NiO (Nickel Oxide)

Data

Frit Softening Point	1957C (From The Oxide Handbook)

Notes

Most often used to modify and soften the color of other metallic oxides and thus small amounts are normally employed.

It is not normally used in low fire glazes due to the refractory nature of nickel oxide powder. Glazes that are already matte or immature will thus be made more dry by the addition of nickel.

Since nickel is used in smaller amounts, flashing from other glazed ware and the chemistry of the glaze can have an effect on ware color.

Ceramic Oxide Periodic Table

Pretty well all common traditional ceramic base glazes are made from less than a dozen elements (plus oxygen). Go to the full picture of this table and click or tap each of the oxides to learn more (on its page at digitalfire.com). When materials melt, they decompose, sourcing these elements in oxide form. The kiln builds the glaze from them, it does not care what material sources what oxide (assuming, of course, that all materials do melt or dissolve completely into the melt to release those oxides). Each of these oxides contributes specific properties to the glass. So, you can look at a formula and make a good prediction of the properties of the fired glaze. And know what specific oxide to increase or decrease to move a property in a given direction (e.g. melting behavior, hardness, durability, thermal expansion, color, gloss, crystallization). And know about how they interact (affecting each other). This is powerful. A lot of ceramic materials are available, hundreds - that is complicated when individual materials source multiple oxides. Viewing a glaze as a simple unity formula of ceramic oxides is just simpler.

Links

Materials	Nickel Oxide Black
Materials	Nickel Oxide Green
Materials	Stain

Mechanisms

Glaze Color	In lithium glazes nickel can produce yellow.
Glaze Color	In the presence of high MgO, nickel can produce greens. Zinc is also helpful to develop color.
Glaze Color	Nickel with zinc oxide can produce steel blues. With larger amounts of zinc, lavender blue can be made.
Glaze Color	Nickel with calcium can produce tan.
Glaze Color	Nickel with barium can produce brown. In high sodium glazes it can fire brown also.
Glaze Color	Nickel in lead glazes tends to produce grey colors.
Glaze Color	Nickel can produce pinks in high potash or lead glazes.