Mixing my own glazes

[DMCosta]

Hi, I am not a new potter but I have never mixed my own glazes before. I had always worked out of a studio that provided the glazes. With that said, I want to now mix my own glazes and I have some low-fire recipes and the equipment I need. I have not yet ordered the chemicals, can anyone suggest a good supplier to buy the chemicals from? (I live in the Ny area) Do some of the chemicals have various names because a few were not easy to find. Finally, how much of each chemical should I get? I would like enough to do a 5 gallon bucket for dipping my pieces. Thank you!

 

~Dianna

[TJR]

You will need to go to a ceramic supply store as they supply chemicals specifically for potters. A 5 gallon pail of glaze is about 10,000 grams of material plus water. I would suggest that you mix a smaller batch first, say a plastic ice-cream pail size. This would be 1,000 grams. Make some clay test tiles as well. You will also need to sieve your glaze. I use a 100 mesh sieve-this means 100 screen holes to the square inch. There are lots of videos on youtube about how to follow a glaze recipe and mix a batch of glaze. I like Simon Leach's "How to" videos for this.It's pretty difficult to describe how to do this in an Email. Kind of like telling a person how to land a plane over the phone. [analogy borrowed from Mark C.].

Welcome to the wonderful world of ceramics, and good luck.

TJR.

[bciskepottery]

Bailey Pottery Company, Kingston, NY. http://www.baileypottery.com/

[Lucille Oka]

There is also Ceramic Supply of NY & NJ in Lodi, New Jersey. Their catalog reads like an encyclopedia of ceramic materials. Check the catalog for days they deliver to your area, they also have free shipping/delivery on a minimum purchase; see inside front cover. http://www.7ceramic.com/Ceramic%20Supply%20Catalog.pdf