Hi there; I’m new to the idea of painting on plates. So my big issues are what type of pint is best to use on store bought plates and then how to I make them functional? I have one plate that was done with water
based enamels and oven cured (supposedly, not very trusting) and another that was done with porcelain 150. what can I do to save these pieces? can I do a clear glaze and oven bake or clear glaze and take them somewhere to be fired. What is the best way from the beginning, should I get bisque plates, paint then glaze and fire?. I not only want to make my own set of dishes for my home but have a friend that would like a dish that could be usable or decorative for her place. PLEASE HELP
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I would get bisque plates and then glaze and fire them. A shop like The Kiln & I in Plano could probably pour the plates with cone 6 slip, otherwise they will likely be low fire.
Thank you. Would you be able to tell me about the type of paint I should use?
Welcome!
I agree with Julie, getting slip cast plates made with cone 6 slip in greenware (not fired) or bisque (fired).
The “paint” I would recommend, and is new potter friendly would be Stroke and Coates. They stay right where you put them them put them and come in a wide range of colors, and beautiful for design work. Then clear glaze over the whole plate. (Except the foot)
China painting is when you paint layers on already glazed porcelain plates. I have not seen anyone China paint in 20 years.
Without looking at the plates you’ve already got, we can’t really say how they might be made functional. I’d be inclined to just get plate hangers and put them on the wall. If they’ve had anything with the word “paint” put on them, I wouldn’t put a glaze on them, and I wouldn’t put them in the kiln for sure. I’m not sure about the food-safety aspect of any oven glaze.
Certainly the fastest, least work way would be to purchase the plates already bisqued. We’ve got plate molds, and it isn’t overly difficult to pour them, but that would add extra work to the plates. Julie’s got a recommendation for a shop she knows. I know that there are a couple of other stores still out there. For that matter, American Ceramic Supply over in Ft Worth sells bisqued dinnerware. Well, at least they used to. I’ve never personally been.
Anita (meanbaby) is definitively right about the glaze you’d want to use for painting the plates.
Thank you all. a lot of great information. can someone please explain the importance of cone 6 vs cone 4. I have not done anything with clay since school. I’ve always been a painter. And this is for sure a new everything for me, but I really want to learn to apply the glaze in a way that works with my pieces. I just need to be able to mix colors and layer colors to create. Basically I’m doing detailed work. By the way I live out in Florida and would like to get the plates to do my work on. looking into the gazes you mentioned already. Thank you again for taking the time teach me.
So, much like metal gauges (if you know anything about those), there’s a break in the middle of the temperatures. I think the mid-point is 2000F. Hotter than that, the cone numbers are just the numbers. 1-10, 11, 12, etc. Below that, the cone number is preceded by a zero, and they go down. Cone 04 is called low-fire. Terracottas and most of your commercial dinner ware is low-fire. Cone 6 is stoneware, and it’s a couple of hundred degrees hotter than Cone 04. Google cone chart, and you should get all the temps. All the cones are based on the melting point of specific ingredients. Cone 04 ware will start to melt if you fire it to Cone 6. Cone 6 stoneware is more durable, but more expensive.
Florida – so look for ceramic supply places in your area, and make sure that they sell bisque plates. At this point it doesn’t make a huge amount of difference whether you go low-fire (Cone 04) or mid-fire (Cone 6) – just remember what you get. The Stroke-n-Coat glazes from Mayco (the manufacturer) will work for either. Some of the colors fade out by Cone 6, though, so you probably do want to just get low-fire bisque. There used to be a type of place where they sold slip-cast greenware and bisque. They’d sell the glazes, and they’d fire it for you (for a price, of course). If you can find one of those stores still around, they’re what you need. You could get everything at one place. They used to be popular from the 50’s through… 80’s?? 90’s?? Still, with the retirement communities, it could still be a big thing there.
OMG. Thank you. You are a world of knowledge. Thank you. I live in north florida. Tallahassee to be exact. There was a little place for ceramic painting and firing but sadly has gone out of business with the virus this year. I will keep looking a couple of places are only a couple of hours away and I don’t mind driving to get the supplies. I have access to a kiln here close by thankfully and someone that knows how to use it. Im going to look up the paints you were talking about. Again thank you for all your help.