Surface Decoration Techniques: wax resist and underglaze/ slip inlay

Emily Murphy — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:46:00 +0000

I have been creating, soda firing and documenting simple straight sided cylinders with a variety of surface treatments for examples for my classes and this blog. The original idea was to create demos to show students that aren’t specifically “my pieces.” The fun result of this project has been that it’s given me an excuse to return to things long forgotten, or try something new.
Watch out for upcoming tutorials with lots of pictures and slip and glaze recipes.

Wax resist and underglaze/ slip inlay
A great way to make a clean line without too much mess, step by step.

Step 1: Paint slip on leather hard piece.
I used several porcelain slips (grolleg mixed with Mason stains) on Lillstreet Soda Clay

Step 2: After the slip dries (no longer tacky), paint wax over entire surface.

Step 3: Using a small loop tool, carve in your lines.

Step 4: Paint underglaze into the carved lines.Step 5: Wipe away any excess underglaze.
This is a great way to get make a nice clean, sharp line in the leather hard stage.

The inside of the piece is glazed with a simple matte black glaze, and soda fired to cone 10 in reduction.
Because the line is inlaid, it’s protected from the soda and doesn’t “bleed” when hit directly.

Some close up images

pottery blog: emily murphy » Mason stains

Surface Decoration Techniques: wax resist and underglaze/ slip inlay