How to Add Colors to Clay using Mason Stains | Ceramics

Adding Masons stains to clay is a great way to add color without worrying about glazing. In this video, I test three different mason stains of various amounts and show you the fired results.
You can add colors to a clay by using ceramic oxides or other raw materials too. Be sure to check out the first colored clay video for more detailed information linked below:
• How to Add Colors to C...
I recommend using a lighter clay so that your colors show up. Porcelain works well because it's really white but you could also use a stoneware.
Here are a few links to companies that you can purchase Masons stains from to try this on your own:
-Great Lakes Clay. Elgin, IL. This is where I buy from. Support local! goo.gl/mg5h9K
-Big Ceramics Store. I've used them before and they have pictures to preview colors.
goo.gl/vFuc4S
I'm an art teacher who makes student-friendly how to tutorials and time lapse creation videos for students, art teachers and any other artists interested in improving their skills. Check out my channel if you're interested. Thank you for checking out MakeDoLearn!
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[@CeramicJim]

Which mason stain color and percentage was your favorite? Personally I liked the 1% crimson red. Let me know!

[@rainbow2401990]

10% blue

[@CeramicJim]

Thanks RainbowEagle! I just made a complex nerikomi block with some 8% blue in a recent video and I’ll be making some pots with it soon. Make sure you check it out!

[@damlasminiatures2526]

How can I get hot Pink color glaze ? I use microwave kiln so low fire everything. I can't find the pink color I want in my glaze store online and I was thinking can I mix red mason stain in white glaze or pink stain in clear?

[@samanthanicholson9015]

The robins egg with black

[@samanthanicholson9015]

3percent I bought some mason stain half pound each nm clay Victoria, vivid, blackest black one is a royal blue, lime green I hoped to make saki cups for my husband and son

[@anniesarah503]

Thanks a million! This video answers my question. Today at my massage office, I was giving a massage. When I’m working with clients I often let my mind wander and get some of my best creative problem solving done. I was struck with the sudden epiphany that mason stains would be the answer to my design dilemma. My project involves mason stains with clear glaze over top. I could kinda picture what it would look like but wasn’t sure. Your video confirms that my project will likely come out the way I envisioned it. My plan is to mix it into porcelain slip for a slip-casting project and to also make some colored clay using stains and powder clay. I’m going to get supplies tomorrow.

[@CeramicJim]

Happy to help. I’m excited for the work you’ll make!

[@gabiglaezer8685]

Great videos, I just found you and will keep watching, thanks for sharing your knowledge! Happy potting from Australia!

[@CeramicJim]

Thanks Gabi. Ahh, I miss Australia! I was only there for a two week stay in Sydney and New South Wales area but it was such a memorable experience. I look forward to connecting with you on this platform! Happy potting!

[@nancyovergaard7362]

This was exactly what I needed! Thank you so much! I needed a pink clay for an order, and the 1% will do nicely👍🙂

[@CeramicJim]

Happy to help!

[@AmordelAlfarero]

Hi JIm ! I love your work! Thanks

[@CeramicJim]

Hey!! Thank you so much!

[@muddyotterspottery569]

When I add my Mason stains, I add it to dry trimmings or powdered clay. I know it takes longer to let it slake down and then dry to a wedging consistency (on a sheet on top of a plaster slab), but I never have streaks or flecks of stain in my clay. Once slaked down, I use an immersion blender to “purée” the slurry to a smooth consistency. I do like this video. I am definitely going to do tests with different percentages!

[@CeramicJim]

That exactly my dilemma. Slake it down longer or wedge it up quickly.

[@suzieduchesneau8271]

Thanks for this simple & clear videos! Since im new to mason stain, i guess i can create a batch of clay with mason and mix it wit the unstain same clay to get a marble effect right?

[@chilepombo255]

so happy to come across your channel - great vids. could you do some coloured clay burnished pieces? wondering how that would affect the fired colours. Thanks and looking fwd to your next upload.

[@CeramicJim]

I was curious about the same thing so I wound up burnishing a colored piece. It’s one of my favorites. The colors aren’t as sharp but it’s smoother than any piece I’ve made. Even the ones that I sand in multiple grits. Perhaps I’ll share the process.

[@chilepombo255]

@@CeramicJim thanks jim, i hope you do share the vid - i burnish at the just passed leather hard stage and (i don't use oil or terra sig) so far so good. Will be trying out stained clay - willing to try just about anything to avoid glazing haha eventhough burnishing does take a bit longer, the pieces are super smooth and organic.

[@vanessachavez1199]

this seemed so natural. and it was funny.....like i LITTERALLY laughing out loud.

[@CeramicJim]

Haha thanks! I'm just trying to be more ME and not so serious all the time. It's been fun. I made myself laugh a few times watching too!

[@PaulaBittencourt]

Voçe é mesmo muito bom nisso, voçe poderia fazer um video mostrando como prepara o esmalte e fazer efeito escorrido na caneca. seria maravilhoso, gratidao Amigo

[@katievandenberg27]

Hi! I just bought Crimson red and did it like you did in this video but it burned out at cone 5. How did you get your color to stay? When I called the company they agreed that it would burn out. Any tips?

[@user-vg8sd7gp2d]

Hi. Did you fire the greenware and then fire again with clear glaze?

[@PamelaRoss-qh6jh]

Jim--- I use mason stains (MS) for flowers and leaves. I fight with all the greens. Often my beautiful mint green becomes ugly brown once clear glaze is used. I've tried Amaco clear, zinc free and finally matte clear to maintain the green color. No luck. I mix my MS with b-mix to the desired color value and fire at cone 5. I've checked all of kilns and they're fine. Any guesses or suggestions?

[@jonmurph589]

Hi Jim, thanks for the upload - very hel0ful. Do the stains become part of the ceramic? Can the stains leach out if submerged in water? Thanks.

[@CeramicJim]

They do get pretty well integrated. Could they leach? Maybe? I feel like I see the leading debate talked about a lot. With any oxide or colorant leaching is a possibility. Acidic drinks are not good and glazes that craze aren’t good either. I have a good solid glaze for the inside where I drink from but I leave the outside unglazed. I suppose it could leach but what would it leach into?

[@jonmurph589]

@@CeramicJim I was thinking about using a ceramic structure for a reef tank aquascape. Now that I think about, any aquascape structure would colour up naturally over time anyway. Thanks for the help.

[@christidevitto9186]

What cone did you fire to ????

[@tammiescott5797]

I swirl low fire clay of white , mocha, terracotta. Its my favorite and people really like it. I am looking to get more colors. Blue, ect. I am trying to find out if i can use these or other colorants to color low fire clay. ?I use clear glaze over ( cone 05/06).

[@CeramicJim]

That sounds like a nice color combo. You can certainly use stains for low fire. The clear you use may affect them if there is zinc in it but you'll never know unless you try.

[@sapphirebleu3]

Do you have any suggestions for the grey clay that fires white at 06 when trying to add Mason stains?

[@CeramicJim]

I’ve used a black stain in a grey to white stoneware myself and it takes a little more stain than porcelain does. Still, I would start with 1% or 2% added by weight, for example, 100 grams of clay add 1 or 2 grams. I’m pretty sure you’ll see a difference. I use 4 or 5 if I want a solid black for my porcelain and it’s not one of the whitest porcelains out there.

[@SenorMudDuck]

great info! that hunter green seems to be gone or renamed since this came out. I really like that color though. Any chance you know of a current similar green? kind of looking for nice army green type color.

[@CeramicJim]

I buy all my stuff from US pigment. The guy there named Murtaza make some of his own stain too and he’d be able to get you what you need.

[@CeramicJim]

And thank you 👍

[@johncochran5852]

Have you ever added the stains to slip instead and then stir so you don't need to wedge? I've heard of people doing this and haven't tried myself, would love to see a video on how you would approach it

[@CeramicJim]

I’ve done both. Now that I make my own clay I mix it in during that process. My clay recipe can get thixotropic so making it slip first takes forever to dry.

[@unitedwestand1057]

In ceramic tile why in grey it is grey on top but different colours all through, which is not exactly the grey on top

[@paloma3727]

As a high school student our ceramics class has one type of clay. i’m not sure what it is, it’s gray and when it comes out of the bisque firing it looks like a really pale peachy/salmon. very subtle tho. very pale. and then we use different laguna glazes but i know we have mason stains. can i add the mason stains to the clay we use?

[@CeramicJim]

Yes! I've added mason stains to gray clays in the past. The colors don't show up as bright as they would if you were to use a porcelain like I do now, but you'll definitely see a difference. I wish I knew about colored clay and mason stains in high school. Go for it. Let me know how it goes! I'd add at least 5% by weight like in this video. Unless it's black. Then at least 3%.

[@lesselavie7675]

Do you think it will work well with a 50/50 clay body? Great video...thanks!

[@CeramicJim]

What is a 50/50?

[@lesselavie7675]

@@CeramicJim sorry, it's a laguna half porcelain and half white stoneware, WC402

[@CeramicJim]

Yes it will work. You could color a pure stoneware too you just wouldn’t get as bright/vivid of colors as you would with a whiter clay.

[@Odette_112]

Hi Jim, thank you for your informative videos! Question for you - can you stack stained porcelain cone 6 for bisque firing?

[@CeramicJim]

For bisque yes. Should be safe. I say should because every clay is different. But if I stack unglazed at cone 6 they stick. That’s my clay though. Bisque I’ve stacked and it’s been good.

[@Odette_112]

@@CeramicJim Thank you! I’m new to ceramics, so just to clarify: you’ve previously been successful with bisque fired stacked mason stained porcelain at cone 6, but with the clay you use now, the unglazed colored clay sticks when stacked? Am I understanding correctly?

[@CeramicJim]

I bisque fire to 04. 06 is close. That wouldn’t stick. You shouldn’t be bisque firing to cone 6 (unless I’m misunderstanding you. Cone 6 and cone 06 are very different temperatures. Cone 6 is too hot for a bisque fire. Things might stick.

[@Odette_112]

@@CeramicJim Thank you. I want to make small ring dishes out of colored porcelain, but don’t want to glaze them and leave them matte finished. In this case, is cone 6 firing ok for the first and only firing? Or do I need to fire twice anyhow, once at cone 04/06 then 6?

[@CeramicJim]

Ah I get it now. Yeah you could once fire it. I wouldn’t stack then though just incase. Maybe stack few that you could sacrifice to test.

[@RAFAELAMORGADO]

Great video. Sorry if the question is too stupid (I'm newbie), but is it possible to mix two colors to make one? How?

[@CeramicJim]

Thanks Rafaela. Any question is welcome here on the channel :) The answer is yes you totally can. I know this because I did the exact same thing as an experiment about a year ago. I mixed a little bit of red and a little bit of blue to see if it would make a purple and it did. Obviously you need to experiment with the amounts you would use for each color. It won’t always be 50-50 because some mason stains are more powerful. If I was trying to make a green by mixing yellow and blue I might need only a quarter yellow and 3/4 blue or vice versa. The best thing you can do is document how much you add the clay and track your results. That’s how I’ve learned over the last few years.

[@CeramicJim]

You can mix colors in the dry stage as powders or you can add two colored clays together and wedge then until they become one color.

[@fuadmehmood896]

Hi Jim, I have some ceramic project, which my vendore is supervising, the color he achieved on the sample development stage is now not able to match for the bulk. My vendor has a lot of answers for this mismatch, but I am not satisfied. Please advise what could be the problem

[@CeramicJim]

Hmmm. If the sample was small perhaps there was a big enough difference in errors. Bigger batches are more consistent.

[@kkfarley4535]

I am working with robin egg blue and lavender mason stain. I’ve been wedging it in the clay and I can’t tell if it’s even changing the clay color. The clay I’m using is desert buff. Will it change color in the firing? The robin egg blue started overly cracking from how much mason stain was added in almost made it unusable. It my first time with mason stain I’ve mix red iron oxide in clay and had good results with it. I just wanted to add more color in the mix.

[@CeramicJim]

Robins egg blue I know from experience looks like nothing is there. Check out my mason stains clay coloring video where I talk about specific measurements.

[@CeramicJim]

Some colors get crackly when you add enough. Spritz it with water as you add some to counteract the dryness.

[@carolmuse9894]

Are those finished samples covered with clear glaze?

[@CeramicJim]

Yes

[@goneviral6037]

Could you mix this stain with slip? I fill molds with slip and don’t wanna have to use glaze, so looking for a brown color

[@CeramicJim]

Yes you can. You could even cast a very thin layer of colored slip first, pour it out, the. Cast the rest with your clay slip. It will create a colored veneer and save your colored slip supply.

[@goneviral6037]

@@CeramicJim how many pounds of brown powder mason stain would you think you would have to add to a 5 gallon bucket of slip to get any brown color out of it? Thanks

[@CeramicJim]

It all depends on weight and how much water was added. And what stain you’re using. That’s not a simple question. I added anywhere from 1-10% by dry weight to my clay. If I had 100 pounds of slip that was 50/50 clay and water. I might had 1-5 pounds of stain which would be 2-10% stain added compared to the dry materials in the slip.

[@goneviral6037]

@@CeramicJim thanks , i will try 1 pound and see if that does anything. I paid 20.00 a pound after shipping for the mason stain from eBay

[@gabby2421_]

Did you dip the transparent glaze after mixing it

[@CeramicJim]

Yes. Only on one side. The back with the percentages is unglazed. That way I can see how it looks bare.

[@highdesertsukari]

I'm notoriously bad about not weighing, and because of that I got bleeding of the cobalt carbonate from pieces where it's obviously too much.

[@CeramicJim]

Colored clay is a very get out what you put into it game sometimes. Stick with it.

[@samanthanicholson9015]

What was the weight of color to add by weight, was it grams or ounces of the mason stain?

[@CeramicJim]

Percentage. I believe I did grams for this video. So whatever the weight of the clay. Add 10% (which is really like 12.5% if you take into account that 20% of clay is water). Or you could subtract that after you weight and then add percentage that way.

[@samanthanicholson9015]

@@CeramicJim oh man , I didn't add enough color to mine just 3% I'll see how my hubs pipe comes out with the colors...I did Blue, black and green, reg clay

[@bbubblyb]

Have you ever had issue with the colored clay sticking to the kiln shelf?

[@CeramicJim]

Not yet. I’ll let you know if it ever does. The colorants shouldn’t affect if a clay sticks.

[@bbubblyb]

@@CeramicJim Thanks for your quick reply. I've really enjoyed your "how to" videos, they have been very helpful.

[@juliamarie5096]

what was this fired at? cone 10?

[@CeramicJim]

I fired to cone 6

[@floriandejardin9848]

I prefer to made a little quantity of barbotine very concentrate. Then I will get it more dry on a piece of plaster for having a little ball of clay with a lot of stain. Then I will mix this little ball with a bigger quantity of clay..

[@CeramicJim]

That's smart. Much smarter than me. I started mixing colorants into my clay from scratch and that has made things a lot cleaner. Thanks for the tip.

[@jeannemcginnis]

Is this cone 10? Sorry if I missed that.

[@CeramicJim]

You didn't miss it. Sorry for not clarifying. This is a cone 6 porcelain. Sometimes reds, pinks, and yellows can burn out a bit at cone 10. Cone 6-8 is more reliable for those brighter colors. I've also read that oxidation is more reliable as well. Hope this helps!

[@jeannemcginnis]

Thanks -- super helpful. I work at a public studio and they only do cone 10. I'm looking for a good green and pink. So far they all burn out (in oxidation). I mix my stains into porcelain slip and apply to greenware. Oh, and my personal favorite is 5% crimson red.

[@CeramicJim]

Hmmm. I'm surprised about the green. Where do you buy from? How much are you using? I just used up the 5% crimson for some spiral nerikomi coming up in the next video so be on the look out!

[@jeannemcginnis]

I buy from Clay King, Big Ceramics Store or my local clay store. I used 10% slip (dry) to stain. I'm also using clear glazes without zinc which can neutralize the color. I'll look forward to your next video!

[@michaelcarney4063]

wear gloves rubber gloves. use water with the stain so you dont breath in the stain. wedge on a non porus surface so your bits of colour dont cross contaminate