How to Make a Simple Ceramic Glaze

Commercial glazes offer consistency, but you can mix your own simple ceramic glaze at home.

Making pottery and ceramics is a popular hobby for some, and a delicate art for others. Visiting a local craft shop to take part in pottery classes is one way of embracing this art, but you can also take these projects on in the comfort of your own home. Commercial ceramic glazes offer consistency and convenience, but you can make your own simple ceramic glaze at home with ingredients found at pottery stores and Internet pottery marketplaces.

Things You'll Need

• 505 g. Tenmoku custer feldspar
• 121 g. Whiting
• 206 g. Silica
• 56 g. EPK kaolin
• 23 g. Barium carbonate
• 23 g. Zinc oxide
• 66 g. Red iron oxide
• Scale
• 1000 g. water
• Large bucket
• Sieve

Instructions

1. Place a measuring container on the surface of the scale and level the scale so that it reads 0 grams. Your scale should be accurate to 0.1 grams. Pour tenmoku custer feldspar into the container and measure it to exactly 505 grams. Pour the measured amount into the large bucket. Clean the measuring container and any scoops used to avoid contaminating one measurement with trace remnants of the previous ingredient. Repeat this process with each successive dry ingredient until the bucket contains all dry ceramic glaze ingredients.

2. Measure 1,000 grams of water, the equivalent of 4 cups. Pour the water into the bucket and begin mixing the dry ingredients with the water. Stir until you observe an even consistency.

3. Push the glaze through a sieve if you observe chunks in the mixture. The glaze should be the consistency of cream.

4. Dip a piece of pottery in the glaze to test the thickness of the mixture. Allow the pottery to dry completely. Chip a piece of glaze from the outside of the pottery. It should be approximately 1/8-inch thick.

5. Add more water if the glaze is too thick. If the glaze is too thin, let it settle overnight and pour some water off the top.

Tips & Warnings

• Liquid glazes are formulated for brushing.

• Dry glazes are formulated for dipping, pouring and spraying.

• Stir glaze often, as contents can settle during use.

• Wear a respirator during the mixing process to prevent inhaling toxic glaze ingredients.

• Wear goggles.

• Check the Material Safety Data Sheet for each raw material used.

References

• Pottery Magic: Pottery and Ceramics Glaze Recipes
• Big Ceramics Store: Mixing Dry Glazes