How to Glaze Pottery

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Here is how to glaze pottery: start with bisque-fired ware, wipe off the dust, wax the foot, then brush, dip or pour on an even layer of glaze (usually two to three brushed coats) and fire it to the cone printed on the glaze label. Keep the bottom and the lowest 1/4 inch of the pot clean so it doesn't stick to the kiln shelf. Everything else in glazing pottery is about controlling thickness and matching your glaze to your clay and your kiln.

The steps below follow the application and firing instructions published by AMACO, Mayco and Coyote, three of the most widely used commercial glaze makers in the US. Where their advice differs, we say so.

What you need before you start

Match the glaze to your firing first

This is the step most beginners skip. A glaze is made to melt at a specific temperature, measured in pyrometric cones. Fire it too cool and it stays rough and dry. Fire it too hot and it can run off the pot.

• Low-fire glazes mature around cone 06–05. AMACO lists its Teacher's Palette line at cone 05, which it gives as 1888°F (1031°C).
• Mid-fire glazes mature at cone 5–6. AMACO gives cone 5 as 2167°F (1186°C) and cone 6 as 2232°F (1222°C) for a medium-speed firing.
• Bisque for both is usually fired to cone 04, which AMACO lists as 1945°F (1063°C).

Your clay has to be rated for the same cone. If your studio or firing service fires cone 6, buy cone 6 clay and cone 5/6 glazes. Our guide to stoneware, earthenware and porcelain explains which clays go with which firing.

How to glaze pottery: 9 steps

1. Start with clean, dry bisqueware. Bisque should be fired, cooled and free of dust. Mayco recommends wiping each piece with a damp sponge before glazing. Coyote goes a step further and gives its bisque a quick rinse right before glazing, which removes dust and helps the glaze brush on and stick. Don't soak the piece. Wet bisque won't absorb glaze evenly. If you're not sure your bisque firing went well, see our bisque firing guide.

2. Handle the pot with clean hands. Mayco lists oils, grease and lotion residue from hands as a cause of crawling, where the glaze pulls back and leaves bare patches. Wash your hands, and hold the pot by the foot or the inside where you can.

3. Wax the foot. Brush wax resist on the bottom and about 1/4 inch up the side. Coyote recommends a thin coat because it works better and dries faster, and says to let it dry for at least 15 to 20 minutes before dipping. Mayco notes that once wax is on, only firing removes it, so be precise. If you brush on glaze instead of dipping, you can skip wax and simply wipe the foot clean at the end.

4. Stir the glaze thoroughly. Glaze ingredients settle. Stir to the bottom of the jar with a palette knife or a clean stick until the texture is even. Mayco's crystal glazes need extra care: the crystals settle and need re-stirring between coats.

5. Apply the first coat. For brushing, load a soft brush fully and flow the glaze on rather than scrubbing it. Coyote suggests brushing the first coat side to side and the next coat up and down, which evens out streaks. For dipping, hold the pot with tongs, dip, count to three and lift it out, emptying it as you go (Coyote's method).

6. Let each coat dry, then add more. Wait until the coat loses its shine before the next one. How many coats? Coyote says most colors look best after 2–3 coats. Mayco says one coat of its Stoneware Classics lets the clay show through, while two to three coats deepen the color. AMACO recommends three brushed coats for some of its glazes, or two heavy coats. Treat the label on your jar as the final word.

7. Glaze the inside first on cups and bowls. Pour glaze in, swirl it quickly to coat the walls, and pour it out. Mayco warns that glaze left pooled in the bottom of a vessel is a common cause of crawling. Turn the piece upside down to drain.

8. Clean the foot completely. Sponge away any glaze on the waxed area and the bottom. Coyote's rule is blunt: if glaze is on the bottom or runs down, the pot will stick to the shelf, which ruins the pot and the shelf. Leave about 1/4 inch of bare clay above the foot, and more for runny glazes.

9. Fire to the glaze's cone. Load glazed pieces so they don't touch. L&L Kilns asks for at least 1/4 inch between glazed pieces, on kiln-washed shelves. Use witness cones. Coyote says witness cones are the only way to be certain your kiln reached the right temperature, and Mayco recommends a medium-speed firing with a witness cone.

Pottery glazing techniques: brushing, dipping, pouring and more

Brushing

Brushing is the easiest place to start because a pint of glaze covers several pieces and you need no bucket. The catch is evenness. Thin spots fire pale, and thick spots can run. Coyote suggests a soft, full brush (it uses a 1–2 inch hake brush) and alternating the direction of each coat.

Dipping

Dipping gives the most even coat in seconds, but you need enough glaze to submerge the piece, usually a gallon or more. Coyote says its glazes are designed to work for both brushing and dipping, and that they are typically ready to dip after thorough mixing. It warns against adding water or deflocculants before testing. If the glaze ends up too thin, one dip won't give you enough coverage.

Mayco's advice for dipping clear glaze: check the glaze's thickness before use, don't hold the piece in too long, and shake it after dipping to reduce drips. Holding a piece in too long, or using glaze that has thickened from evaporation, leaves heavy glaze around stilt marks.

Pouring

Pouring works for the inside of vessels and for big pieces that won't fit in your bucket. Pour in, swirl and pour out in one motion. For the outside, hold the pot upside down over a bucket and pour glaze around it.

Double dipping and overlaps

Overlapping two glazes creates a third color where they meet, and it's one of the most popular pottery glazing techniques. Glaze runs more where it's thicker, so Coyote suggests keeping the second glaze to the top half of the pot. That leaves room for the overlap to flow without reaching the foot. Mayco suggests overlapping only within about 1/4 inch of the first dip, then feathering the seam with a fan brush.

Wax resist designs

Brush wax over a fired glaze layer or over bare bisque, then apply a second glaze on top. The wax repels it, leaving your design in the first color. Mayco notes that beads of glaze left on the wax will fuse during firing unless you sponge them off. It also notes that wax can't stop an over-applied glaze from running into the waxed area.

For more creative approaches, see our list of pottery glazing ideas.

Food safety: what the labels mean

If you'll eat or drink from the piece, the glaze label matters more than the color.

• Read the maker's food-contact rating. Mayco is moving from "Food Safe" and "Dinnerware Safe" to terms like "Suitable for Dinnerware" and "Decorative Use Only." It defines suitable glazes as chemically durable, free of surface texture and compliant with US FDA guides on lead and cadmium release, when fired according to its instructions. AMACO marks food-safe status for each color. For example, AMACO lists all its Potter's Choice glazes as food safe except PC-4 Palladium, PC-9 Vintage Gold and PC-64 Aventurine.
• "AP" or "Non-Toxic" isn't a food-safe rating. Mayco says the ACMI AP and CL seals describe the wet glaze and don't mean a glaze is suitable for dinnerware. AMACO says the same: food-safe status isn't determined by AP or CL certification. Digitalfire's Tony Hansen makes the same point about the ASTM D-4236 "Non-Toxic" label.
• Fire to the right cone. Coyote notes that firing temperature, interactions between glazes and contamination can all affect food safety, and that it can't guarantee your ware is food safe. Underfiring is a common culprit.
• Layering changes the rules. Digitalfire documents commercial glazes that don't leach on their own but did once layered. If you layer on food surfaces, test the combination.
• Keep decorative glazes off food and lip areas. Mayco suggests using them on the outside of a bowl or below the lip line of a mug, with a dinnerware-rated glaze inside and on the rim.
• Selling? Test. Both Mayco and Coyote say that potters who sell functional ware are responsible for having it tested. Coyote recommends using an approved lab.

Common glazing mistakes (and the fix)

Coyote also warns about shivering, where glaze flakes off the edges because it shrinks less than the clay. It can appear days or weeks after firing, so test new clay-and-glaze pairs early.

Tips that save pots

• Make test tiles for every new glaze. A vertical tile shows how far the glaze runs. A textured tile shows how it breaks over edges.
• Write down coats and firing. "Three coats, cone 6, medium speed" turns a lucky result into a repeatable one.
• Plan surfaces that show off glaze. Carved lines and textures make glazes break and pool. That's where many glazes look best.
• Buy a pint before a gallon. Pints are for testing. Gallons are for dipping a glaze you already trust.

Ready to pick colors? Our guide to the best glazes for pottery beginners compares AMACO, Mayco and Coyote lines by cone, finish and food-contact rating. No kiln yet? See our small pottery kiln guide, and stock your table with the basics from our pottery tools guide.

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