prongs filed down so they will fit on the rim of the plate (or tiles or lids etc) one on each side and skim it through the glaze. The filed down prongs just leave tiny little snake bite type marks that are easy to smooth over. (btw your glaze looks like it needs to be sieved to get those lumps out or mixed up some more before dipping)

I like this! I just holding my platters by the rims with my finger tips, which mean quite a bit of touching-in later (though it does allow for really good control of the plate through the glaze). Been thinking of making some kind of tools that would hold the rims –like spiky fingers – and that staple remover, is just the sort of thing, though I might need larger ones I think.

I like the horizontal in and out method as it should give exact even coverage as every part of the bisque is in the glaze for same amount of time.

[RuthB]

7 hours ago, Rae Reich said:

I'd love to see your video - that's a technique new to me and could be very useful. 

I’ll make it this weekend and let you know when it’s up

[Ceallach]

I have put a plate or bowl down on a banding wheel with the edge over the glaze bucket to do the underrim....you can then pour and turn right over the glaze bucket.   You got to get the speed of the turn right etc, but it's another option.  

That glaze looks a bit thick to me, you may want to thin a bit.   Do you know how the glaze behaves?  Does it level well in firing, or subject to WYSIWYG with application?  That would be helpful.  If it levels but does not run, then that's different than the glaze that will flow easily.  

[Chris Throws Pots]

Dorene,
Check this out: 

I originally saw this on Jeff Campana's Instagram account and immediately bought one of these gadgets. They are suction cups designed for replacing cell phone/tablet glass, widely available in different sizes. This one is a 2.5" suction cup that was about $5. Bisque has to be well waxed to create a nonporous surface for the suction cup to work.

[Mark C.]

I use a larger shallow plastic tub and hold under by two fingers and touch them up later.