A limited glaze pantry is the fastest way to start making your own glazes. You don’t need fifty materials on the shelf — you need a short list that covers the bases: silica, clay, and a range of fluxes for your firing temperature. The list below is what I’d buy first.
Buying this way keeps the cost down and the chemistry manageable. Every material here earns its place in real recipes, and the quantities are enough to mix plenty of 100 gram test batches with material left over to batch up the glazes you decide to keep.
The Shopping List
- Ball Clay 10 pounds
- Custer Feldspar 10 pounds
- Minspar 10 pounds
- Silica 5 pounds
- EPK 5 pounds
- Ferro Frit — buy both if you can, otherwise:
- For cone 6 glazes buy Ferro Frit 3134 5 pounds
- For cone 10 glazes buy Ferro Frit 3124 5 pounds
- Nepheline syenite 10 pounds
- Wollastonite 10 pounds
- Whiting 10 pounds
- Zinc 1 pound
- Dolomite 10 pounds
- Talc 5 pounds
- Gerstley Borate 5 pounds
- Bentonite 5 pounds
- Zircopax 1 pound
- Red Iron Oxide 1 pound
- Copper Carbonate 1/2 pound
What’s Not on the List
Most of the colorant shelf. Red iron oxide and copper carbonate are the two included here because between them you can make celadons, irons, and copper greens — a wide range from two materials. Add cobalt carbonate, rutile, and stains later, once you know which direction your glazes are heading.
A limited glaze pantry won’t cover every recipe you find online, and that’s the point. Pick recipes built from these core materials, or learn to substitute within reason — your testing stays simpler and your results are easier to read.
Before You Buy
If you’re new to mixing, start with the full walkthrough in Glaze Making for Beginners: Complete Guide. You’ll also need a scale that reads accurately under 1 gram — see Types of Scales for Ceramics and Glaze Making before you buy one. Materials are available from any major ceramics supplier; prices vary enough that it’s worth comparing a couple.
