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Hi all! I've been doing a lot of small decal work lately, and I've come to realize that when I put the decals (22k gold) in the water to soften and release the paper, they act like they're magnetized and line themselves up end to end or side to side. I'll plop a number of them in the water at the same time, and they'll all dance around and line themselves up nicely, clinging to each other in a very orderly fashion. I'm fascinated and want to know what causes it! I've googled but haven't found anything. Say for example each decal has a north, south, east, and west side. Any north or south side will attract any other north or south side but will repel any east or west side and vice versa. The charge is not strong enough to be noticeable outside of water - it needs the weightlessness of floating in order to show itself. Here's a video example. Anyone understand the science on what's happening here and care to enlighten me? Thanks!

Hello everyone! I've been doing a lot of research on silkscreen printing for underglaze decals but I'm not finding much of anything for how to make gold luster decals. I understand that with underglaze screen printing you pour the oil+underglaze onto of the silkscreen to color the decal, but how on earth is this achieved for gold luster decals? If anyone has some advice, books, sites, etc that I can read on how to make this, I would be so grateful! Casi

Hey, two questions in one day!! I've thrown a number of porcelain bowls which I want to add decals to. My quandary is whether to put them inside the bowl on the curve or on the outside. What would you do? Thanks Andrea

Hi everyone I use porcelain clay and I hand paint each work but I'm looking at making a new series of work that I want use the same drawing in multiple pieces say 100. So maybe a decal or transfer? I want it to be a crisp image and on unglazed work that is fired to 1280 degrees Celsius. I'm happy to apply it at any stage after it's built but would be best on bisque. I can only think of those glossy 80s decals that need to be applied to glazed work, but I want a more seem less matt finish with no outline. I wanted to attach an image to this post as an example but I can't work out how.. Oh and these will it be functional works Thanks Lilly

I want to print a logo and am concerned about getting the best black from the decal. I have seen many results that show as iron color. Is it possible to get a black image?

Hi All, For the last few months I've been experimenting with decals. With my HP laser printer I've been printing my own iron-rich decals and getting results I'm really happy with (picture below). The process is pretty straightforward, and so long as the ^6 glaze I'm putting decals on top of doesn't change with the additional firing, the results are predictable and aesthetically where I want them to be. But I'm working in only one color. As mentioned in other decal-focused posts, a ceramic printer that can print full color decals costs a few grand. And while there are commercial services available for printing decals, I'm more of a DIY kind of guy. So I'd like to start screenprinting my own decals using gold overglaze, cobalt, etc, and I'm curious if anyone can help shed some light on this process. I have a background in screenprinting, so I'm very comfortable withe the physical steps of the process. What I'm wondering about are the following: - The decal paper needs to be submerged in water to get the backing paper to release. Is there a substance I should mix in with my overglaze/cobalt oxide wash to make it so the image wont wash off the paper? - Should I be spraying a fixer over the images instead of/in addition to mixing a fixing agent into my "ink"? - Should the decals be applied face-down? The iron decals can be applied right-side-up, but I have a suspicion that printing things backward and applying the paper with the "ink" in direct contact with the ware will be more effective. - Any ratios, recipes, tricks or tips will be appreciated. Thanks, Chris

Hi, I am a new member of this forum and I've been browsing the various discussions over the last few days looking for a definitive answer regarding selection of equipment for digital printing of ceramics. I am currently considering purchasing a small volume Ceramic Printer and I've come across quite a few website (see below) offering anything from Ink Jet Printers to Laser Printers and I'm a bit overwhelmed with the sometimes conflicting information about the best systems. Some of the systems packages including Printer, Laminator and consumables(Ink, Paper, Toner etc..) range from $3,000 to $15,000. I have access to fire my work in a traditional kiln in Bali, Indonesia (where I currently reside) and not sure if the decals would be compatible with those traditional kilns. I am looking at producing custom dinner ware, tiles and murals and similar type products. If anyone owns a printing system and has been through the selection process, I would appreciate any advice you might have. Thank you again Mizou Inkjet & Laser Printer Systems http://photoceramics-center.com/fotokeramika/the-equipment-catalog/ Laser Printer Systems http://www.digitalceramics.com/new-dcs/sections/printer-systems-new.php http://ceramicdecalprinters.com/Systems.html http://www.enduring-images.com/ceramic-and-glass-printing-systems http://www.printceramic.com/ http://www.ceramictoner.com/en/products/printer-ceramic_toner

Hello there, Im not a ceramicist (Im learning little bits here, doing workshops there...), Im an illustrative designer, but I would like to create decals of my designs and put them onto dinnerware. I was hoping someone out there could give me a bit of information....I have a few questions. First: I would like my designs to be transfered onto stoneware or porcelain. As far as I can tell there is no issue with that? My designs have very fine line detail, so I feel that an onglaze digital decal (as opposed to a tissue transfer, or screenprint) would probably ensure a sharp image. However, these decals can often look raised or "stuck on"...Im trying to avoid that. I have seen coloured digital decals that dont have that raised effect...so how is that achieved? Do they apply the digital decal on bisque....then fire, then clear glaze, then fire again? Or can you apply the decal, just wait for it to dry then glaze and fire? would that affect the vibrancy of the colours printed, as I understand with digital systems you can have the whole cmyk gamut? I understand there is an entire science behind the make up of clay, glazes and firing. If I wanted to apply a digital decal to bisqued stoneware for example, would it have to be a decal especially for stoneware? Additionally, I was interested to know how difficult/easy it may be applying a seamless design to the inside of a bowl or curved surface? I imagine that you would have to follow maybe a cone shaped template, so it can be applied? Second: Being dinnerware, I would like the decals to be food safe. Even if the decal manufacturer claims it is food safe, are there other factors that could cause problems? for example the type of kiln you use, or other things that may be in the kiln while your firing? Is it expensive to test? Lastly, and thank you so much for you time, As far as producing my dinnerware, I have found plenty of businesses that will custom make digital decals. but Im finding it difficult to find any that will make AND apply the decal to your piece...even though I know they are out there. Iam in Australia, which doesnt host such industry, but if anyone has any leads on any smaller run manufacturers or business (closer to me the better, naturally) That would be appreciated... maybe also because Im new at this, Im not quite sure how to search for this type of business, so any resources or "buzz words" that might help me would be great. Any info at all would be appreciated and helpful. Thanks a lot. J.