How To Use Mason Stains

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You can purchase pre-colored dirt but if you want to chose your own colors, it's like shooting fish in a barrel mix your own.

Cull YOUR CLAY

You tin color whatsoever dirt trunk westward hether it is wet or dry. White clays firing at or above Cone 5/half-dozen provide vibrant color results. I adopt to mix the stains into wet clay bodies merely many people mix them into slips or even dry powdered dirt.

Cull YOUR STAINS

The Stonemason Stain Visitor has a very informative web site with colors recommended for clay bodies. Take a infinitesimal to read the reference expanse of the site as there are some stains that merely will not work with dirt bodies. Good to know before yous buy.

http://www.masoncolor.com/ceramic_stains.asp

No matter which stains you lot cull, you should purchase pocket-sized samples and exam them outset with your clay body. There is no way of being 100% sure of results without taking fourth dimension to test.

Y'all are safe if yous stick with their body stains, but I accept tried dozens of other stain colors with great results. The trick is to check the guidelines, then test every unmarried batch yous blend in order to see what happens to the colour with and without a glaze .

HOW MUCH STAIN TO Apply?

The nighttime colors crave less stain than calorie-free colors.

For blacks, night blues and greens I use nearly 5-8% stain. For yellows, pinks, mauves I employ between 12-xx% stain.

I adopt mixing a high concentration of stain because it is much easier to store 1 lb of concentrate vs. 12 lbs. of pastel shades. Properly stored the clay volition final forever and it is very piece of cake to knead in some white dirt to get the color you lot want.

Some of my favorite Mason Stains with percentages.

#6020 Pinkish @ 12 –xvi %

#6450 Xanthous @ 12 – 16 %

#6300 Mazarene Blue @ 5 – eight %

#6242 Bermuda Dark-green @ 12 – 16 %

#6376 Robins Egg Blue @ 12 - 16%

#6304 Chrome Tin Violet @ 12 - 16%

#6027 Tangerine @ 12 - xvi%

#6026 Lobster @ 12 - 16%

#6030 Mango @ 12 - sixteen%

#6097 Dark Red @ 12 - sixteen%

#6600 Black @ v – 8%

basic color chart

red orange chart

How do you measure the stain?

Say you lot want 10% stain, and so that would exist ten grams of stain to 100 grams of wet or dry out dirt. I really don't think it is crucial to use one or the other type of dirt. As long as you make tests of your colors and continue records, you will be able to echo the results no thing how you mix it. You can utilize the same %of stain to brand colored slips.

HOW TO MIX STAINS INTO Clay

Fifty-fifty though it is a messy job, it is also a very elementary job.

mask

Caution:

Exercise no breathe the dust from Mason Stains or dry sand the finished colored clay without a proper N95 breathing mask.

MEASURE BAGGED

In club to avert the grit problem, mix the Bricklayer stains in a sealed plastic bag with but plenty water to create a creamy solution.

measure water add to stan

mix to slip

Then create a well in your clay and cascade in the mixture. Knead the clay until yous like the color consequence. Messy, merely easy.

I use a large commercial machine to mix the stain/clay solution until the color is fifty-fifty throughout the clay body. Yous want the finished clay to be soft every bit cookie dough. My mixer is a Hobart A120T and is 1/two hp.

Some potters buy an former stand mixer and use it in the studio to mix a very thick skid. Stick to cake batter thickness.

Once you use a mixer in the studio, it never goes back in the kitchen.

Then, they let this mixture dry.

Go on the colored clay wrapped in a clammy cloth and double bagged in plastic, or in sealed plastic containers. Check regularly to keep the dirt moist.

E'er brand sample discs of each colour for reference. You cannot count on each batch turning out exactly the same.

measured scoops

1 to 1

1W : 1Color

2 to 1

2W : 1 Color

4 to 1

4 W : 1 Color

I make sample discs of the colors combined with white clay and with each other in a range of percentages.

ratio size

each other

roll flat

Ringlet these small samples flat and cutting through plastic to avert a mess. Write the formula on the back of the disc for future reference.

stamp thru plastic

formula

Here are some color test tiles fabricated by Sue Weber, a pupil in my workshop.

sue weber 2 sue weber 3

You tin expect the color to darken as you fire at college temperatures. Sometimes you can barely see the color when information technology is wet … merely information technology is vibrant at Cone 5-6.

If yous like the colour when it is moisture, then information technology is too dark and y'all should add together more than white dirt.

E'er mark your storage bags so you don't confuse it with white clay … yes. it happens.

I hear comments almost how expensive stains are but consider that colors last a long time, particularly if you are mixing in plain white clay. I keep colors stored in plastic bags for years with no ill effects.

Some other expanse of concern is SAFETY Y'all do have to be careful not to inhale the dry out powder while mixing, and so use a proper breathing mask while measuring the stain. Later on the stain is wet and creamy, they are rubber to work with and fire. Some people cull to wearable latex gloves but nigh do non notice any irritation.

A adept precaution is to make sure whatever open cuts on your easily are sealed by liquid bandage or gloves.

Some other expanse for business concern is dry sanding … you should ever exist wet sanding.

I have experienced fluxing with some cobalt based stain colors when they are used in a very concentrated form so you practise accept to prevent them from sticking to the kiln shelf. I sprinkle some alumina hydrate nether them when firing these.

IF YOU WANT TO COLOR YOUR Dirt WITH OXIDES I RECOMMEND ROBIN HOPPER'S Book "MAKING MARKS". HE HAS A TERRIFIC SECTION ON THIS.

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Cheers to Yvonne Cooper for her images. i