What is stain?
In the past, the color of the ceramics derived from natural pigments. However, they were not durable. Coloring substances are invented resulting in durability and variety of pigments. Moreover, the pigment yields consistent result no matter when you use it.
The coloring technique used in ceramics is called “‘stain color” which is oxide or metal elements including metal oxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide
rendering different colorant. They are ground to a powder, burnt and ground again before mixing it with the clay or glaze the work.
The advantages of ceramic stains are that they reduce flaw on the glaze. The glaze firing can be quicker because the process of making stain include firing the mixture and firing reaction at a certain level.
In addition, they provide a colorful colorant for ceramic
The difference between oxides and stains is consistency.
The stain provides more consistent colorant which is suited for the work requiring consistent coloring. The oxides are difficult to control stability of colorant. The oxides also leave some mineral spots in the pigment.
Nowadays, the stains are invented, produced and categorized based on its functions which are
- Body Stain
- Glaze Stain
The glaze stain can be mixed into underglaze, overglaze and inglaze