Glazing
The surface that is to be to be glazed needs to be free of dust, dirt and/or oil. If needed, I wash the ocarina to-be-glazed with dish soap and water, then quick dry it in the oven, which is set at its lowest setting.
Most brush-on glazes require several coats (see bottle instructions). To avoid an uneven appearance or streaking, each glaze coat needs to be brushed on at a right angle to the previous coat.
(Click on pictures for a larger view) |
 |
The liquid, or "raw" glaze color may have little or no resemblance to the fired glaze color (particularly with stoneware or high fire glazes). With low fire, commercially prepared glazes, the unfired color is often a lighter version of the final color. In the photo, the liquid glaze is a bright blue. The fired color will be a dark blue-black.
The glaze used here is a low fire, cone 05 glaze. |
|
 | Step 1: Use a light touch when brushing on the glaze. There is no need to bear down hard with the brush, just "flow" the glaze on. Pull the brush across the ocarina without detouring around the finger holes. Doing this makes a more even glaze coat. Any glaze that accumulates in the finger holes can be removed later.
It doesn't matter in which direction the first glaze coat is applied.
|
| |
|
|
 |
Step 2: Carefully "paint" the glaze around the voicing area. Do not glaze the lip (or ramp) or get glaze into the exit slot. (figure 1)
Step 3: Continue glazing the ocarina around to its back, still with the brush strokes going in the same direction as the brush strokes on the "top" of the ocarina. (figure 2) |
|
 | Step 4: When the first coat has dried, the second glaze coat may be applied. The brush strokes of the second coat should be at right angles to those of the previous coat (in this demo, crosswise on the ocarina). Make sure the glaze is dry before adding another layer.
Continue steps 1 - 4 until all coats of glaze are applied (with this glaze, 3 coats were used). Remember to alternate the brush stroke direction with each coat.
|
|
