Mason stains in the G2926B base glaze at cone 6

This glaze, G2926B, is our main glossy base recipe. Stains are a much better choice for coloring it than raw metal oxides. Other than the great colors they produce here, there are a number of things worth noticing. Stains are potent colorants, the percentages needed are normally much less than metal oxides. Staining a transparent glaze produces a transparent color, it is more intense where the glaze layer is thicker, this is often desirable in highlighting contours and designs. If you add an opacifier, like zircopax, the color will be less intense, producing a pastel shade the more you add. The chrome-tin maroon 6006 does not develop well in this base (alternatives are G2916F or G1214M). The 6020 manganese alumina pink is also not developing here (it is a body stain). Caution is required with inclusion stains (like #6021), the micro-bubbling here is not likely because it is over fired (it is rated to cone 8), adding 1-2% zircopax normally fixes this issue.

Related Pictures

When using stains, customize the percentage, host glaze and firing schedule

Tap picture for full size

These are G2926B clear glazes with stains added and fired at cone 6. The one on the left has 11% Mason 6021 encapsulated red. It is pebbling the surface (even with 2% zircon), it may be at the upper end of its firing range. Possible solutions are faster firing up and down to give the stain less chance to decompose. Or firing at cone 5 instead. Or a drop-and-hold firing schedule. Or a lower percentage, that could impart a bit of variation where it is thicker and thinner (like the purple one). A different host glaze, perhaps one with less boron. The purple one has 10% Mason 6304, it is not affecting the glossy glaze surface. But the percentage needs to be higher to prevent the wash-out of color where it is applied thinner.

Links

Recipes	G2926B - Cone 6 Whiteware/Porcelain transparent glaze A base transparent glaze recipe created by Tony Hansen for Plainsman Clays, it fires high gloss and ultra clear with low melt mobility.
Materials	Frit VO 6134
Materials	Stain 6100
Materials	Stain 6300
Materials	Stain 6364
Materials	Stain 6385
Materials	Stain 6404
Materials	Stain 6450
Materials	Mason 6027 Stain
Materials	Stain 6201
Materials	Stain 6134
Materials	Stain 6500
Materials	Stains Mason
Materials	Mason 6600 Black Stain
Materials	Stain 6666
Materials	Stain 6006
Materials	Mason 6021 Red Stain An encapsulated red stain, it has proven better than any other red we have ever tried for glazes. And it works in bodies.
Glossary	Cone 6 Also called "middle temperature" by potters, cone 6 (~2200F/1200C) refers to the temperature at which most hobby and pottery stonewares and porcelains are fired.
Glossary	Ceramic Stain Ceramic stains are manufactured powders. They are used as an alternative to employing metal oxide powders and have many advantages.
Glossary	Medium Temperature Glaze These are stoneware glazes that fire in the range of 1200C (2200F). They often contain boron to assist with melting.
Glossary	Base Glaze Understand your a glaze and learn how to adjust and improve it. Build others from that. We have bases for low, medium and high fire.
Glossary	Colorant In ceramics and pottery, colorants are added to glazes as metal oxides, metal-oxide-containing raw materials or as manufactured stains.
Articles	Concentrate on One Good Glaze It is better to understand and have control of one good base glaze than be at the mercy of dozens of imported recipes that do not work. There is a lot more to being a good glaze than fired appearance.

Got a Question?

Buy me a coffee and we can talk