Are your glaze recipes food-safe?

My glaze recipes are made from basic raw materials, frits, and oxides. They do not contain toxic materials such as lead, cadmium, barium, or manganese which means that the recipes are reasonably safe to use.

While I always try to develop stable and durable glazes, I cannot guarantee that the use of my glaze recipes will result in food-safe surfaces because glaze toxicity depends on various factors outside of my control such as the composition of the glaze, the type of clay, the kiln, and the firing temperatures.

If you want to be certain that a glaze is food-safe, I would recommend sending samples to a certified ceramics testing laboratory.

Do your glazes cutlery mark?

It really depends on the glaze. Matte glazes tend to mark a little more than semi-matte and glossy glazes.

A lot of people seem to be concerned about cutlery marks, but I do not think there is anything to worry about. Cutlery marks do not affect the working properties of a glaze and these marks can easily be removed with a mixture of warm soapy water and baking soda or commercial stoneware cleaners. 

Every glaze will likely show small scratches and cutlery marks with time, even the glossiest commercial glazes…

Are the raw materials in your glaze recipes easy to source?

Most of the raw materials and oxides in my glaze recipes are easy to source. Some frits can be a little more difficult to find depending on your location but they are always specified in the glaze description so you can check with your pottery supplier if they stock them.

Here is a list of the raw materials, frits, and oxides I use in my glaze recipes:

Feldspar Potash
Feldspar Soda
Edgar Plastic Kaolin
Calcined Alumina
Whiting
Dolomite
Silica

American Ferro Frit 3134
American Ferro Frit 3124
Gillespie Borate

Tin oxide
Red Iron oxide
Zinc oxide
Cobalt oxide
Nickel oxide
Chrome oxide
Titanium dioxide

Where do you source your raw materials?

I usually order my raw materials, frits, and oxides from Scarva Pottery Supplies and Bath Potters Supplies.

Are your glaze recipes suitable for beginners?

My glaze recipes can be used by beginners.

Once you purchase a glaze recipe from my library, you receive a secure link via email which allows you to download a PDF file with the information you need to reproduce the glaze, including a recipe, a firing schedule, and some notes.

The process of making glaze is relatively straightforward: fill a bucket with the desired amount of water, add raw materials, add oxides, mix with a whisk or a mixing paddle, and finally sieve the slurry through a 100 mesh screen to make sure there's no lumps.

There are numerous tutorials on YouTube but if you feel like you need more guidance, you can simply get in touch and I will do my best to help you.

Will the glaze turn out exactly like on the images?

Results can vary slightly depending on your kiln, the chemical composition of your raw materials, and the type of stoneware you use.

While you will not get the exact same results, you can expect to get something fairly similar if you follow both the recipe and firing schedule provided.

Are your firing schedules complicated?

My firing schedules are not complicated but they do have several segments and include a controlled cooling. That said, my firing schedules can be modified to work with your controller.

What type of clay do you use to test your glaze recipes?

I usually test my glaze recipes on Staffordshire stoneware, which is a slightly speckled buff stoneware.

Do you use pyrometric cones during firings?

I always use large Orton cones during firings.