These seem to work well for brushing glazes whether the bristles are fine or coarse, stiff or soft. The key to their utility is the shape. Glazes are gummed and gelled. An ordinary brush, when dipped, pulls together, minimizing the total load it can hold and the breadth of stroke it can make. But these stay fanned. Each bristle has access to more glaze, and thus the brush can deliver more. The fan shape also assists in spreading it evenly over the surface; after all, that is the purpose, spreading evenly, not decorating. Gelled slurries drip much less, so a fan brush can be dipped and brushed in rapid succession. And, these brushes are much easier to clean. These were purchased at Michaels, they are good quality and inexpensive.

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Potters used to working with dipping glazes that contain plenty of clay are shocked when they see what crystal glazers have to work with: Slurries that contain very little clay because the Al2O3 contributed impedes crystal growth. They end up with dipping glazes conditioned with gum and bentonite that are bummers to work with. But here is a way to mix as a gelled brushing glaze that works surprisingly well. This requires two gums. Let's mix 500ml.
Step 1: Blender-mix 340g powder into 440g water. We now have a watery slurry that settles in seconds.
Step 2: Thoroughly blender-mix 5g of CMC powder into it. We now have a slow-drying but thin slurry.
Step 3: Blender-mix in, on high speed, 6g of VeeGum. Slowly add it. We now have a gelled slurry that will stay in suspension. And paint well with a fan brush.
Full gel might not kick in until aging it overnight. Of course, if it overgels for you, then use less VeeGum the next time. Why not add the gums together or the VeeGum first? Agglomerates will form, and even the blender can't remove them.
| URLs |
https://fb.watch/F1S3h84Zkq/?fs=e
Video: How gummed glazes can flow using a fan brush. Notice the slurry is gelled and can be applied slowly and deliberately, it does not dry on contact as a dipping glaze would if you try to brush it. People obsess over fired appearance but can forget the importance of good working properties needed to get it. |
| URLs |
https://youtu.be/-f-skGLVyMg
Youtube Video: Brush Glazing Large Pieces By blender-mixing 10 grams of CMC gum into a liter of my standard dipping glaze I can apply it to the insides and outsides of large bowls quickly and evenly. This is better than any other method I have used. |
| URLs |
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVPM4MQCH-Y
Factory worker quickly doing banding and an underglaze color wash using a brush |
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