Cone 5/6 Glazes
All of these glaze recipes have been tested on white, mid-range clay fired to cone 5 in oxidation.
Clay body: a white stoneware body for mid-range (cone 5/6), or so-called "porcelain" clay body (cone 5/6) commercially available.
Bisque firing temperatures: Cone 05 (1910F), fired in an automatic (computer-controlled) electric kiln for approximately 10 hours, after 6 – hours pre-heating process.
Glaze firing temperatures: Cone 5 (2210F), fired in an automatic (computer-controlled) electric kiln with Orton cones as a witness for approximately 8 hours. The cooling process was natural.
Glazing method: Hand dipping or spraying. A tablespoon of Epsom salt is added to each batch. This is totally optional.
F-4 Feldspar is discontinued around 2014 - 2015. I replace it with Minspar, which tends to create a little bit more milky opaque effect in some glazes.
Top half of the pot: Ellen Shankin’s Fake Ash glaze (Cone 5 – 10)*
Red Art Clay or Arroyo Slip Clay 60
Whiting 30
Barium Carbonate** 10
total 100
*This glaze is originally designed for cone 10, but works all the same in cone 5. Ms. Shankin once explained that “fake ash” is a sad, misleading name because what it really is an over-fired earthenware slip. It opened my eyes.
**this percentage exceeds the current food-safe standard in the United States.
Bottom half of the pot: Vivid yellow (satin, semi-opaque)
Whiting 31
EPK 25
Arroyo slip clay 44
Total 100
*Spray thinly to have the strong color.
*You can use Alberta slip clay instead of Arroyo.
Caramel (transparent and glossy)
Kona F-4 feldspar* 50
Wollastonite 20
EPK 10
Silica 10
Gerstrate Borate 10
Total 100
+4 – 5 % Red iron oxide
*Kona F-4 Feldspar is no longer available in the market. Minspar/NC-4 Feldspar is considered as a substitute for F-4.
Leaf Green (Satin, opaque)
EPK 20
Silica 20
Wollastonite 20
Ferro Frit #3134 20
Custer Feldspar 20
Total 100
+2% Red iron oxide
+1% Copper carbonate
Tea dust base (clear, glossy with tea dust)
Ferro Frit #3134 50
EPK 30
Silica 20
Total 100
*works great with colorants!
85/15 turquoise (glossy, transparent, great crackles)
Any soda feldspar* 85
Whiting 15
total 100
+Zinc oxide 6%
+Copper carbonate 1%
*Kona F-4 Feldspar is no longer available in the market. Minspar/NC-4 Feldspar is considered as a substitute for F-4.
Good Blue Lichen (glossy, opaque with tea dust)
G. Borate 50
EPK 15
Silica 35
Total 100
+2% Iron chromate
+0.1% or just a pinch of blue commercial stains* (use a commercial stain instead of cobalt to ensure the even color)
Clear 2617 (glossy, transparent, good with colorants)
F-4 Feldspar* 46
G. Borate 30
EPK 13
Silica 11
Total 100
*Kona F-4 Feldspar is no longer available in the market. Minspar/NC-4 Feldspar is considered as a substitute for F-4.
Crystal Emerald Green (glossy, transparent with crystals without any special heating procedure)
Lithium carbonate 10.8
Soda Feldspar* 27.3
Wollastonite 27.2
EPK 11.7
Silica 23.0
Total 100.0
+2% Bentonite
+4% copper carbonate (or +0.5% cobalt carbonate for blue)
*Kona F-4 Feldspar is no longer available in the market. Minspar/NC-4 Feldspar is considered as a substitute for F-4.
Eggshell (semi-glossy, semi-opaque)
Whiting 9.5
Zinc oxide 5.5
Ferro Frit #313444.5
Soda feldspar* 20.0
Bentonite 7.5
EPK 5.0
Silica 8.0
Total 100.0
+9.0% Zircopax
*Kona F-4 Feldspar is no longer available in the market. Minspar/NC-4 Feldspar is considered as a substitute for F-4.
Ann Arbor Art Center Transparent matt (glossy, transparent, good with colorants)
Ball clay 40
Ferro firt #3124 30
Wollastonite 25
Dolomite 5
total 100
+Copper carbonate 1% for apple green
L.V. Baby blue (sweet, creamy semi-opaque, shiny, good for white clay body)
Dolomite 17
Custer feldspar 34
Ferro frit #3134 14
EPK 17
Silica 17
Zinc oxide 10
Gerstrate borate* 10 (or any type of borate)
Superpax 5
total 124 (Thanks, June!)
+Bentonite 2%
+Baby blue color commercial stain 2 – 5%
Fake old Chinese celadon (mottled, semi-opaque, semi-satin, good with colorants)
Dolomite 20
Talc 10
Any feldspar 60
EPK 10
total 100
+Copper carbonate 1%
Raspberry (glossy, opaque, always works)
Whiting 20
Nepheline syenite 18
Ferro Frit #3134 14
Ball clay 18
Silica 30
total 100
+Chrome oxide 0.2%
+Tin oxide 7.5%
Butterscotch (Semi-satin, opaque)
Ferro frit #3134 20
Dolomite 20
Spodumene 20
OM4 Ball clay 20
Silica 20
total 100
+Titanium dioxide 10%
+Rutile 6%
Crackled base (glossy, transparent with crackles, runny but nice)
Ferro Frit #3110 90
EPK 10
Total 100
Warm Chun celadon (semi-opaque, semi-matt with crackles)
Dolomite 20
Ferro Frit #3134 20
Spodumene 20
Ball clay 20
Silica 20
Total 100
+1% Copper carbonate
Fake Korean celadon (glossy, transparent, sometimes crackles)
F-4 Feldspar* 46
Gerstrate Borate* 30 (or any substitute)
EPK 13
Silica 11
Total 100
+0.5% Iron chromate
+0.5% Copper carbonate
*Kona F-4 Feldspar is no longer available in the market. Minspar/NC-4 Feldspar is considered as a substitute for F-4.
Semi-Matt Magnesia (satin, small, bubbly fluffs, good for sculpture/spots)
Nepheline syenite 50
Talc 37
Whiting 4
Zinc oxide 4
EPK 5
Gerstrate borate 5 (or any borate)
total 105
Flash-o-pink from Northern Clay Center (cone 04 – 5, opaque, semi-glossy, textured)
Gerstrate borate 38
Lithium carbonate 10
Nepheline syenite 5
EPK 5
Silica 42
total 100
+Bentonite 2%
+Rutile 3%
+Tin oxide 10%
More are coming soon, please check back.