The Best Cone 6 Glossy Clear Glaze Recipe

October 27, 2019 Matt M-H

Cone 6 Glossy Clear applied over three clays from Standard Ceramics, from left: 308 Brooklyn Red, 112 Brown Speckle, 182 White Stoneware. The top half had a quick dip, bottom half had a second dip. Note the crazing on the thickly applied glaze over … — Cone 6 Glossy Clear applied over three clays from Standard Ceramics, from left: 308 Brooklyn Red, 112 Brown Speckle, 182 White Stoneware. The top half had a quick dip, bottom half had a second dip. Note the crazing on the thickly applied glaze over white stoneware.

This is a glaze that is actually glossy and clear, and can be mixed from scratch in bulk for pennies. It can be surprisingly hard to mix a clear glaze that is as good as the much-more expensive commercial options, and this is the best recipe I have found. It doesn’t develop bubbles or a milky quality when applied correctly (not too thick!) and for the most part, doesn’t develop crazing except when applied thickly over white clays as shown above.

This glaze works great over underglazes and slips, and can be double-dipped and layered with other glazes. It also works with oxide washes. And not only does it work, it’s cheap. When materials are ordered in bulk, this glaze costs about $5 for 3,000 grams, or enough to make approximately 1.5 gallons of glaze. Similar commercial glazes, such as the Duncan Envision Clear Glaze, cost $30-50 per gallon (Shop at Amazon). All in all, this is a simple, effective glossy clear and could also be a great base glaze to build your own studio palette.

The glaze tests tiles posted below were oxidation fired to Cone 6 in an electric front-loading kiln, with a 10 minute soak and very slow cooling due to the 6-inch+ thickness of the kiln walls. Please share your results with this glaze in the comments.

  
  Cone 6 Glossy Clear Glaze

    Ingredient
    Percentage
    3000g batch
  
    Nepheline Syenite
    30
    900g
  
    Gerstley Borate
    24
    720g
  
    Silica
    20
    600g
  
    Kaolin (EPK)
    16.5
    495g
  
    Wollastonite
    9.5
    285g
  
    Talc
    2
    60g
  
    102
    3060g

Ingredient	Percentage	3000g batch
Nepheline Syenite	30	900g
Gerstley Borate	24	720g
Silica	20	600g
Kaolin (EPK)	16.5	495g
Wollastonite	9.5	285g
Talc	2	60g
	102	3060g

#Glazes That Work

This recipe is part of our series of posts of glazes that just work. There’s a million glaze recipes out there, but we’re posting a series of our tried-and-true favorites. Click here to see the other recipes we’ve posted.

For more info:
Read our guide on mixing glazes from scratch.
See our reviews of the best scales, cordless drills, or corded drills for mixing glazes.
Check out our recommended glazing accessories.

If you’d like to learn more about mid-range glazes, the best place to start is The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes by John Britt. The book provides a comprehensive overview of materials, techniques and glaze recipes.

Buy at amazon
Buy at bookshop.org

Test Tile Images

Cone 6 Glossy Clear over Standard Ceramics 308 Brooklyn Red, 112 Brown Speckle, and 182 White Stoneware. Top half is a quick first dip, bottom half of test tile shows a second dip. Fired to cone 6 in oxidation with a slow 36-hour cooling simply due to the thickness of the kiln walls.

Cone 6 Glossy Clear over Red Stoneware

Cone 6 Glossy Clear over Brown Speckle stoneware

Cone 6 Glossy Clear over white stoneware

Commercial Clear Glaze Options for Cone 5-6

This Cone 6 Glossy Clear glaze is a great addition to any studio. To make it, you will need a variety of tools to mix it from scratch, including a scale, drill, ventilator or dust mask, and other tools.

If you don’t have the tools and space to mix a glaze, you can also order pre-mixed glazes. For mid-range clear glaze, I recommend Duncan Envision IN 1001 Clear Glaze (Shop at Amazon), which can be purchased by the pint or for about $40 per gallon via Amazon or other vendors. There are other option, such as Speedball or Amaco clear glazes that are available in pints or gallons. Another more affordable clear glaze option is to order dry glaze from Standard (check your local ceramic supplier). The 1199 Clear Glaze from Standard is also a good option.

Do you have a favorite Cone 6 Glossy Clear glaze? Let us know in the comments.

Pussy Willow and Blueberry Hill Glazes

October 14, 2019 Matt M-H

Pussy Willow Glaze at cone 6 on Standard 182 white stoneware (at left), Standard 112 speckled brown (center), and Standard 308 Brooklyn Red at right. The top of these test tiles received two quick dips, or a total dip of about 3 seconds.

#GlazesThatWork

This recipe is part of our series of glazes that just work. Click here to see the other recipes we’ve posted.

Pussy Willow and Blueberry Hill are interesting, dependable Cone 6 oxidation glazes with a matte to satin finish. The Pussy Willow glaze pictured above has a soft, warm quality with specks of straw yellow, brown, and red. The Blueberry Hill variant is a studio favorite for it’s blue-gray matte finish that mixes well with other glazes.

My research indicates that this glaze was developed (or at least first posted online) in the late 1990s by Elizabeth Jacobs of Montclair, New Jersey. A clayart post by Jacobs from 1999 can be found here. There’s also a partial entry for this recipe on Glazy, but it’s missing the Red Art and oxide additions.

The glaze tests here were oxidation fired to Cone 6 in an electric front-loading kiln, with a 10 minute soak and very slow cooling due to the thickness of the kiln walls. Try this glaze out, and let me know what you think in the comments.

  
  Cone 6 Base Glaze

    Ingredient
    Percentage
    3000g batch
  
    NC4 Feldspar
    50
    1500g
  
    Whiting
    15
    450g
  
    Gerstley Borate
    5
    150g
  
    Silica
    5
    150g
  
    Zinc Oxide
    5
    150g
  
    OM4 Ball Clay
    10
    300g
  
    Red Art*
    10
    300g
    
    For Pussy Willow, add:
    
    Rutile Dark
    4
    120g
  
    Black Nickel
    2
    60
  
    For Blueberry Hill, add:
     
    Black Nickel
    2
    60g
  
    Cobalt Oxide
    1
    30g
  
    Bentonite
    2
    60g

Ingredient	Percentage	3000g batch
NC4 Feldspar	50	1500g
Whiting	15	450g
Gerstley Borate	5	150g
Silica	5	150g
Zinc Oxide	5	150g
OM4 Ball Clay	10	300g
Red Art*	10	300g

For Pussy Willow, add:
Rutile Dark	4	120g
Black Nickel	2	60

For Blueberry Hill, add:
Black Nickel	2	60g
Cobalt Oxide	1	30g
Bentonite	2	60g

* For a lighter gray with the Blueberry Hill variant, replace Red Art with OM4. Red Art is recommended for the Pussy Willow variant.

#Glazes That Work

For more info:

Read our guide on mixing glazes from scratch.

See our reviews of the best scales, cordless drills, or corded drills for mixing glazes.

Check out our recommended glazing accessories.

Don’t want to mix glaze from scratch? Shop mid-ranges glazes at Blick.

If you’d like to learn more about mixing your own mid-range glazes, the best place to start is The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes by John Britt. The book provides a comprehensive overview of materials, techniques and glaze recipes. Shop the book at amazon or at bookshop.org.

Test Tile Images

Pussy Willow glaze cone 6 test tiles

Pussy Willow on Standard 182 White Stoneware

Pussy Willow on Standard 112 Brown Speckle

Pussy Willow on Standard 308 Brooklyn Red

Blueberry Hill glaze cone 6 test tiles

Blueberry Hill on Standard 182 White Stoneware

Blueberry Hill on Standard 112 Brown Speckle

Blueberry Hill on Standard 308 Brooklyn Red

The pinholing seen on some of the Blueberry Hill test tiles is my fault! I didn’t screen the small test batch and some lumps in the glaze caused those issues. It’s typically a very resilient glaze. The test tiles above were all dipped twice with quick dips. The top of the test tile shows the double dip, or about a 3 second dip.

Have you tested this glaze? Let us know in the comments.

The Best Heavy Duty Clean Up Sponges

October 1, 2019 Matt M-H

A stack of large yellow sponges. Bright yellow are new sponges, the darker sponges are about six months old.

Every art studio needs cleaning, and large yellow sponges are one of the most effective cleanup tools. They can wipe, mop up liquid, and be used over and over again. If you are working with clay, this is a must have tool in the studio. Small sponges, rags, or towels will simply not compete with the large surface area, long life, flexibility, and reusability of these sponges.

The only problem is that most large yellow sponges for sale online are low-quality generics that can disintegrate and fall apart, sometimes within weeks.

The best large sponge I’ve found is the Armaly ProPlus Heavy Duty Grouting and Concrete Sponge. For the past several years, I’ve been using these sponges in a busy community ceramics studio and the sponges will hold up under heavy use for six months or more. There is simply not a comparable sponge on the market and I believe these sponges are worth the slightly extra price, especially when they are being used day after day and don’t need to be replaced as often. I’ve been using sponges like this for throwing on the pottery wheel for almost 20 years and the Armaly sponges are the best I’ve ever used.

Shopping tip: Lowes generally has the best prices for these sponges

Shop Armaly ProPlus Sponges at Lowes

Shop Armaly ProPlus Sponges at Amazon

Top Pick for Heavy Duty Large Sponges
Advantages of Armaly ProPlus Heavy Duty Grout Sponges
What you can do with large yellow sponges
Other options
Wrap-up: The best Heavy Duty Large Yellow Sponges

Top Pick for Heavy Duty Large Sponges

Detail of the pore structure on a new Armaly ProPlus Heavy Duty sponge.

The Armaly ProPlus Heavy Duty Grouting and Concrete Sponge is the top pick for the best large yellow sponge. As of this writing, they typically cost around $15–$22 for a 6 pack of sponges, or they can be purchased individually as well. They cost a bit more than other options, but the exceptional life span of these sponges makes them a solid investment for your studio. Large yellow sponges are typically 7.5 x 5.5 x 2 inches.

The Advantages of Armaly ProPlus Heavy Duty Sponges

These sponges just last and do the job you expect them to do in an art studio, such as clean up, light mopping, or removing glaze. If you were using these sponges for grouting or plaster work, you might think of them as semi-disposable. But in a studio, you want a tool that will last and be useful, and these are a versatile option.

One of the best features of these high-quality polyester sponges is their ability to pick up and then easily squeeze out a large volume of water. These heavy duty sponges hold up for any job and can last six months or longer, even in a shared studio such as a busy ceramics studio. In an individual studio, these sponges might even last a year or two or longer with light usage.

To research large sponges, I’ve bought just about every type of large sponge and put them to use in academic and community studios used by one hundred or more students every week. In this environment, sponges receive almost constant use throughout the day. Some of the supposedly “heavy duty” sponges started to break down in a few weeks—these were typically sponges from generic multipacks. The Armaly ProPlus Sponges are the longest-lasting cleanup sponge.

Shop Armaly Pro Sponges at Lowes

Shop Armaly Pro Sponges At Amazon

What You Can Do With Large Yellow Sponges

Clean up
Pottery wheel and throwing clean up
Light mopping
Glaze clean up on bisqueware
Wetting watercolor paper
Plaster work
Grouting
Concrete
Tile installation
Household cleanup
Car and boat washing

Other Options

QEP Grouting Sponge

The QEP Grouting, Cleaning and Washing Sponge is another great option for large sponges, and at $10 for a 6 pack, offers an exceptional value. I’ve used these and they do work, they’re just not as good as the Armaly ProPlus. Amazon reviewers also praise the QEP sponges for toughness but quite a few found it to be too tough and didn’t wring out as well. I take a tough but not as absorbent sponge over one that breaks down, so if you are looking to save a few bucks, definitely give the QEP sponges a try.

Shop QEP Sponges at Home Depot

Shop QEP Sponges At Amazon

Creative Hobbies Large Sponges

Another option is the Creative Hobbies Value Pack of 4 Sponges, currently around $9 on Amazon. These cost a bit more per sponge than the QEP, but also offer an exceptional value and should do the job.

These are the three best options for use in a pottery studio. I’ve also ordered every sort of generic bulk pack on Amazon and found those to be a waste of money, especially if they are going to be used intensively for wheel throwing or in a busy studio. Stick to one of these three option and you won’t be disappointed.

Shop Creative Hobbies Sponges on Amazon

Wrap Up: The Best Heavy Duty Large Yellow Sponge

In our research, we’ve found the Armaly ProPlus Heavy Duty Grouting and Concrete Sponge to be the best large yellow sponge on the market. It combines exceptional durability with a relatively soft sponge that will pick up large amounts of water. In short, it will do what you need a big sponge to do and work over and over, lasting six months or more. Sure, it costs a bit more but the long life is worth it.

The QEP Grouting and Creative Hobbies Large Yellow Sponges are also good options that are more affordable. All three work great, we just expect the Armaly ProPlus to have a significantly longer life in the studio.

Click on the links below to shop for multipacks or single sponges.