Underglaze for our firings?

Okay, if memory is serving me right here bone dry pieces are fired at cone 04, right? Are there preferred underglazes that any of you have experienced that stay close/true to color? I was looking up Duncan Concepts but those fire at cone 06? Or is it better to just use the underglaze on bisque?

Basic rule of thumb: If the underglaze is clay based, then you’ll want to apply to greenware so they can shrink together. If the underglaze has silicates, then you can apply it to bisque (and possibly greenware as well, check the label). In a very general sense, you’ll get similarish results in that 06-04 range with underglazes, the temperatures are all very low in there. As always, test tiles are your friend!

Duncan and Spectrum are both good. I’ve mostly used Amaco Velvets in the past, they have a very rich tone. If you want to muddy the waters more, check out engobes!

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Let me ask @Nathan_Jones – he had some under glazes at the space for a while and I used a couple of them. I put them on leather-hard ware. One because I wanted a sgraffito thing. The other because I only wanted it in my stamped design and I wanted to scrape off the excess. Both worked fine fired to Cone 6 (after bisque) under a clear glaze. Naturally I don’t remember exactly what they were.

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Trinity has their own brand of underglaze that I used for cone 6 quite a bit. I always brushed 3 coats on bisque, then clear glaze and have been happy with the results.

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Amaco velvets are nice, they have those at Trinity ceramics, trying out Mayco underglazes too, I’ve seen those at Trinity, and also at American ceramics in Fort Worth.

Trinity branded underglazes and Spectrum underglazes have a range of 06-6 and stay true to color at the high end. Higher than ^6 and the reds and yellows burn out but the greens and blues work well.

The Mayco Stroke&Coat line also works as a glaze or underglazes. If using as an underglaze, test to check for bleeding.

Amaco velvet underglazes (with clear over) to cone 6. There’s a glaze chart online.

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Thank you so much everyone! This is helpful and I think I will buy a few and give it a shot!

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Wow, Anette, this piece is awesome!

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What are you trying to accomplish? Have you thought of Stokes and Coates? They can go on greenware and bisque. They do not flow and stay where you put them. And can be layered. And mixed. They look great low fired and mid range fired. But will fade on a mid range fire.

Just a thought. I much preferred them to underglaze

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Most Stroke-n-Coats don’t fade out at Cone 6. There are a couple that do, but there’s a note on the label that states that. Our purple, for instance, fades. And one each of the blues and greens, but everything else is rock solid.

I have. I am not opposed to them but not sure how it works if I want to apply a clear glaze or even a potter’s choice afterward. Plus I was interested in trying the etching effect (begins with a s, don’t remember off top of head right now). So if I can do those things with stroke and coat I gladly will. I had read though mix things (seems like if i want to do PC over stroke and coat I think I can but I thought I read the etching is done on leather hard work) thus why I was curious which underglazes are applicable to what we fire to.

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