Welcome to AMACO!

Some of AMACOs most popular Cone 5 glazes are available in convenient dry mix. Although the dry mixed glazes for dipping are formulated to be applied in a single dip, there are exciting results that can be obtained by overlapping different glazes. We have many examples of successful layered dipping glazes, however because of the large number of variables we can’t absolutely guarantee results .

Dipping glazes are more sensitive to changes in water quality, clay body, thickness of ware, and thickness of glaze application than the brushing glazes. These variables can make dipping multiple glazes challenging. If you wish to experiment with dipping multiple glazes be aware of the risks.

When unsuccessful, a second dip of glaze may loosen the first coating, resulting in flaking of the unfired glaze and/or crawling of the glaze when fired.

Our best recommendations for successful dipping:

Testing and documenting your results is crucial!

The consistency of your glaze is very important to the success of layering dipping glazes, which is why we recommend using distilled water and checking the specific gravity when mixing the dipping glazes.

Experiment with applying the second dip when the first dip is still damp, that is dry to the touch but not completely dry. This helps the two glazes adhere to each other better and dry together with reduced chance of flaking.

Also, we recommend dipping a second glaze with only a small area of overlap, instead of complete coverage. See Todd Pletchers video (link) for examples of this technique.

A few glazes do not like to layer, some do well as a bottom layer but not as a top layer, or vice versa. If you are finding a glaze doesn’t like to be layered over another, try reversing the order.

Do not apply a brushing glaze over a dipped glaze. The binder in the brushing glaze is likely to cause flaking.

Again, the most important part is testing and keeping track of your results!

We recommend you watch the other videos in this series as well as this video on test tiles.

Thank you for using Amaco!

Todd Pletcher Layering AMACO dipping glazes:    • Potter's Choice Glazes  Layering Wi...  

Mixing AMACO Dry Glazes:    • Mixing Dry Glaze  

DippingAMACO Dry Glazes:    • Dipping AMACO glazes  

Making and using Test Tiles:    • Making Test Tiles