Getting Started with Five Glaze
Hey there, fellow potters! I'm Rainy, and I'm so excited you've decided to dive into the world of Five Glaze. Whether this is your first time mixing glazes from scratch or you're looking for more control over your glaze chemistry, you're in for a treat. Let me walk you through everything that comes in your order and how to get started.
What's in Your Five Glaze Package?
When your Five Glaze order arrives, you'll find everything you need to create one full gallon of beautiful, reliable glaze:
- Base glaze powder - This is the foundation of your glaze, carefully formulated and tested.
- Colorant pack* - The magic that brings your glaze to life with vibrant, consistent color.
- Instruction sheets - Step-by-step guidance tailored to your specific glaze combination.
- Bucket label - Keep your glaze organized and properly identified.
*Colorant pack is not included if you only ordered our base glaze bag Serotonin
Each package creates one full gallon when mixed according to our instructions. And here's something I love about what we do at Five Glaze - if you're feeling adventurous, you can use our base glazes as a starting point to create your own custom colors in smaller batches. More on that in future posts!
What You'll Need to Get Started
Your Five Glaze package has everything glaze-related covered, but you'll need a few basic tools that most potters already have on hand:
Essential items:
- One-gallon bucket with a lid
- Whisk for mixing
- NIOSH N95 or particulate respirator mask
Highly recommended:
- Kitchen scale
- Graduated cylinder (for measuring water accurately)
- 60 or 80-mesh sieve (for that perfectly smooth consistency)
- Calculator
If you don’t have all the recommended tools yet, start with just the bucket and whisk. You can always upgrade your setup as you gain experience.
Your First Steps with Five Glaze
Here's the basic workflow I recommend for every new Five Glaze customer:
- Unpack and organize - Set up your workspace and review the instruction sheets
- Hydrate your glaze - Follow our mixing guidelines to bring your dry glaze to life
- Check your specific gravity - This ensures your glaze will apply perfectly every time
- Test first - Always fire a test tile before committing to your best pieces
This might sound technical, but don't worry! This might sound technical, but don’t worry! I’ll walk you through each step in detail. Check out our posts on Hydrating Your Base Glaze and What is Specific Gravity for the complete picture.
Why Five Glaze is Different
What I'm most proud of with Five Glaze is how we balance education with results. You're not just buying a glaze - you're learning to understand glazes. We provide complete transparency with our ingredient lists, so whether you want to dive deep into glaze chemistry or simply follow our tried-and-true combinations, you have that choice.
Our base glazes and colorant combinations are extensively tested, but we encourage you to experiment and learn. It's the best of both worlds: reliable results when you need them and room to grow as a potter.
Ready to Mix Your First Batch?
I know it might feel a bit overwhelming if you've never mixed glazes before, but trust me - you've got this! Take your time with the instructions, don't skip the test firing step, and remember that every experienced potter started exactly where you are now.
The most common questions I get from new customers are about mixing ratios and troubleshooting their first tests. That's completely normal! The instruction sheets in your package cover the basics, and I'm here with more detailed guidance in the blog posts I mentioned.
What's Next?
Once you've got your first Five Glaze mixed and tested, you'll probably start wondering about creating your own color variations or understanding why certain adjustments work. That's the beauty of this journey - each successful firing builds your confidence and knowledge.
Check out our hydrating techniques post and specific gravity testing post to dive deeper into the Five Glaze experience. These fundamentals will serve you well not just with Five Glaze, but with any glazes you work with in the future.
Happy glazing, and welcome to the Five Glaze family!
Have questions about your first Five Glaze experience? Don't hesitate to reach out - I love hearing about your experiments and successes.