After bisque firing, my ceramics were emerging from the kiln as a light grey colour and I had wanted them to be more of a deep black. I didn't want to re-make the vessels, so after researching it I settled on using manganese carbonate, which is a staining agent that can be painted over the coloured slip. I coated them with two even layers of the manganese carbonate before their second firing, and I was pleased with the earthy black tone they emerged in.
For the subsequent batches of vessels, I made sure to use the same process of applying the slip, and then the manganese carbonate before second firing, to ensure they were all of a consistent colour.
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the manganese carbonate is a thin fluid that can be painted onto the ceramic in layers and dries very quickly
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their colour after bisque firing (only coated with coloured slip)
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their colour after second firing, coated with manganese carbonate
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