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G2934 - Matte Glaze Base for Cone 6

Modified: 2026-01-04 14:41:10

A base MgO matte glaze recipe fires to a hard utilitarian surface and has very good working properties. Blend in the glossy if it is too matte.

Notes

A cone 6 boron-fluxed MgO matte developed at Plainsman Clays by Tony Hansen (a link below will take you to its page there). This page contains technical and mixing information about the recipe, their page, under code MG6CDM, contains mixing and usage information.

This recipe has the best suspension and application properties when it is thixotropic (that involves mixing it thinner than normal and gelling it using Epsom salts). Target a specific gravity of 1.43-1.44 (about 90 water to 100 powder, by weight; that means that in 1900g of slurry there is 900 water and 1000 powder). Then about add 1g of Epsom salts per 1000g powder to increase thixotropy. This should make it creamy and it should gel after a few seconds on standing still (add more Epsom salts if needed, but be careful, it is easy to overdo it).

Screen through 80 mesh (there are tiny agglomerates that will not break down without screening).

Important note: The degree of matteness is dependent on the cooling rate of the firing. In our circumstances, fast cooling (e.g. free-fall in a lightly-loaded or smaller kiln) produces the desired silky matte surface and slow cooling (e.g. a heavily loaded kiln) produces a matter and drier surface. Do test firings to determine if your cooling rate will accommodate this or whether you need to blend in some glossy G2926B to shine it up a little (for example, try 75% matte and 25% glossy, the mixing can be done by simply pouring together, volumetrically, the two slurries). One more thing: Certain colors will matte this more than others, so specific adjustments might be needed. Again: Be sure to control production firings so their rate-of-cooling matches that of the test firings.

The degree of matteness we prefer it does not cutlery mark and has good (but not too much) melt flow. This glaze has plenty of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ and good melt fluidity, these contribute to durability and resistance to leaching.

The calcined kaolin is needed (if you use all raw kaolin the glaze will shrink and crack during drying and crawl during firing). If you do not have calcined kaolin make your own by bisque-firing a container of kaolin powder. If you do not have EP Kaolin, just substitute another. If it settles convert some of the calcined kaolin to raw. If it does not dry hard enough or does not suspend well, use more raw kaolin and less calcined.*

Although this is a matte glaze it flows well (it is well melted). If fired ware has pinholes the solution lies elsewhere. Bisque ware as high as possible. If you gel the slurry a little, or preheat the ware, bisque can be even hotter. Try applying a thinner glaze layer and use whatever technique necessary to get an even and quality laydown. If still needed, consider using the double-soak firing schedule.

With certain stains and opacifiers this base can present issues with glaze crawling. It is not completely clear why this is, test in your circumstances before making large batches or glazing high volumes are ware.

Plainsmanclays.com makes this recipe as a premixed powder.

*If you adjust raw:calcined kaolin proportions more than 5%: Raw kaolin has 12% weight loss on firing, more is needed to supply the same amount of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ to the fired glaze. For example, if you drop the calcined kaolin by 5 you need to increase the raw kaolin by 5.6 to maintain the same overall chemistry (5 + (5 x 12% / 100 = 5.6). If your kaolin is not too plastic you might be able to use all raw kaolin (18.3 + 13.9 + (13.9 x 12% / 100) = 34.

Related Information

G2934 cone 6 DIY MgO matte glaze: Reliable, durable, adjustable, stainable

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These pieces were made from Plainsman Polar Ice and fired to cone 6 using variations on the PLC6DS and C6DHSC schedules. The dipping glaze is G2934Y, a recipe variant of G2934 having a finer micro-surface texture (it has the same chemistry but the MgO is sourced from a frit and talc instead of dolomite). These mugs display how well the recipe works with stains and the varying degrees of matteness we can achieve by varying the cooling rate and the percentage of glossy G2926B base blended in. As a magnesia matte, this glaze can have a surface that pleasant to the touch. It fires durable, can be quite matte without cutlery marking, and it has very good slurry and application properties (as a dipping glaze). It has a very low thermal expansion (won’t craze). It works really well with stains (except purples). It melts even better than the glossy!

An ordinary white mug: More difficult to make than you think!

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This is M340S with G2934 matte white outside and G2926B glossy white inside (both have 10% zircopax). Consider what can go wrong. Zircon glazes love to crawl. I either add CMC gum to make it a base coat (or use a combination of tin oxide and zircopax (like G3926C). The clay has granular manganese added to produce the speck, if accidentally over-fired, even half a cone, it will bloat. And the clay body: The outer glaze is ugly on dark-burning clays. And it is drab on porcelains. It does not even look good on this same body if the speckle is not there. Another difficulty: Controlling the degree of matteness. I blend in about 20% of the glossy, otherwise it would fire too matte. And the firing schedule: PLC6DS - its drop-and-hold step is critical, without it the surface would be full of pinholes. Another problem: If the kiln is heavily loaded and cools slower than the programmed ramp-down, the surface will be too matte. Finally, glaze thickness: If it is too thin it will look washed out and ugly. Too thick it will bubble and look pasty.

Mason stains in the G2934 matte base glaze at cone 6

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Stains can work surprisingly well in matte base glazes like the DIY G2934 recipe. The glass is less transparent and so varying thicknesses do not produce as much variation in tint as glossy bases do. Notice how low many of the stain percentages are here, yet most of the colors are bright. We tested 6600, 6350, 6300, 6021 and 6404 overnight in lemon juice, they all passed leach-free. The 6385 is an error, it should be purple (that being said, do not use it, it is ugly in this base). And chrome-tin pink and maroon stains do not develop the color (e.g. 6006). But our G1214Z1 CaO-matte comes to the rescue, it both works better with some stains and has a more crystal matte surface. The degree-of-matteness of both can be tuned by cooling speed and blending in some G2926B glossy base. You can mix any of these into brushing or dipping glazes.

Our base glazes plus opacifiers on a dark burning body at cone 6

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The body is Plainsman M390. These are commonly used base glazes. The top one is a magnesia matte, next down is a calcia matte. They react very differently to these additions. Notice also the difference when titanium dioxide is applied thickly. Tin oxide fires whiter than zircon (e.g. Zircopax). Each opacifier has issues. Tin is expensive. Titanium is difficult to mix into the slurry (screening required), not as white or opaque, variations in thickness produce more difference in results and it can turn blue. Zircon is more likely to cutlery mark, twice as much is required and it amplifies the color of any iron present.

G2934 Cone 6 Matte with 10% Zircopax and 5% tin oxide

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The body is Plainsman M390. The firing schedule is Plainsman PLC6DS.

Partially and fully opacified cone 6 G1214Z1 matte glaze

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This is the G1214Z1 calcia matte base (as opposed to the magnesia matte G2934). The clay is Plainsman M390. 5% Zircopax was added on the left (normally 10% or more is needed to get full opacity, the partially opaque effect highlight contours well). 5% tin oxide was added to the one on the right (tin is a more effective, albeit expensive opacifier in oxidation). The PLC6DS firing schedule was used.

The G2934 glaze does not work well on dark-burning bodies

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G2934 is a fantastic glaze, but only on the right body and with the right firing schedule. That is not the case here! This firing was done without any control on the cooling cycle. The added zircopax (to whiten it) stiffens the melt and makes G2934 pinhole-prone on dark burning bodies (because they generate more gases during heatup in the kiln). The clay on the right is Plainsman Coffee Clay, it contains 10% raw umber (a super-gasser). The centre one is Plainsman M390, it bubbles glazes more than buff-burning bodies. The left one is M332, it is a coarse grained and that seems to vent gases well enough here to eliminate the pinholes. The surface of the two on the right would be greatly improved using the C6DHSC firing schedule but, unfortunately, the slow cool would matte the glaze surface, making it really ugly. The PLC6DS drop-and-hold schedule might also reduce the pinholes, without matting the surface. What about without the zircon? There would be fewer pinholes, but micro-bubble clouding, which is not visible here because of the opacity, would make for a truly ugly effect on dark bodies.

Tuning the degree of gloss in a colored matte glaze

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Matte glazes have a fragile mechanism. That means the same recipe will be more matte for some people, more glossy for others (due to material, process and firing differences). In addition, certain colors will matte the base more and others will gloss it more. It is therefore critical for matte glaze recipes to have adjustability (a way to change the degree of gloss), both for circumstances and colors. This recipe is Plainsman G2934 base matte with 6% Mason 6600 black stain added. It has been formulated to be on the more matte side of the scale so that for most people a simple addition of G2926B (M370 transparent ultra clear base recipe) will increase the gloss. That means users need to be prepared to adjust each color of the matte to fine-tune its degree of gloss. Here you can see 5:95, 10:90, 15:85 and 20:80 blends of the matte:gloss recipe bases.

Tune your glaze to the degree of matteness you want

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G2934 is a popular matte for cone 6 (far left). The mechanism of the matteness is high MgO content (it produces a more pleasant surface that cutlery marks and stains less than other mechanisms such as crystallization). But what if it is too matte for you? This recipe requires accurate firings, did your kiln really go to cone 6? Proven by a properly set firing cone? If it did, then we need plan B: Add some glossy to shine it up a bit. I fired these ten-gram GBMF test balls of glaze to cone 6 on porcelain tiles, they melted down into nice buttons that display the surface well. Top row proceeding right: 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% G2926B added (100% far right). Bottom: G2916F in the same proportions. The effects are similar but the top one produces a more pebbly surface.

What if G2934 fires too glossy, how can you increase matteness?

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Typically the G2934 cone 6 magnesia matte recipe fires with a surface that is too matte for functional ware (with cutlery marking and staining problems). This is intentional - it enables users to blend in a glossy base transparent to tune the degree of matteness. However, we have seen variation in the Ferro Frit 3124, serious enough that a recent production batch of glaze came out glossy (upper left in this picture)! This happened despite a C6DHSC slow cool firing. Shown here is a trial with additions of 4% calcined alumina (upper right) and 6 and 8% (bottom). All of these were too matte (1.5% turned up to be good). Although the slow-cool C6DHSC firing is the likely reason for the opacity here, opacity disruption still turned out to be a factor for stain additions (muting the colors slightly) even in faster cool firings. This is a testament to the critical chemistry balance that produces this matte surface. And the need to have adjustment options when inevitable variation occurs. Of course, it is important to use ultra-fine alumina (e.g. 400 mesh) to assure it will dissolve in the melt.

A glaze incompatible with chrome-tin stains (but great with inclusion stains)

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Left: A cone 6 matte glaze (G2934 with no colorant). Middle: 5% Mason 6006 chrome-tin red stain added. Right: 5% Mason 6021 encapsulated red stain added. Why is there absolutely no color in the center glaze? This host recipe does not have the needed chemistry to develop the #6006 chrome-tin color (Mason specifies 10% minimum CaO, this almost has enough at 9.8%, but it also has 5% MgO and that is killing the color). Yet this same glaze produces a good red with #6021 encapsulated stain at only 5% (using 20% or more encapsulated stain is not unusual - so achieving this color with only 5% is amazing).

Matte cone 6 glazes have identical chemistry but one melts more. Why?

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These are 10 gram GBMF test balls that we melted on porcelain tiles at cone 4 (top two) and cone 6 (bottom two). They compare the melt fluidity of G2934 (left) and G2934Y (right). The Y version sources its MgO from frit and talc (rather than dolomite). It is a much more fluid melt because the frit is yielding the oxides more readily. But Y has a key benefit: It has a much lower LOI, producing fewer entrained air bubbles and therefore fewer surface defects. And, even though it runs much more, it has the same matte surface! As long as it is applied at normal thickness, the extra melt fluidity does not cause any running. And it has another benefit: Less cutlery marking issues. It is actually a very durable and practical food surface glaze, having a low thermal expansion that fits almost any body. Although these appear glossy here, on ware they have the identical pleasant silky matte surface.

Adding an opacifier can produce cutlery marking

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This is G2934 cone 6 matte (left) with 10% zircon (center), 4% tin oxide (right). Although the base unopacified recipe does not cutlery mark the other two do. Although the marks clean off all of the two on the right, the zircon version (in this case Zircopax) version has the worst and is difficult to clean. Thus, a small change is all that is likely needed. One solution is to reduce the matteness of this glaze, moving to more toward a satin surface. A way to do this is to line-blend in a glossy glaze to create a compromise between the most matteness possible yet a surface that does not mark or stain. Another option is to switch to 400 mesh silica in the recipe, that will enable many more of the particles to go into solution in the melt, thus increasing the gloss a little (an improving the firing surface in other ways).

A good matte glaze. A bad matte glaze.

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A melt fluidity comparison between two cone 6 matte glazes. G2934 is an MgO saturated boron fluxed glaze that melts to the right degree, forms a good glass, has a low thermal expansion, resists leaching and does not cutlery mark. G2000 is a much-trafficked cone 6 recipe, it is fluxed by zinc to produce a surface mesh of micro-crystals that not only mattes but also opacifies the glaze. But it forms a poor glass, runs too much, cutlery marks badly, stains easily, crazes and is likely not food safe! The G2934 recipe is google-searchable and a good demonstration of how the high-MgO matte mechanism (from talc) creates a silky surface at cone 6 oxidation the same as it does at cone 10 reduction (from dolomite). However it does need a tin or zircon addition to be white.

G2934 using Fusion Frit F-19 instead of Ferro 3124

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G2934 is a popular recipe and there has been alarm recently because of the difficulty in getting the Ferro frit and the variation in its quality in recent years. This motivated us to get a supply of the Fusion equivalent, F-19. When doing substitutions like this we do testing in glazes and with melt fluidity tests - like this GLFL test.

Yikes. Cutlery marking this bad on a popular glaze!

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An example of how a spoon can cutlery mark a glaze. This is a popular middle temperature recipe used by potters. The mechanism of its matteness is a high percentage of zinc oxide that creates a well-melted glaze that fosters the growth of a mesh of surface micro-crystals. However these crystals create tiny angular protrusions that abrade metal, leaving a mark. Notice the other matte flow on the left (G2934), it not only has a better surface (more silky feel) but also melts much less (its mechanism is high MgO in a boron fluxed base). It is does not cutlery mark at all!

Is the V.C. 71 pottery glaze a true matte?

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The top glaze is V.C. 71, a popular matte cone 6 glaze used by potters. Bottom is G2934 matte, a public domain recipe produced by Plainsman Clays. The latter is a high-MgO matte, it melts well and does not cutlery mark or stain easily. As evidence that it is a true matte, notice that it is still matte when fired to cone 7 or 8. V.C. 71, while having a similar pleasant silky matte surface at cone 6, converts to a glossy if fired higher. This suggests that the cone 6 matteness is due to incomplete melting. For the same reason, it is whiter in color (as soon as it begins to melt and have depth the color darkens).

Zircopax, tin oxide, titanium as opacifiers in four base glazes

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The body is Plainsman M390. Firing is the cone 6 PLC6DS schedule. Each horizontal row is a commonly-used base glaze. The top one is a magnesia matte, the next one down is a calcia matte, row 3 is G2926B glossy and row 4 is Ravenscrag Slip+frit. The two mattes behave very differently from each other with the additions of opacifier. Thickly applying an opacified glaze will obviously affect visual character (column 4). Tin oxide fires whiter than zircon (e.g. Zircopax). If you like the G2934 recipe, consider the G2934Y variant for better melting.

G2934 fired at cone 7 on Plainsman M370, P300 and M340

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These bodies all fire more vitreous at cone 7. And the glaze melts to a more pleasant silky surface, looking very similar to the G2934Y version.

When Supply Chains Broke, Prices Soared.

We haven’t forgotten. Time for DIY!

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Material prices began skyrocketing during COVID. No one is affected more than prepared glaze manufacturers; they have complex supply chains that affect not only price but also availability and consistency of their products. Now might be the time for DIY, to start learning how to weigh out the ingredients to make at least some of your own, especially brushing glazes. You could be armed with good base recipes that fit your clay bodies, without crazing or shivering, by design, not by accident, as with commercial products. And you will be more resilient to supply issues. Add stains, opacifiers and variegators to the bases to make anything you want. Admittedly, ingredients in your recipes can also become unavailable! But DIY give you options. When you "understand" glaze ingredients and what each contributes to the recipe and oxide chemistry, you are equipped to go well beyond weathering material supply issues. You will improve recipes at the same time as adjusting them to accommodate alternative materials. It is not rocket science; it is just work accompanied by organized record-keeping and good labelling.

Commercial glazes on decorative surfaces, your own on food surfaces

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These cone 6 porcelain mugs are hybrid. Three coats of a commercial glaze painted on the outside (Amaco PC-30) and my own liner glaze, G2926B, poured in and out on the inside. When commercial glazes (made by one company) fit a stoneware or porcelain (made by another company) it is by accident, neither company designed for the other! For inside food surfaces make or mix a liner glaze already proven to fit your clay body, one that sanity-checks well (as a dipping glaze or a brushing glaze). In your own recipes you can use quality materials that you know deliver no toxic compounds to the glass and that are proportioned to deliver a balanced chemistry. Read and watch our liner glazing step-by-step and liner glazing video for details on how to make glazes meet at the rim like this.

Links

XML to Paste Into Insight-live

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<recipeline material="Dolomite" amount="23.500"/>
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<recipeline material="EP Kaolin" amount="18.300"/>
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