Cone 6 Glaze Recipes

Glaze Recipe Etiquette

Many recipes are already posted on this network, and you can search for them yourself by typing in the name in the SEARCH box at the upper right hand corner of all of our pages.  A thousand or more are listed on the Sankey glaze database which is also posted on this network.  With the Sankey database, which is an enormous web page, you need to go to the edit menu of your browser and select "Find", then type in the glaze name you are searching for. Look down the page with the "Find Next" button until you've checked all the possibles. The next step would be to do a Google search of the Internet for the recipe you're looking for. If you find the recipe, it would be generous and helpful to post it on our network yourself, giving credit to the source where you found it. 

If these three techniques don't turn up the recipe you seek, THEN it is a reasonable thing to request one of our members to either post the recipe on the network or to email it to you. Asking for recipes without due diligence on your part is like asking someone else to do your job for you. It will not enhance your reputation.

Cone 6 Glaze Recipes

As a starting point, here is a list of online sources of cone 6 glaze recipes.
Group 1 - Having both photographs and commentary on the glazes.

  •  John Post generously shares his glaze research, and coats his simple forms with spectacular glazes. He has extensive information on a technique of glaze testing.
  • Alisa Clausen has the most extensive photo-documented cone 6  glaze test collection (on flicker) that I have found. Most of the recipes are for cone 6 glazes. The right column of her page links to groups of glaze tests. Her source of recipes is largely the Sankey Glaze Database which is available right here on our network.
  • John Anthony's Red Hill Pottery has some great shots and notes on his tests of many published recipes.
  • June Perry does extensive glaze testing and shares her results generously on her Website.
  • James Jacobs has a set of ^6 recipes with pictures on his Website. Caution -- all of the photos of finished examples were fired in reduction. He says only the cobalt blues and heavy iron formulas would be useful in oxidation.

Group 2 Recipes not as well documented as Group 1

  • The clayart discussions at potters.org are a prodigous source of ^6 glaze recipes, but you won't find pictures here. Some of the discussions give links to Websites with pictures, but generally you will only find recipes and written descriptions of glaze characteristics. The SDSU ceramicsweb glazebase seems to be offline. The creator of GlazeChem glaze calculation software downloaded the entire glazebase in 2001, and has it available for downloading in GlazeChem format. I've extracted the cone 6 recipes and commentary and converted it to a Word document. Here is a link for you to download the 275 page document - CeramicsWebClayartCone6Glazes.doc
  • Lakeside Pottery has an extensive list of their glaze recipes, but they refer you to their gallery to see the glazes in use without a one-to-one match up of recipe to picture. These appear to be worth exploring as they produce some very nice pieces.
  • Val Cushing had an article in the June 1977 issue of Studio Potter that listed a number of his recipes for glazes and engobes (or slips). Note that a number of the glazes utilize Barium Carbonate which in the intervening years has fallen from grace for its toxicity. It would be prudent not to use these glazes on the interior or mouth contact surfaces of table ware or cookware.

Group 3 Recipes lacking significant documentation.

  • I have a collection of them in a Word document totalling 61 pages. I am posting the document here for you to download and test as you like. If you do test any of them, please report your results in detail here. Good Luck. collectedglazes.doc

Let's see if our members have any interest in sharing glaze recipes. If you want to post a recipe, please follow the following guidelines.

  • Use the conventional 100 unit batch formula and the full descriptive names of all ingredients.
  • Include the source of the recipe
  • Include application methods, best thickness of application, and cautions about defects you've encountered
  • Include any special firing techniques
  • Post a picture of the fired glaze
  • If known, include the coefficient of expansion, and the clay body you've used with the glaze.

Please do not post recipes from copyrighted sources.

Comment

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Comment by Barbara Hanselman on April 1, 2011 at 1:17pm

I see that the colorants in this recipe are different from the LGG recipe posted by George. I think the soda ash and other colorants are important to this glaze, so why not try both and see the difference!

Lynne’s Glossy Grey ^5/6

50%   Gerstley Borate

30%   Silica

15%   EPK

  5%   Titanium Dioxide

ADD:

2.5%  Soda Ash

2.0%  Copper Carb

1.0%  RIO

0.75% Cobalt Carb

 

This is Perkins Center for the Art’s glossy glaze with lots of movement.  It looks great on textured surfaces where it breaks nicely or layered over glazes high in RIO such as Randy’s Red.  LGG works well on all clay body colors and looks best when slow cooled.

 

Comment by Michele Hartung on April 1, 2011 at 5:41am
Thank you George, for all the great information.
Comment by George Lewter on March 31, 2011 at 6:14pm

Lynns Glossy compared with another high borate recipe.

Comment by George Lewter on March 31, 2011 at 3:58pm
LYNN’S GLOSSY GREY & LIGHT BLUE GREEN - A glossy glaze with a lot of movement.Looks best on textured surfaces or over engobes with red iron and red iron oxide stains.
Gerstley Borate....... 50.0%
Silica 325.......... 30.0%
EPK............. 15.0%
Titanium Dioxide........5.0%
For GLOSSY GREY ADD:
Soda Ash...........2.5%
Copper Carbonate.........2.0%
Red Iron Oxide........1.0%
Cobalt Carbonate.......0.75%
For BLUE GREEN ADD:
Copper Carbonate......2.0%
Recipe lifted from Mario's Ruthless Artwork blog.  Barbara uses it (or a version of it) on her Egyptian Bowl, and perhaps she can confirm if this is the same recipe.
Comment by George Lewter on December 20, 2009 at 1:12pm

Alisa and Claus Clausen on thu 21 dec 00

Val's Turq. cone 6, oxidation.

Tested on mid range, iron flecked stoneware, fired to 1220c, oxidation.

Receipe
27.60 Custer spar
16.90 Gerstely Borate
21.30 Silica
2.90 Dolomite
8.80 whiting

ADD
0.8 Bentonite
2.3 Copper carb.

Subbed local spar for Custer
All percentages rounded up to the nearest whole percent.

Resulted in a stable, bright and clear, gloss turquoise glaze.
Iron flecks came clearly though glaze. Slight, slight steaking and =
pooling
in bottom half of test bowl. Not a big color or covering difference =
where double dipped.

Same receipe with G.Borate subbed with Colemanite produced same results =
as above
Same receipe with G.Borate subbed with local frit produced same results =
as above.

Personal:
A nice, smooth gloss with a good greenish turquoise color.=20

Best regards,
Alisa in Denmark
Comment by George Lewter on December 20, 2009 at 1:09pm
Recipe Name: Turquoise Matte

Cone: 6 Color: Blue Green
Firing: Oxidation Surface: Matte

Amount Ingredient
61.5 Nepheline Syenite
20.9 Strontium Carbonate
6.6 Ball Clay--Old Mine #4
7.7 Silica
3.3 Lithium Carbonate

100 Total

Additives
3.5 Copper Carbonate
4 Bentonite

Unity Oxide
.136 Li2O
.301 Na2O
.095 K2O
.007 MgO
.025 CaO
.437 SrO
1.000 Total

.489 Al2O3
.002 Fe2O3

2.498 SiO2
.003 TiO2

5.1 Ratio
9 Exp

Comments:
-----------------------------------
Calculations by GlazeMaster™
www.masteringglazes.com
------------------------------------

Comment by George Lewter on October 6, 2009 at 4:54pm
My best test out of my latest firing is Richard Busch's Nutmeg Glaze which you see by itself in the middle of these tumblers.

I got interesting results layering other glazes over the Nutmeg.

Generally the tiles toned down the more intense colors where the matte nutmeg was made to go glossy and in the case of Varigated slate blue the glaze went into an interesting variety of states glossy to matte.
Recipe Name: Nutmeg

Cone: 6 Color: Tan - light brown
Firing: Oxidation Surface: Semiglossy

Amount Ingredient
23.3 Dolomite
23.3 Spodumene--Foote
6.8 Frit--Ferro 3134
23.3 Silica
23.3 Ball Clay--Old Mine #4

100 Total

Additives
1.1 Iron Oxide--Red
4.9 Tin Oxide
3.2 Yellow Ochre
1.9 Bentonite

Comments: Richard Busch Ceramics Monthly 2/2003
Author mixes this glaze 2/3 with 1/3 Busch white satin matte

By itself a warm tan breaking brown over iron bearing clay body.
Comment by Zoophagous on September 26, 2009 at 4:27pm
Here's the recipe. Not a fake ash but could be reworked to eliminate the wood ash.

Alberta Slip 43.5
EPK 5.9
Whiting 29.6
Wood Ash 13.9
Grestely Borate 8
RIO 3
TiO2 6
Comment by Zoophagous on September 25, 2009 at 5:27pm
I have a cone 6 version of Lorio Ash from John Britt's book that works really well for me. I will post the recipe in the next few days (I have it on a piece of paper at the studio, not at home). Here's a sample that came out of the kiln this morning.

Comment by George Lewter on September 21, 2009 at 5:03pm
Having been at the Steven Hill workshop in early September, I have a new appreciation of fake ash glazes. Here is a cone6 fake ash glaze from John Britt at ClayClub.

Golden Fake Ash cone 6

28.0 Redart
24.5 Dolomite
21.0 Ball Clay
10.0 Gerstley Borate
9.5 Strontium Carbaonate
5.0 Bone Ash
2.0 Lithium Carbarbonate
Comment by John Bauer on June 10, 2009 at 11:34am
I use a glaze of 4 sticks of insense(burn and enjoy)
a bag of sea urchen shells (fired to 1000 deg c then ground) collect the shells on a tranquill beach
4 sparkelers burned in the ground powdered shell feel the joy of fireworkes
one postage stamt tured to ash.
it is a wunderfull prepration very dangerous extreamly caustic will burn your skin off your hand do not stir with your eye. it allows you to get acid and alkili glaze on the same pice.

if you are not happy with the result fire it hotter.
although I am very scientific a gung ho cavileer aproach is fun fun fun.
Comment by George Lewter on March 25, 2009 at 5:34pm
Rutile Matte - This is the skin tone of my Clayton Mudd character.
Cone: 6 Color: pinkish orange
Firing: Oxidation
Surface: Slightly variegated matte
I don't recall the source of this recipe
Amount Ingredient
44 Nepheline Syenite
17.4 Whiting
14 Kaolin--EPK
19.6 Silica
5 Zinc Oxide

Additives
7 Rutile

Glaze seems very relable. I have cooled it quickly and slowly with little difference in the surface. I have applied it by dipping in a normal consistency glaze liquid.

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