Weigh and mix a simple glaze recipe

Mixing your own glaze from raw materials is where pottery crosses into chemistry. It's methodical, precise, and deeply rewarding.

Choose a simple recipe

Start with a four-ingredient glaze (feldspar, silica, whiting, kaolin). Something like:

• Potash Feldspar: 40
• Silica: 25
• Whiting: 20
• Kaolin: 15

Steps

1. Weigh each ingredient on a gram scale (1 g precision minimum)
2. For a 500 g dry batch, calculate: Feldspar 200g, Silica 125g, Whiting 100g, Kaolin 75g
3. Combine all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
4. Add water gradually while stirring: aim for heavy cream consistency
5. Sieve twice through 80-mesh screen (removes lumps and unmixed particles)

Why sieve twice?

The first pass catches big lumps. The second pass catches the smaller ones that slipped through. Under-sieved glaze = pinholing and crawling after firing.

Congratulations

You just made glaze from scratch. Label the bucket with the recipe, date, and target cone.