Slip trail lines on a test tile
Slip trailing is like piping frosting onto a cake: you're building up raised lines on the surface.
Setup
Fill a slip trailer (a rubber squeeze bottle with a fine nozzle) with thick slip. The consistency should be like heavy cream: it holds its shape when squeezed out.
The drill
Trail even lines across a flat tile:
- Squeeze with consistent pressure
- Move your hand at a steady speed
- Keep the nozzle about 3–4 mm above the surface
- Aim for raised, rounded lines that hold their shape
What goes wrong
- Flat lines: slip is too thin. Thicken it.
- Blobby starts: squeeze before you move. Start moving then squeeze.
- Uneven width: your pressure is inconsistent. Practice smoother squeezing.
This is pure muscle memory. Do a whole tile of parallel lines until they're uniform.