Pottery Making: How Does Glazing Work?

Pottery Making: How Does Glazing Work? - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. Now it is time to put glaze on the bisque pot. So, the pot has been fired, it is hard, but it is still porous. So, I can dip the pot into this bucket of glaze and the pot will absorb the water in the glaze and deposit the glaze itself onto the surface. We need only a couple of tools for glazing. We need glazing tongs and we need something to stir the glaze, and I like to use a toilet bowl brush because it is a really effective way of stirring all the muck that settles onto the bottom of the glaze bucket. I will hold the pot with the tongs, get the brush out of the way. Dip the pot all the way in, give it a little turn. Pull it out, and then with a sponge, you can wash a little glaze off the bottom. There can be no glaze on the bottom of the pot where the pot rests on the shelf in the kiln. So, once this glaze layer is dry-looking, I will be able to pick it up, handle it safely, and thoroughly clean the foot of the pot for firing.