Mixing Glaze Stains To Change the Shade of Colour

[tomhumf]

Hi All,

I've mainly worked with oxides as colourants in the past but have recently been trying out some stains in glazes. 

I'm aware that mixing oxides does not usually work like paint mixing and usually gives unexpected results.

I'm wondering if the same is true with stains? They are generally the same shade before and after firing.

I have three green stains but none are the right shade I am after,  I wonder if I could mix my perfect shade then fire it.

I'm thinking of testing some mixes, but not sure if it will work.

Thanks

My stains : 

GS3    Green Stain

Cr

 

GS4    Blue / Green Stain

Cr, Co, Zn

 

GS43 Oak Green Stain

Zr,Cr,Co,Zn,Si

 

[neilestrick]

I do a lot of underglaze mixing, which will be similar to what you're doing here. Stains work like paints more than oxides do, but not completely. Like blue stain and yellow stain won't necessarily give you green. But they can definitely work when dealing with colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, like tinting yellow to be more orange, or tinting green to be more blue, or combing greens to get a different hue of green. The most important thing to realize is that the color you see in the cup has nothing to do with how it will look when it's fired. Stains all have different strengths, and that won't show until they're fired. I've had tests before firing look like an 80/20 blend was perfect, only to find that a 30/70 blend was actually what I needed. So the best way to blend two colors is to do a line blend. For 3 colors do a triaxial. From there you can do more precise test to get it perfect. Unlike underglazes, you'll also have to figure out what percentage of stain you need to use to get the color you want. I'd start with a fairly strong mix so you can really see the color you're getting, and adjust the intensity once you have the desired color. For lighter celadon colors I use 2-3% stain, so maybe start with 5-6%.

[tomhumf]

Ok great , thanks Neil I'll give that a go