Plainsman Clear Glossy Glaze

Fired well it gives a clear, smooth surface with little running. It is mixed at about 85 parts water to 100 parts dry powder and adjusted to a specific gravity near 1.44, where a slightly gelled slurry coats bisque evenly, stays in place and dries quickly. About 1 g of Epsom salts per kilogram of dry powder is the starting point if the slurry needs gelling. It is screened through 80 mesh after mixing and again during storage, since agglomerates and crystals that form in the bucket can leave defects in the fired surface. It fires to cone 6 with a drop and hold schedule, and a slow cool improves gloss and reduces surface defects further. Glaze fit varies by body, so it is tested for crazing on each clay body before use on functional ware. A heavy coat can bubble or look cloudy, and thin walls may need separate inside and outside dips with drying time between. Dark iron bearing bodies can trap gas bubbles in this fairly stable melt and reduce clarity. A brushing glaze over it may crawl and can need a gummed base coat, stains and opacifiers change the result, some chrome tin stains do not develop well in it, and a decal refiring has given inconsistent results, including small sharp edged blisters.