LINK TO ‘ DRY, CLEAN, GLAZE & FIRE’ VIDEO
The best glaze advice I can give you is to find a good zinc free clear glaze to use.
GLOSSY GLAZES
I like the Amaco series HF9 Zinc-Free Clear. It is a glossy transparent glaze that produces attractive high fire glossy effects at mid-range, Cone 5-6 temperatures. You can buy this glaze at almost any pottery supply place.
WHY ZINC FREE?
Zinc can cause some pigments in slips and underglazes to shift in color, this clear glaze is formulated to prevent those color shifts.
MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE
You might want a larger supply of glaze for dipping or pouring. Making your own is an economical way of doing this.
If you don’t want to make your own you can send your recipe to some clay suppliers, tell them how much of it you want and they will ship it to you … its as easy as just adding water to the mix. Here is the place I use.
http://www.risingsunpottery.com/
GLOSSY RECIPE
Here is a good Cone 5-6 zinc free clear glossy.
Cone 6 Zinc Free Clear
Wollastonite 20.0
Frit 3124 20.0
Kaolin 20.0
Silica 20.0
Custer Feldspar 20.0
SATIN MATTE FINISH
This is a gorgeous eggshell finish however you will have better success if you dip or pour the glaze rather than brushing it on. Brush marks tend to show up.
Cone 6 Eggshell matte glaze
Wollastonite 26.2
Ferro Frit 3124 34.9
EPK Kaolin 34.0
Silica 4.9
Mix to a skim milk consistency.
Apply thin. Fire to a solid Cone 6
Non-glaze finish to leave a light sheen on NON-FUNCTIONAL wares.
This solution causes the surface of the clay to flux slightly so you get a very low, lustrous sheen. I do not recommend using this on food bearing surfaces. Just for pretty things!
1 part soda ash to 3 parts boiling water.
Make only enough for the current pots and DO NOT put the leftovers down your drains. I let mine dry out.
Use one thin brushed layer on your pieces. This will stick to kiln shelves just as a glaze would.
There is also nothing wrong with having no glaze on your forms.
I don’t glaze all of my work. Most of my pieces are not meant to be kitchen friendly so glazing is only one option.
I wet sand the finished work without any glaze until the surface is smooth. Some potters also apply paste wax after sanding. I have not tried this myself, but many do this on decorative pieces.