Dipping glaze advice

Ceramics
1

Hi all!

I am attempting to glaze a set of tiny pottery. It was suggested to dip them but I’ve never tried dip glaze before.

  1. I have mostly Amaco Potter’s Choice and Stroke & Coat glazes. Is it possible to dip with these glazes?
  2. Any suggestions on what tool to use to hold the tiny pottery when dipping?

Thanks!
Melissa

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2

I do not suggest dipping with brushing glazes. Brush glazes are formulated for exactly that and have gum additives to help with application. Most (exceptions exist, always) brush glazes are entirely too thick to dip.

If you want to dip, DMS has a clear and a white liner available in buckets in front of the glaze rack. If you want something other than that you would need to buy dip formulated glazes or mix your own. If you decide to buy your own dip glaze in powder form to mix, slake and sieve yourself, be prepared for some work. We do have a sieve in Ceramics. You will need to also buy a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of your glaze while doing tests (some skip this and go by ‘vibes’-those people also often swear and shake their little fists at inconsistent results). Trinity can mix dip glazes in liquid form for you if you want to pay for the labor, prices are pretty good on that. I’m not sure what their smallest batch size is, probably half gallon on a guess.

Tongs are great for dipping, for miniature pottery, tweezers? :slight_smile:

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3

Thank you for the amazing advice!

4

Call Davens Ceramic Center in Atlanta they use to have something you could buy to turn commercial glaze into a dip. I have not been there in about 5 years I have no clue if the still have it.

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5

Thanks for mentioning this! I hadn’t run across it before.

I looked it up and some people get funky on their own methods but Amaco also sells Suspendaid to convert brush to dip.

From a CAD post:

Suspendaid is an anti-settling additive. It is used to change a brushing glaze to a closer workability of a dipping glaze. To do that you should disregard the brushing glaze directions on the label and follow the following general directions.

  1. Pint (16 oz) Directions: A) Take out 4 oz. of glaze from the pint jar. Add 4 oz. of water and 1 tablespoon of Suspendaid. Mix thoroughly before using for dipping.

  2. Gallon Directions: A) Take 2 pints of glaze from gallon jar. Add 1 and ½ pints of water and 6 oz. of Suspendaid. Mix thoroughly before using for dipping.

  3. Dry 1 lb Directions: A) Add 1 pint (16 oz.) of water to 1 lb. dry glaze. Add 2 and ½ tablespoon (1 oz.) of Suspendaid. Mix thoroughly before using for dipping.

Glazes vary in viscosity, therefore if you feel that your dipping glaze needs to be thinner, add a little more water. If your glaze settles, then add a little more Suspendaid. With practice you will learn how much water and Suspendaid needs to be added for the dipping glaze consistency that you like.

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