Lbauer12 Posted June 26 Report Share Posted June 26 (edited) I want to leave part of the outside of some bowls unglazed. Do I need to use a clear matte on the outside or can I just leave it unglazed? These are ramen bowls and I want them to be able to be used. Stoneware, cone 5/6. Thanks. Edited June 26 by Lbauer12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted June 26 Report Share Posted June 26 It's definitely possible to leave them unglazed on the outside, but it also depends on the clay and glaze. Some glaze can put a lot of tension on the clay, and if it's only glazed on the inside then that tension can actually crack the pot. It happens most often with thin pots and thick, layered glaze, but if you're just using one glaze and your pots aren't super thin it shouldn't be a problem. As always, test, test, test. Roberta12 and Babs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lbauer12 Posted June 26 Author Report Share Posted June 26 (edited) 20 minutes ago, neilestrick said: It's definitely possible to leave them unglazed on the outside, but it also depends on the clay and glaze. Some glaze can put a lot of tension on the clay, and if it's only glazed on the inside then that tension can actually crack the pot. It happens most often with thin pots and thick, layered glaze, but if you're just using one glaze and your pots aren't super thin it shouldn't be a problem. As always, test, test, test. I’m a noob so, not super thin maybe 1/8”-3/16” Usually 3-4 total layers of 1-3 types of glaze. It’s a dark speckled clay that’s only supposed to be fired to cone 5. Edited June 26 by Lbauer12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 Tony Hansen shares an image of a mug glazed on the inside only and what can happen if the glaze doesn't fit well. If you are going to glaze one side of a pot only then like Neil said, you have to test it really well. Wrapping the glaze over the outside of the pot part way down the outer wall will help. A stress test to check for glaze fit when glazing just the inside of a pot would be to freeze the pot in the coldest part of your freezer overnight then while still frozen place it in the sink and quickly fill it with boiling water. A cylindrical pot would work better than a bowl shape to exacerbate the propensity for cracking if the glaze doesn't fit really well, as would a thicker layer of glaze. If it's going to crack you really want to find this out before you start selling them. From the digitalfire link on compression: Roberta12, Kelly in AK and Callie Beller Diesel 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted June 30 Report Share Posted June 30 Is your clay a C5 clay? You need your glaze to be matched to your clay temperature. A clay that has a wide firing range won't be vitrified to where your dishes won't leak. You should probably test your bowl for leakage, leave it on the counter overnight filled with water. If there is a water ring in the morning your clay isn't vitrified and it shouldn't be used for food. i would also double check the glaze for being food safe. I assume you are going to be selling these, you need to protect the consumer and you from law suits. Denice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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