Dipping vs Brushing

[Ben xyz]

Have found that dipping into the studio's glaze buckets is far superior to brushing on the commercial glazes that I had bought (Amaco, Mayco, etc), even when alternating brush directions for each coat. Unevenness and slight lumpiness is an ongoing issue. Likely spraying would be superior to both dipping or brushing (will be trying this next). I understand that the uneven quality could be seen as an asset in some instances, but generally I find it a hindrance. Any tips?

[Babs]

Guess there's technique and optimal glaze properties for good glaze application to learn about in all techniques. Test all, keep notes

There's also the pouring of glazes.

Form ,size, quantity of glaze available and  end result wanted dictates the technique used also.

Have fun

[Kelly in AK]

There’s a brief learning curve to dipping or pouring glazes, the glaze itself has to be the right viscosity, you need a little preparation, and of course you have to have enough glaze. Totally worth it. 30 seconds vs. five minutes.

 I have had a few hilarious moments pouring glaze, watching it go everywhere but back into the bucket.

As far as tips, the biggest help to me was learning to adjust viscosity of the glaze with Epsom salts. Another thing is using wax resist. I was reluctant for years, went out of my way to avoid it. I found I spent an equal amount of time cleaning off glaze (and wasting it) as I did applying wax in the first place. I only use it sparingly though. 

[Babs]

Re wax, I still use melted wax for most pieces. A bit of damp carpet, in shallow plastic container, placed next to the warm wax pan , tip from @oldlady,  is used to wipe any glaze goobs from bottom of pot

[grackle]

I do like dipping--do have to have a good sized bucket of glaze for anything big. .  Have experimented of late with pouring on a glaze partially on something and then dipping for the rest of the piece.  Made some leaf shaped  incense holders for a friend, and that worked well.

Some glazes definitely combine well on the piece and some do not.  Keep really good notes about what works and what does not.  Learning learning learning as I refresh my ceramic memory after 15 years away.  A good glaze kiln opening will make you happy.

[grackle]

I have used melted wax, but I move too fast and drips can happen.  Using Armadillo wax resist has proved better.  I make some cups I call "cloud cups"--brush on some white glaze in circular shapes and then wax resist, and dip in a nice blue.  The Armadillo wax resist has worked well.

[oldlady]

in case anyone wants to try bab's suggestion about carpet, be sure to use something from the thin but strong commercial stuff.   you do not even need wax if you do foot rings on the wet carpet, just slide the whole piece across the carpet,  the excess glaze will wash off instantly.  keep it pretty clean, especially if the glaze is a dark one.

[Ben xyz]

5 hours ago, grackle said:

I have used melted wax, but I move too fast and drips can happen.  Using Armadillo wax resist has proved better.  I make some cups I call "cloud cups"--brush on some white glaze in circular shapes and then wax resist, and dip in a nice blue.  The Armadillo wax resist has worked well.

All great tips - thanks for the input. Would like to see your 'cloud cups', grackle. Still figuring out the glaze/wax resist/glaze again applications.
Though oldlady's carpet wipe sounds efficient, I've found that just rotating work on an industrial size sponge with a little pressure usually does the trick for bottom glaze removal (plus waxing before even easier). Have been using glaze pouring for plates, which minimizes cleanup somewhat after. Will look into the addition of epson salt to adjust glaze viscosity in the future - thanks Kelly.

[Hulk]

Adjusting thixotropy* has made a big difference for me.

Info help please with glazing Bisque for an amateur - Clay and Glaze Chemistry - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
determining target specific gravity for glazes - Clay and Glaze Chemistry - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
Brushing on glaze - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community

The other factor that stands out is practice and repetition.

I'm using wax emulsion for a sharp transition between liner and outside glazes, masking tape for a sharp line at the foot, also for two-tone where I'm looking for the boundary to follow carved line or some other feature - tape, glaze, wax, wait to dry, pull the tape, then second glaze.

*where the slurry (glaze) behaves as a liquid when moving, but gels when it stops moving.
Rheology (digitalfire.com)

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Hulk
add rheology link, distinguish thixotropy, viscosity...

[kswan]

I've found that certain glazes just don't brush on well. I mostly dip and pour from a glaze bucket, but I brush glaze on some of my more awkward shapes. Adding a gum to the glaze helps with brushing, although the commercial ones are full of gum. I've noticed that you have to brush those on more thickly than you'd think, so they look like they're going to fall off the pot. 

You can also try to wet the surface of your bisque a little bit before applying glaze. It can help prevent the first coat from going on unevenly because it keeps the glaze damp for a little longer. 

I do something similar for wiping the foot ring, except I use one of those flat sponges. It looks like a dish cloth, but it is made of sponge. I found anything thicker than that would hit the area I wanted glazed and make a smudge. It stays flat as I wipe across it and then I rinse it when it gets dirt and lay it out again. 

[Rae Reich]

Note: @oldladyis glazing greenware, so wants to reduce the likelihood of overly wetting her pots’ feet. The carpet isn’t cushy enough, like most sponges are, to wet the clay where she doesn’t want it. 

[Pres]

I used to teach that there was dipping, pouring, sponging(often overlooked), brushing, and spraying when applying glaze coats. Some cases such as really large pieces would require lots of thought, and usually lost of coats of glaze and in those cases sponging can work very well.

 

best,

Pres

[kswan]

Sponging is especially necessary when going over underglaze pencil or chalk. Just a thin layer to keep it in place. I've found that even with dipping some of my dry materials were floating away in my glaze bucket. A brush smears it, so the sponge works best.

[grackle]

16 hours ago, Ben xyz said:

All great tips - thanks for the input. Would like to see your 'cloud cups', grackle. Still figuring out the glaze/wax resist/glaze again applications.
Though oldlady's carpet wipe sounds efficient, I've found that just rotating work on an industrial size sponge with a little pressure usually does the trick for bottom glaze removal (plus waxing before even easier). Have been using glaze pouring for plates, which minimizes cleanup somewhat after. Will look into the addition of epson salt to adjust glaze viscosity in the future - thanks Kelly.

Still trying to work out how to add images!!

[Pres]

There are thin rubber pads with a felt like carpet on top that are used as inserts to entry way mats. These work very well attached to a bat cut to shape and dampened on a wheel head to spin and thus remove glaze on the bottom of functional ware.

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

I would have gone broke if I had to brush glazes 49 years ago

At my cone 10 firing temps I dip and pour ,I do a use a sponge to underglaze my fish with my own glazes. I wipe it on and then off so the low spotrs (scales show ) then over pour a glaze on top.

[Juxtaposie Jen]

On 12/8/2022 at 4:22 PM, Kelly in AK said:

Another thing is using wax resist. I was reluctant for years, went out of my way to avoid it. I found I spent an equal amount of time cleaning off glaze (and wasting it) as I did applying wax in the first place. I only use it sparingly though. 

I am finding myself still in the resisting wax stage (see what I did there  ) mostly because I’m a sloppy worker and a bit afraid of getting it where I don’t want it. But I think I’m going to experiment with it today.   I hadn’t really thought about how it saves glaze.  That could be enough for my frugal nature to override my fears. 

On 12/8/2022 at 8:36 PM, oldlady said:

in case anyone wants to try bab's suggestion about carpet, be sure to use something from the thin but strong commercial stuff.   you do not even need wax if you do foot rings on the wet carpet, just slide the whole piece across the carpet,  the excess glaze will wash off instantly.  keep it pretty clean, especially if the glaze is a dark one.

And my mind is blown. I’m pretty sure the handy hubs has some bits of that laying around that I will scavenge today.  
 

nothing really makes him as nervous as me randomly poking through his shop. 

[Jeff Longtin]

My trick for glazing plates: grip the plate by the edge and dip it into a large flat pan of glaze. Near drippless glaze application. (With slight touch up along edge.)

I take plastic jar lids, peanut butter lids are great, and drill holes into them. Then I cut little teeth into the edge. (If you don't drill the holes the lid captures glaze which will drip onto the plate when you turn it upright. The little teeth hold the lip of the plate securely as you move the plate around.)

Plastic kitty litter trays make great glaze pans for plates. I have several sizes in the studio for different sized plates. 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Wax does take a few tries to get the hang of, but it’s worth doing. I used to do the sponge the feet clean thing, but found some glazes would leave residue, however much they were wiped. Not enough to make the piece stick, but enough to alter the colour of the clay body. Guilty parties usually included some sort of soluble flux that soaked right into the bisque, or iron saturates.

A pair of glaze tongs is also worthwhile to have for smaller pieces. For me, that means anything that started as a 4 lb ball of clay or less, but it’ll depend on your grip strength. And +1 for what Jeff said about having assorted wide shallow containers for dipping pieces into. The dollar store usually has lots of good candidates. 

[Min]

Adding to what @Jeff Longtin said about little teeth plate grippers, a pair of large size staple removers work well for gripping edges too. They leave little snakebite marks that need rubbing down but otherwise work well also. Using a single one for tiny bowls works too. I like that they are spring loaded so they are easy to let go of the pot once dipped.

 

 

[Pres]

Use those every time I glaze patens for the communion sets. Great tools along with a short wide storage bin for dipping.

 

best,

Pres

[Hulk]

Likely not an option for most*.
I use masking tape for the sharp line at the foot; it helps to make a line in/on the ware where the tape goes - I cut a sharp corner where the foot ends and the pot body begins and burnish it - easy to tape to.
The tape doubles as something to hold onto when dipping the pot upside down in the glaze!
Also helps to pull the tape off before the glaze layer is fully dry - no dust.

For big and heavier items, I'm pouring over (upside down), still using the tape on the foot, but holding onto the pot, glazing about half at one time.

*I ran lots of tape in a previous life of house, car, farm machinery, and furniture finishing.
...and I like having something to hold onto, given I somewhat detest tongs.

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Hulk
clarity

[Min]

2 hours ago, Hulk said:

I use masking tape for the sharp line at the foot...

I've seen wide rubber bands used too, the kind that come on bunches of broccoli. Haven't tried it, think it would have to be pretty snug to stop leaks.

I have had to give up using hot (soy) wax because of the smell of it burning off. (we moved recently, closer to neighbours now) I now only use a local oil based wax resist and Forbes. Oil based one smells a bit but not as strong as the soy wax, Forbes seems to smell the least but I have to order it in. Anybody have a cold wax they can recommend that works well plus doesn't smell much when burning off? 

[Roberta12]

2 hours ago, Hulk said:

Likely not an option for most*.
I use masking tape for the sharp line at the foot; it helps to make a line in/on the ware where the tape goes - I cut a sharp corner where the foot ends and the pot body begins and burnish it - easy to tape to.
The tape doubles as something to hold onto when dipping the pot upside down in the glaze!
Also helps to pull the tape off before the glaze layer is fully dry - no dust.

For big and heavier items, I'm pouring over (upside down), still using the tape on the foot, but holding onto the pot, glazing about half at one time.

*I ran lots of tape in a previous life of house, car, farm machinery, and furniture finishing.
...and I like having something to hold onto, given I somewhat detest tongs.

 

@Hulk I think I need a visual.  cutting the sharp corner....next time could you take a pic? I think I need a pic of  @Jeff Longtin peanut butter lids as well.  

Roberta

[Hulk]

Hi Roberta,

I trim foot rings in just about everything.

Here's a bowl too big for me to dip, where I poured the glaze over, first the green, then later the blue.
Any road, the corner where the side meets the bare clay of the foot ring is well defined here, which makes it easier to tape off.

 

Here there's a top edge to the foot ring - the profile is trimmed in tight, so there's a groove - even easier to tape off!
I've been trimming this way lately, as it's easier to get a sharp line, also the groove catches glaze, and the bare clay portion is easier to burnish.

The bottom portion, within the foot ring, I'm using liner glaze, where a squirt, using a ketchup dispenser, then wiped even with a wet finger does it.

Edited December 11, 2022 by Hulk
clarity