Understanding Glaze Recipes

[David James]

I am new to mixing up my own glazes and would like to mix up a five gallon bucket of glaze but don't quite understand how to do that via the percentages in recipes. if someone could point me in the right direction that would be deeply appreciated.

 

thanks in advance.

[bciskepottery]

Your glaze recipe consists of two parts: the base glaze, which should total 100% and your colorants. I generally mix 8000 grams in a 5 gallon bucket (although you can do less). Using 8000 as your total weight, you would multipley 8000 by the respective percentages of your base glaze formula. Lets say you have four incredients in the base glaze, A is 40%, B is 30%, C is 20 % and D is 10%. For A, you multiply 8000 by .40 to get 3200 grams; for B, 8000 times .30 equals 2400 grams, C is 1600 grams and D is 800 grams. That provides a total of 8000 grams of base glaze materials.

 

For the colorants or oxides, you multiply 8000 (the total weight of the base glaze) by the percent of colorant. For example, the recipe requires 9% red iron oxide. 9% of 8000 is 720 grams.

[David James]

Your glaze recipe consists of two parts: the base glaze, which should total 100% and your colorants. I generally mix 8000 grams in a 5 gallon bucket (although you can do less). Using 8000 as your total weight, you would multipley 8000 by the respective percentages of your base glaze formula. Lets say you have four incredients in the base glaze, A is 40%, B is 30%, C is 20 % and D is 10%. For A, you multiply 8000 by .40 to get 3200 grams; for B, 8000 times .30 equals 2400 grams, C is 1600 grams and D is 800 grams. That provides a total of 8000 grams of base glaze materials.

 

For the colorants or oxides, you multiply 8000 (the total weight of the base glaze) by the percent of colorant. For example, the recipe requires 9% red iron oxide. 9% of 8000 is 720 grams.

 

 

Thanks that is really helpful

[SShirley]

Do you have Excel? I have an Excel spreadsheet that you plug in the formula and it figures out the correct amounts for larger batches. I can send it to you but I can't seem to attach it here.

 

Sylvia

 

 

 

I am new to mixing up my own glazes and would like to mix up a five gallon bucket of glaze but don't quite understand how to do that via the percentages in recipes. if someone could point me in the right direction that would be deeply appreciated.

 

thanks in advance.

 

[David James]

That would be so helpful Shirley.

 

You could send it to DavidJames2522@yahoo.com

 

 

Do you have Excel? I have an Excel spreadsheet that you plug in the formula and it figures out the correct amounts for larger batches. I can send it to you but I can't seem to attach it here.

 

Sylvia

 

 

 

I am new to mixing up my own glazes and would like to mix up a five gallon bucket of glaze but don't quite understand how to do that via the percentages in recipes. if someone could point me in the right direction that would be deeply appreciated.

 

thanks in advance.

 

 

[Seasoned Warrior]

There is also a glaze formula calculator available online that is very complete in the parameters it examines and takes into consideration at:

 

http://www.ceramics-glazes.com/Glazes/Calculator/fr4.php

 

Best regards,

Charles

 

 

[David James]

Thanks so much Charles.

 

 

There is also a glaze formula calculator available online that is very complete in the parameters it examines and takes into consideration at:

 

http://www.ceramics-...culator/fr4.php

 

Best regards,

Charles

 

 

 

[SShirley]

David,

 

Another handy little tip is that you should always pull out the chemicals you will need for the recipe and make sure you have enough of each one. I can't count the times I didn't check and found that something was short after I started measuring it all out.

 

And if you have the bulk chemicals in small containers (I use plastic shoe boxes) and pull them out in reverse order of what is written on the recipe, they will be in the correct order when you start measuring out the amounts. For instance if the recipe calls for, from top to bottom, Silica, Ball Clay, Dolomite and Red Iron Oxide, and you take them off the shelf in reverse order (Red Iron Oxide, Dolomite, Ball Clay and Silica) and put them on the table in that order, then when you reach for the first one it will be the first one on the recipe.

I know it's a little thing, but it makes things less confusing when you are working and less likely to get mixed up.

 

When you finish measuring out an ingredient, mark it off the list. Make a check mark next to it or something so you know which ones are done and which ones you still need to measure out.

 

And, if I were you, and hadn't mixed glazes before, I would start with a smaller batch than a 5 gallon bucket. That's a lot of stuff to waste if it goes wrong.

 

Sylvia

 

 

 

 

I am new to mixing up my own glazes and would like to mix up a five gallon bucket of glaze but don't quite understand how to do that via the percentages in recipes. if someone could point me in the right direction that would be deeply appreciated.

 

thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

[azjoe]

... Another handy little tip is that you should always pull out the chemicals you will need for the recipe and make sure you have enough of each one. I can't count the times I didn't check and found that something was short after I started measuring it all out. ...

 

 

VERY good advice! FWIW, after coming up short a couple times, now when I put a new storage container into service I weigh it empty and write the weight on it with a sharpie marker. That way I can just weigh a partially empty container and (after subtracting the container's empty weight) know if I have enough of that chemical for the batch... if I don't, I can then easily adjust the batch size to accommodate the amount of the ingredient I have).

[SShirley]

Azjoe,

Now THAT is a great idea! I will do that in my studio too. Thanks,

Sylvia

 

... Another handy little tip is that you should always pull out the chemicals you will need for the recipe and make sure you have enough of each one. I can't count the times I didn't check and found that something was short after I started measuring it all out. ...

 

 

VERY good advice! FWIW, after coming up short a couple times, now when I put a new storage container into service I weigh it empty and write the weight on it with a sharpie marker. That way I can just weigh a partially empty container and (after subtracting the container's empty weight) know if I have enough of that chemical for the batch... if I don't, I can then easily adjust the batch size to accommodate the amount of the ingredient I have).

 

[Red Rocks]

That would be so helpful Shirley.

 

You could send it to DavidJames2522@yahoo.com

 

 

Do you have Excel? I have an Excel spreadsheet that you plug in the formula and it figures out the correct amounts for larger batches. I can send it to you but I can't seem to attach it here.

 

Sylvia

 

 

 

I am new to mixing up my own glazes and would like to mix up a five gallon bucket of glaze but don't quite understand how to do that via the percentages in recipes. if someone could point me in the right direction that would be deeply appreciated.

 

thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

Shirley:

 

If you are still around this forum, I would love to have a copy of your spread sheet and would be happy to send you the one I built in return. My email is mjupp10@gmail.com.

 

Thanks