Glaze Brush

What it is

Brushing is the most forgiving way to glaze. You can work slowly, correct as you go, and reach into the carved, faceted or sculpted surfaces where a dip would pool and a spray would miss. It is the method most home potters use, and with good technique it produces results indistinguishable from dipping.

The brush itself matters. Glaze brushes are wide and have a thick belly, because glaze is a heavy slurry that a thin watercolour brush cannot carry. Synthetic fibres cope better with the abrasives in glaze than natural hair, and a flat or filbert shape lays a wide, even band with each stroke.

The technique is to build up. Two or three thin coats, each applied in one direction and allowed to dry before the next, give a far more even layer than one thick coat. Cross-hatching the direction of each coat hides brush marks. A single heavy pass leaves ridges that stay visible after firing.

How to use it well

• Load the brush fully, then touch off the excess on the rim of the container before applying.
• Apply each coat in a single direction, then change direction for the next coat.
• Let each coat dry to a matte finish before adding the next, or you will lift the layer underneath.
• For a level surface, finish with a light pass of a damp sponge over the wet glaze.

Safety notes

• Glaze is a slurry of silica and metal oxides — do not eat or drink while glazing, and wash hands after.
• Never point a loaded brush at your face; flicking glaze off a brush sprays it into the air.
• Rinse brushes into a settling bucket, not the sink.

Compatible materials

Clay bodies

• All bisque-fired bodies

Glazes & surface

• Brushing glazes
• Underglaze and slip decoration

Where it sits in the process

Applying, resisting and finishing the glaze surface.

Glazing  Glazing & Surface  Entry tier

Browse every tool in this stage from the Glazing & Surface category.