Finishing Touch Pottery

Clay mixed with different colors was often used by native American Indians to paint their faces when they went to war.  It is called 'war paint".- go figure.    Glazes used to color the mugs we are making are also largely made up of clay mixed with different colors.   When it dries it feels like a mud pack or so I've heard.  Ask your mom what a mud pack is. 

Wouldn't I have made a scary Indian?   How about an old scary Indian? 

If you have been following along, you know that after we made your mug at the fair, handles had to be put on the mug, then our initials carved on the bottom and then it was bisque fired to make it hard.  Now we have to glaze our mug to make it beautiful with color.  Glaze also puts a layer of silica (a glass like element) that keeps the mug from absorbing liquid - like coffee.

Here you can see me putting on a coating (wax resist) on the bottom of our mugs.  I do this so when I dip the mug into the bucket of glaze, the wax keeps or resists the glaze from absorbing into the bottom of the mug.    We don't want glaze to be on the bottom because when it is fired in the kiln the glaze will melt the mug onto the shelf  - not good!

Here I am stirring the glaze I am going to use to make sure all of the ingredients are mixed together well.   Just like paint you have to stir each time you use it, the ingredients in glazes tend to come apart after just sitting there awhile.  

Below I am dipping the mug into the glaze bucket including the inside of the mug so that is is completely covered with glaze.  This is kind of a quick, steady motion as I dip the mug into the glaze and pour out the glaze inside the mug back into the bucket.  This way the mug gets about the same amount of glaze all over.  I use a small paint brush to put glaze on the handle where my fingers are holding the mug. 

In the bucket, the color of the glazes are kind of pale earth colors like brown, light grey and light green.  But after the pots are fired with these glazes on them...Look out!   They become beautiful rich colors.   Like a butterfly once the grey moth leaves its cacoon.  Often the colors after they are fired are very different than in the bucket.  This is because the different ingredients in the glaze react with the fire and heat making the glaze change colors.   Through experience of using glazes many times you learn to imagine how the color in the bucket will look on the pot after it is fired.  But often times you get suprised by how the colors actually come out after they are fired - especially if you over lap two glazes on the pot.  

Here are some color tiles that have been fired showing the bright colors that come from the pale glazes in buckets.

First is a picture of large plastic trash can size containers where some of the ingredients used in large quantities are stored.

Here is a picture of the many ingredients that are used to mix the many different glazes.  Most of these ingredients are used in small quantities.

Most of the ingredients come in a white powder form and look very similar.   It is important to label each container so that the right ingredient is used. 

Since the incredients are mostly powder, people who mix the ingredients usually wear a mask and sometimes gloves so that they do not breath in the dust from the powder. 

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