Clear Glaze Recipe

[MarkS]

Is there a good recipe for a good basic clear glaze? If so, could I use this as a base for adding color or are they best left to there own recipes?

Or...being a beginner should I just buy a good ready mix clear glaze and go from there?

As much as I would like to duplicate the glaze my ancestors used grinding glass scraps and making lye water is not practable.

[Mr. X]

Grinding glass scraps and making lye water? Wow, that WOULD require dedication, and while it would be interesting, it sure would be time consuming, and take you away from making ceramics.

I would buy a clear glaze for a while, until you get your footing, see how you like ceramics, glazing, etc. then move on to mixing your own. Mixing your own requires equipment you may or may not already have, scales, respirators, containers, mixing devices,

etc. and the money to get this stuff.

Hesselberth and Roy, in their book Mastering Cone 6 glazes have a clear glaze base to which they add oxides and colorants to formulate other glazes. That might be a good place to start. I'm sure there are many here that can provide a good clear glaze recipe.

Best of luck to you!

[MarkS]

I picked up the book "The Potter's Book of Glaze Recipes" at the library and will study on that. Best advice is probably stick with the prepared stuff until you get comfortable.

By the way, my great-grandfather made pottery for a living and made a lot of the things he needed. But we're talking 75+ years ago.

[bciskepottery]

Here is a cone 6 clear for oxidation:

 

So Clear (from Michael Sherrill workshop)

 

Ferro Frit 3124 -- 32.2%

Feldspar (Soda F4) -- 25.8%

Silica -- 19.4%

Whiting -- 12.9%

Kaolin EPK -- 9.6%

Total -- 99.9%

 

I've had very good experience with this clear. Very clear and very glossy.

[MarkS]

Here is a cone 6 clear for oxidation:

 

So Clear (from Michael Sherrill workshop)

 

Ferro Frit 3124 -- 32.2%

Feldspar (Soda F4) -- 25.8%

Silica -- 19.4%

Whiting -- 12.9%

Kaolin EPK -- 9.6%

Total -- 99.9%

 

I've had very good experience with this clear. Very clear and very glossy.

 

 

 

Thanks!

So in theory what would happen if you added an oxide to this basic recipe without any other alterations?

[bciskepottery]

In theory, the addition of oxides would introduce color to the glaze. I've only used the glaze as a clear. From my workshop notes, where I got the recipe, Sherrill would add Mason stains to create colors he desired. You could pursue this line of experimentation by mixing some small test batches with incremental additions of an oxide and see how the results turn out. If you plan to use the glaze with a colorant/oxide for functional ware for eating/drinking, I would suggest you also have a finished glaze item tested for leaching.

[John Britt]

Is there a good recipe for a good basic clear glaze? If so, could I use this as a base for adding color or are they best left to there own recipes?

Or...being a beginner should I just buy a good ready mix clear glaze and go from there?

As much as I would like to duplicate the glaze my ancestors used grinding glass scraps and making lye water is not practable.

 

 

Here are some clear glaze recipes from Mastering Cone 6.

 

GLOSSYCLEAR LINER cone 6

20.00 G-200 Potash Feldspar

20.00 Ferro 3134

15.00 Wollastonite

20.00 EPK China Clay

6.00 Talc

19.00 Silica

 

HIGH CALCIUM MATTE cone 6

20.00 Ferro 3195

29.00 Wollastonite

4.00 Nepheline Syenite

30.00 EPK China Clay

17.00 Silica

 

GLOSSY BASE 2 cone 6

26.00 Custer Feldspar

22.00 Ferro 3134

5.00 Talc

4.00 Whiting

17.00 EPK Kaolin

26.00 Silica

 

GLOSSY BASE 1 cone 6

20.00 G-200 Potash Feldspar

20.00 Ferro 3134

10.00 Wollastonite

20.00 EPK China Clay

11.50 Talc

18.50 Silica

[MarkS]

Is there any rule-of-thumb as to how much water to add for "X" weight of ingredients?

Or, if I want to end up with about a gallon of glaze about how much dry weight do I start with?

[bciskepottery]

One commercial glaze maker I've used recommends a ratio of .9 lbs water to 1 lb dry glaze mix. For one gallon, it suggests 9 cups water to 5 lbs glaze mix; for five gallons, 45 cups water to 25 lbs glaze mix. Glazes vary, however, and may need a bit less or more water than recommended.

[Seasoned Warrior]

Grinding glass scraps and making lye water? Wow, that WOULD require dedication, and while it would be interesting, it sure would be time consuming, and take you away from making ceramics.

 

 

Greetings:

 

I find it interesting that you would consider glazing a process seperate from "making ceramics." To my way of thought making ceramics is the whole process of taking an inorganic, non-metallic material and processing it through heating and subsequent cooling. I've always considered ceramic materials to include crystaline, partly crystaline or amorphous structures which would include vitirfied clays and glasses. My definition may be too restrictive and I'd really enjoy hearing your definition.

 

Best regards,

Charles

[MarkS]

I'm not sure if you were directing your question to me or Mr. X but I'll throw my two cents worth in.

I tend to think of glazes/glazing a separate process from ceramics or pottery but part of the whole. Obviously you could have ceramics without glazes. But they do interact and the glazing is a step in the overall process.

As an aside, my great-grandfather started making pottery in the early 1920's and continued until his death in the early 50's. It was how he provided for the family. He dug and processed his own clay, did most or all of the turning, glazed all the pieces, fired them all in a groundhog kiln, then loaded them all up in the car/trailer to go sell. A 5gal crock might go for a quarter. I have a feeling he thought about the "science" of it because he was one of the first in the area to use color (cobalt blue) and tended to keep his glaze recipe secret. Later one he got more into the art of it but it all came back to what he thought he could sell.

So, I'm probably somewhat jaded in my view of ceramics.

[cambriapottery]

 

 

GLOSSY CLEAR LINER cone 6

20.00 G-200 Potash Feldspar

20.00 Ferro 3134

15.00 Wollastonite

20.00 EPK China Clay

6.00 Talc

19.00 Silica

 

This is a glaze pasted from the above response by John Britt. Does anyone know its range if I take it to cone 7 - 8 will it still be stable? I am really searching for a good stable non crazing clear liner type glaze for this temperature.

[bciskepottery]

This is a glaze pasted from the above response by John Britt. Does anyone know its range if I take it to cone 7 - 8 will it still be stable? I am really searching for a good stable non crazing clear liner type glaze for this temperature.

The Glossy Clear Liner glaze is from Mastering Cone 6 Glazes by John Hesselberth and Ron Roy. There is a website for the book. Also, John's website is Frog Pond Pottery http://www.frogpondpottery.com/ You might try emailing either Ron or John and asking if they tested the liner glaze beyond cone 6.

[neilestrick]

The vast majority of glaze recipes you find will be for cone 5 or 6. They are the standard. Any glaze you try will have to be tested for fit, color, differences in kiln calibration, etc, anyway, so go ahead and fire it up to 7 and see what happens. Again, if it's too runny you can always stiffen it up.

[Marcia Selsor]

I thought I posted these this morning.These aren't clear but good lining glazes. Both are matt/semi-matt.

These are glazes I used when I was teaching and doing ^6 reduction.

They work in Oxidation and will go to ^7 and a light ^8. They don't normally run with a good application.The hotter they get, the more shiny and runny. But both are fairly stable at 7 and light 8.

 

 

Marci’s Matt ^6 Reduction

 

EPKaolin 19.5

Dolomite 21.1

Neph Syenite 32.2

Silica 15.2

Whiting 3.3

Gerstley Borate 8.5

 

TOTAL 99.8

 

Variables:

Blue 1% Cobalt Carb

LightGreen1.5%Nickel Carb + 1.5%RedIron Oxide

Gray 2.5% Rutile +1.5% Nickel Carb

Red Iron Ox +1% Rutile

OR try using only 5% Rutile as a colorant

 

 

White Liner ^6 Reduction

 

Ger. Borate 18

Neph. Syenite 27.3

Kaolin 12

Whiting 8.5

Talc 15.6

Silica 9

Zircopax 9

99.4

ADD :Pumpkin 5% Red Iron + 3% Rutile

Gold 3% Rutile

Lt. Blue 0.5% Cobalt Carb