These are the steps to make a colored slip with a 5% stain:
- Weigh out your bone dry clay before you put it in water. ...
- Make your clay slip in the way described above.
- Work out how much stain you will need. 2lb of clay is equal to 32 ounces. 5% of 32 is 1.6 ounces. ...
- The best way to add a ceramic stain to clay slip is to make the stain into a paste first. ...
How to make colored slip for clay?
How to Make Colored Slip – 3 Easy Ways to Color Clay Slip 1 When handling powdered ceramic products like stains, or glazes, always wear a respirator to protect your lungs. 2 You can make colored slip from stains or oxides. ... 3 Each of these ways to make colored slip is quite easy. ... 4 You can also make colored clay using stains. ...
How do you stain colored slip tiles?
A good idea when you are making colored slip is to make a test tile . This will show you what different percentages of stain look like in your colored slip. First, make a tile of clay out of your chosen clay body and let it go leather hard. Make a batch of slip out of the same clay body, and add a small percentage of stain, say 2%.
What can you make with colored clay?
You can make lovely marbled agateware or nerikomi from the clay you have colored. To make colored clay, you need to add a stain or oxide to your clay. Stains and oxides come in powdered form.
What happens if you let clay slip sit for a while?
But if you let it sit for a while it will lose enough moisture to be workable. With this third method, you are first adding your mason stains to clay slip. And then adding more clay to the colored slip. When you make colored clay this way, it’s harder to control how intense the color of the clay will be.

How do you add color to clay?
To make colored clay, you need to add a stain or oxide to your clay. Stains and oxides come in powdered form. They can be added to the clay as a powder, or they can be made into a paste or slip. And then added to the clay in liquid form.
How do you color slip casting?
0:052:25Pottery Video: Creating Interesting Patterns with Colored Casting SlipYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can also use a paintbrush to apply some color. And then just dab in the insides of the mold.MoreYou can also use a paintbrush to apply some color. And then just dab in the insides of the mold.
How do you use colored slip on pottery?
2:0013:58Decorating Pottery with Colored Slips on the Pottery Wheel - 3 TechniquesYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGood put some slip on the attached saucer make sure the slip is not applied too thick on the saucerMoreGood put some slip on the attached saucer make sure the slip is not applied too thick on the saucer because you need room for the water to go.
Is colored slip the same as underglaze?
The main difference in slips and underglazes is the texture. Underglazes don't have a texture or thickness as they contain less amount of clay. Colored slips, however, do leave behind texture and some thickness because they contain more clay.
How do you make a pottery decorative slip?
To make clay slip, Take A Few Pieces of Dry Clay and Crush it Into Tiny, Almost Powder-Like Bits. Add Some Water to This Powdered Clay and Mix It Well Until It Gets A Thick Cream-Like Consistency. Thus you get one of the coolest and simplest decorating techniques for your pottery.
Can you glaze over slip?
The slip decoration usually is covered with a glaze after bisque firing, although many people prefer to leave the slip patterns unglazed. Slips can be used to coat another clay to make it lighter, darker or colored.
How do you use a slip on clay?
3:1817:46How to use slip as texture - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd once you're done forming your piece on the wheel all you got to do is stick your hand inside theMoreAnd once you're done forming your piece on the wheel all you got to do is stick your hand inside the slip bucket. And play with it a little bit just kind of take a nice big hand of slip.
What is the difference between glaze and slip?
This may have left you wondering, what is the difference between slip and underglaze? Slip and underglaze are both made of a mixture of clay and water. However, slip contains more clay and can add texture to pottery. Underglaze contains some glass forming ingredients and behaves a more like glaze.
Can you use colored slip on bisque?
So, it can be painted or sprayed onto bisqueware as a decorating slip too. Casting slip can be bought in powdered or ready-made liquid form. You can add colorants to the slip in the form of oxides or stains. It's important that the slip you use fires in the same temperature range as the clay body you are using.
What can you color slip with?
You can color slip using stains or oxides....These are:Stains produce more predictable, repeatable colors. The color of a stain might darken when it is fired. But basically, a stain will normally be the same color when it has been fired and glaze. ... Stains are less toxic.You get a wider range of colors with stains.
When should slip be applied?
When decorating pottery, slips can be applied to ware using brushes. This is best done when the clay is damp or leather-hard. Brushing slip onto pots is one of the oldest methods of delivering slips to a pottery surface.
How long does slip take to dry?
It will take 3-4 days at the least for them to be dry enough to use, unless you leave them in the sun all day, or dry the molds in a warm place. Be careful with forced drying, as plaster will start to deteriorate above 130° F or so.
What is color slip ceramics?
Colored slips are made from regular clay slip which consists of clay particles in water, mixed up with metal oxides. For example, adding cobalt carbonate to regular slip creates a blue finish on the pottery. This can then be given a transparent glaze.
How do you slip cast?
Step 1: Prep your mold and slip. Line up the two pieces of your mold and secure it using rubber bands. ... Step 2: Fill your mold with slip. Slowly pour your slip into the opening of your mold until it reaches the top. ... Step 3: Remove excess slip. ... Step 4: Release your casting from the mold. ... Step 5: Finish your piece!
How do you apply slip to greenware?
The completed slip should be the thickness of cream for greenware, or slightly thinner on bisque. Apply slip with a brush, a slip-trailing bottle,or by dipping. As you work, your piece willdry out, so spritz with waterperiodically, and wrap tightly between sessions.
How do you make white clay slip?
The basics of making slip for clay involve breaking pieces of bone dry clay into small parts. Then submerging the dry clay in water so that it breaks down and dissolves. The dissolved clay is then blended into the water to make a smooth suspension.
Why do you add more clay to colored slip?
And then adding more clay to the colored slip. When you make colored clay this way, it’s harder to control how intense the color of the clay will be. This is because you are adding your mason stain to clay slip first. Different slip contains different amounts of water.
What color should I use for clay?
The paler colors are stains like yellow and violet. These tend to disappear into the clay body easily, particularly if you are using off-white clay. With lighter stains, I tend to use, at least 10% of stain per weight of the clay.
How to make marbled agateware?
To make colored clay, you need to add a stain or oxide to your clay. Stains and oxides come in powdered form. They can be added to the clay as a powder, or they can be made into a paste or slip. And then added to the clay in liquid form.
Why do you have to wear a respirator when you make colored clay?
You are always going to get a bit of a mess when you make colored clay. This is because mason stains are intensely colored fine powders. These powders get into the air and onto surfaces. So, when you make colored clay, be sure to wear a respirator. And give your surfaces a good clean afterward.
How much stain should I use on porcelain?
With lighter stains, I tend to use, at least 10% of stain per weight of the clay. If your clay is very white, like white porcelain, it will show up more than with tan clay. Never the less 10% or more is recommended for paler colors.
How much does 2 lb of stain weigh?
2lb is 32oz. 8% of 32oz is 2.56oz. Therefore, I’m going to weigh out 2.56oz of stain. You can use ordinary kitchen scales, but it helps if your scales measure 0.01oz.
How long does it take for clay to dry?
Then put the covered clay into a sealed box. I let the clay sit for a couple of days, sometimes a week to let it dry out a little.
How to make slips from clay?from thepotterywheel.com
Another way is to make slip from clay scraps out of the splash pan of your wheel or scrap bucket. If you use this method, make sure the scraps are from the same clay body. You want to avoid cross-contamination of different types of clay. To make the slip, you collect the scraps into a container.
How to make colored slip?from thepotterywheel.com
To make colored slip, you mix a powdered oxide or stain with clay slip. The amount of stain added is normally between 5 and 10% of the weight of the clay in the slip. The best percentage depends on the color of the stain. And how deep you want the color of the slip to be.
How much stain to add to 2 lbs of clay?from thepotterywheel.com
2lbs of clay is 32 ounces. 8% of 32 ounces is 2.56. So, if you want to add 8% stain to 2lbs of clay, you need to add 2.56 ounces of stain. However, it also matters whether you are adding the stain to wet or dry clay. This will also have an impact on how intense the stain is.
Why is 2lbs of bone dry clay more than 2lbs of wet clay?from thepotterywheel.com
2lbs of bone dry clay contains more clay particles than 2lbs of wet clay. The reason for this is that around 30% of wet clay is water. So, if you add stain to wet clay, your ratio of clay to stain will be higher.
What are the materials used to color slip?from thepotterywheel.com
You can color slip using stains or oxides . Oxides are raw materials such as cobalt carbonate and red iron oxide. They are made from metal elements.
How to gauge slips?from thepotterywheel.com
One way to do it is to gauge it by eye. Simply add some stain to your slip and see what it looks like. Does the color look intense enough for you? This is often ok if you are making a small amount of slip for a one-off project.
How much does it cost to make a powdered stain?from thepotterywheel.com
Plus, powdered stains are quite expensive. 4 ounces of stain will cost around $9. So, you don’t want to make more than you need. Next, put your dry clay into a container and cover it with a little bit of water. You just need enough water to make sure each bit of the clay is covered.
What are colored clay slips used for?
The most important thing to remember when using the clay slips is that they MUST go onto your object while the object is still wet. The object can be anywhere from wet to leatherhard, but it cannot be bone dry. If your object is too dry, the clay slip will not stick and will chip off.
How to use slips in stoneware?
Another popular way to use the slips is a through technique called “sgraffito”. Basically, sgrafitto is when you apply a colored slip and then cut or carve through it to reveal the clay underneath. This usually works best when you use a contrasting color, so that the pattern is easier to see. Remember, the color of stoneware clay changes throughout the firing process.
What is a slip made of?
The slips are made from porcelain clay, so it can safely go on the bottom of the object if you want color to go all the way around the form.
How do you add color to clay?
To make colored clay, you need to add a stain or oxide to your clay. Stains and oxides come in powdered form. They can be added to the clay as a powder, or they can be made into a paste or slip. And then added to the clay in liquid form.
How do you stain a slip?
Adding the Stain to the Slip Weigh out the quantity of stain you need, and then carefully add it to the container of slip. Mix this in gently with a spoon, before you use a blender. This will stop the stain from going into the surrounding air. Mix the stain in with your hand blender thoroughly.
What are the colored slips painted onto clay called?
The term engobe is used to describe a clay slip coating that is applied to the body itself. This can either improve the texture of the item or add color. Engobe is opaque and can be white or colored. Colored engobe usually contains stains and metal oxides.
Can you apply slip to bone dry clay?
When slip dries it shrinks. Therefore, generally, when it is applied to bone dry clay it flakes off or cracks. However, you can adapt it so that it works better on bone dry clay. Slip is normally used on workable clay in its plastic state or on leather hard clay.
What kind of paint do you use on clay?
In short, the best paints for air dry clay are waterbased paints like acrylic paints or tempera. Waterbased paint has to be sealed after they have dried, however. Enamels, latex, or spray paints can also be used and they don´t have to be sealed afterward.
Can you make colored slip with underglaze?
Underglaze colors can be mixed together to create new colors. Slip and underglaze can be used together, though it is best not to mix underglaze directly into slip.
What are the four ways to apply slip?
Check out These 5 Creative Ways You Can Use Slip in Your Art Room Colored Slip. Students love adding color to their clay pieces, especially with glaze. Slip Marbling. Traditional marbling with paint or inks always interests students. Paper Stencils. Slip Trailing. Sgraffito.
How to test blue slip?
If you are testing 100 grams of base try adding just a portion of the total cobalt you will be testing, say 0.50 grams, mix/sieve it and put some on a test tile. Now add another 0.50 grams and repeat. Keep doing this until you get to the maximum amount you think you might need. You'll then have a range of blue tests of increasing intensity from one test batch of slip. There are some really nice blue stains that might work also.
How much colorant do you need to make white?
Now for the colorants to make the white. you need to run a line test from probably 1 to 5% but 5 is the base recipe for the white..
Can you use clay after slaking?
If using clay other than porcelain for this process, I would recommend screening your slip after slaking and before adding Mason stains. This way you will filter out the grog in the clay and have a nice smooth slip to match your clay body.
Can you make white slips into colored slips?
pretty much any white slip recipe can be made into a colored slip. for most natural oxides you will use the same percentages you would in glaze recipe (so like 2% for cobalt carb = blue) if using a mason stain, you'll want to be up near 10%. my go-to basic white slip recipe is equal parts (25/25/25/25) of EPK, OM#4, Silica, and Custer Feld. you can easily tweak this recipe with flocculants/deflocculants or suspension agents to get the consistency you desire. this slip can be used at pretty much any temp range.
Can you ball mill slip trailing?
When I do slip trailing, I just ball mill my slip, it does the job of defloculants without getting gummy in the bin. otherwise, it's just blend really well and sift after milling to make sure it's all just fine particles ... should be fine. ... should take you longer to make tests of all the colorants you want to use to find the best ones for your ware.
Can you use cobalt in a slip?
You could use cobalt, cobalt oxide will probably leave speckles of darker blue in the slip, cobalt carbonate won't if it's well mixed and sieved. If you are testing 100 grams of base try adding just a portion of the total cobalt you will be testing, say 0.50 grams, mix/sieve it and put some on a test tile.
Does copper carb react with overglaze?
(I've never worked with cobalt carb that wasn't already blended in something) reacts with the overgla ze but the mason stains don't tend to react as much. I suppose its going to depend on what is in the mason stain, but the copper carb turns a clear glaze green. VERY pretty, but just something to be aware of.
