Spectrum Glazes is unique among ceramic glaze suppliers in that they focus exclusively on producing the highest quality, most colorful and diverse selection of fired finishes available anywhere. All of their energies are devoted to manufacturing glazes and other ceramic coatings. Their formulations have been developed over their 30 years in business with careful attention to detail, backed by their on-going commitment to thorough testing of materials as well as every batch of finished product. Most of their products use ceramic frits and stains as their principal ingredients. This provides superior appearance and consistency of results over other products made primarily from raw materials, such as minerals and metal oxides. They also use a higher percentage of stains in their formulations which gives greater intensity, brightness, and depth of color to their glazes, underglazes, etc. They take great pride in their products and hope that you will get as much satisfaction from using them as they do from making them. They also take pride in being an industry leader. In the interest of health and social conscience, Spectrum committed to “getting the lead out” and was the first glaze manufacturer to completely remove lead from their glaze formulations.
DRY GLAZE MIXING INSTRUCTIONS
SAFETY
The first thing to remember about any glaze in the dry powder form is that it is hazardous as a dust, so you must take care not to breath it. This is true regardless of whether the liquid form of the glaze is rated lead free and non-toxic or otherwise. Therefore when mixing dry glaze always work in a properly ventilated work area and wear a respirator and safety goggles.
GENERAL
On our price list you will find that all of our Stoneware Glazes, Low Stone Glazes and Raku Glazes are available dry in 10 lbs. bags, as well as wet in pints and gallons. Our standard wet glazes are all prepared for brushing application and our dry glaze are set up for dipping. Also, all of the glazes on our price list are available in dry form in 50 lbs. bags and can be prepared for brushing, dipping or spraying application.
PREPARATION
When preparing to mix either a 10 lb. or 50 lb. bag of dry glaze be aware that even though the powder is thoroughly mixed when it leaves the factory the components will tend to segregate as they are shaken about in shipping. The heavier components of the glaze will settle to the bottom of the bag. Therefore, when you are mixing dry glaze either use the entire bag or, if you only want to mix up part of the bag, make sure the entire bag of dry glaze is thoroughly mixed first. One way to mix up the dry glaze is to put it in a clean, dry 5 gallon plastic pail with a sealing lid. Rolling the pail on the floor for a few minutes should sufficiently mix the powder. Do not open the pail lid immediately after mixing; wait a few minutes for the dust to settle. Make sure you are wearing a mask.
MIXING
When mixing a glaze always use a clean vessel whose volume is at least 25% greater then the amount of glaze you expect to finish with. Put 90% of the required amount of water in the mixing vessel. Then immerse the mixer in the water and turn it on. Slowly feed the powder into the agitated water. The remaining 10% of water can be added if the glaze becomes too thick to mix properly. If the additional water is not needed hold it back to the end and add it gradually to adjust the viscosity and density. Mixing should be done with a powered mixer, which can be as simple as a drill with a paddle on the end of the shaft. Manual mixing is not recommended. After the glaze is thoroughly mixed it should be screened through an 80 mesh screen to remove any coarse particles. Note: Some dry glazes will come with a small pouch of ingredients labeled “add after sieving”. These are materials that produce the speckled effects in the glaze and will not pass through your 80 mesh screen – add them to the wet glaze last and give the glaze a stir.
HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED?
The following recommendations are just guidelines to establish a starting point and the actual quantities required may vary. The following are some typical examples of the amount of water that is required to mix dipping glazes and the approximate amount of glaze that will be made.
Ratio of water to Dry Qty of water per Approx. Qty of
Prod. No. Description Glaze by Weight 10 lbs. of dry glaze Glaze made
700-D Clear Gloss Glaze(06/04) 0.78 7.8 lbs. = 6 ¼ pints + 1 ½ Gallons
705-D Opaque Gloss Glaze (06/04) 0.63 6.3 lbs. = 5 pints + 1 ¼ Gallons
1100-D Clear Gloss Glaze(4/6) 0.65 6.5 lbs. = 5 ¼ pints – 1 ½ Gallons
1140-D Reactive Hi-Fire Glaze(4/6) 0.63 6.3 lbs. = 5 pints + 1 ¼ Gallons