How to Combine Pottery Glazes

Pottery glazes enhance the natural beauty of ceramic objects.

Pottery glazes strengthen ceramic items and make them less porous. Colored glazes add style, shine and texture to earth-toned clay. If your homemade or commercial glazes have a similar ingredient ratio, you can mix them together to make a wide variety of colors inexpensively. Purchase white, clear, yellow, blue and red glazes or dyes for the widest range of possible colors with minimal cost.

Things You'll Need

• Face mask
• Gloves
• Protective goggles

Instructions

1. Wear a face mask, gloves and protective goggles when handling glazes, especially the powdered varieties. Chemicals in ceramic glaze can be poisonous when inhaled. Work in a well-ventilated area.

2. Read the ingredients on your pottery glazes before mixing them. Only mix glazes made from the same ingredients. Commercial glazes made by the same company can often be mixed, as they use similar recipes for each shade.

3. Add water to individual powdered glazes separately. Mix water with glazing powder in a 1-to-1 ratio.

4. Mix liquid glazes together in any proportion you want, to achieve the desired shade.

Tips & Warnings

• Store glaze in an airtight container, and stir it every week.

References

• Glaze Mixer: How Do You Mix a Glaze Recipe

Resources

• Pottery Magic: Pottery and Ceramics Glaze Recipes
• Big Ceramic Store: Making Your Own Glaze