Technical Information Project #3 - Glaze Testing

Glaze Testing/Line Blends

Select two glazes with contrasting color, opacity, and or texture.

Dry mix 1000 grams of each glaze. Mix all fry materials thoroughly. Then weight out batches in the increments listed below.

You are going to create a 10 step line blend using both glazes to blend a series on new mixes.

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Glaze A
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Glaze B
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

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Label your test tiles with black ink wash noting the percentage of each glaze.

Keep careful records in your notebook, for you will likely create an exciting new glaze.

Create thickness variation on each tile, dipping them with single, double, and triple thicknesses of each new glaze.


Art 3768C, Ceramic Sculpture 2
Glaze Testing/Lecture Highlights
Nan Smith, Professor
Spring 2011

What is glaze?
Glass former/Silica
Flux/Melter (feldspar, frits, gerstley borate)
Alumina/Clay


What is Slip/Engobe?

Glaze Testing:

How to use gram scales

Glaze Lab Orientation

Health and Safety (respirator strongly suggested)

Tile Samples; Our Glaze Tile Library

Test tile Design

Flat tiles

Hanging Tiles

Standing Tiles

Labeling and Record keeping

How to use Test tiles to generate more testing ideas

What to Test?

8 Coloring Oxides of combination oxides; metallic oxides what are they, math to figure percentages

8 glazes of your choice

favorite test results re-tested over slips, underglazes, washes

A System for Weighing out Tests

Supplies include: zip lock baggies, plastic drinking cups, magic marker, spoon

Layering Color (glaze and slip, glaze over glaze)

Multiple Firings

Firing down; overglazes and luster


Reference Books:

The Ceramic Spectrum, author - Robin Hopper
Low-Fire Ceramics, author - Susan Weschler