How to make underglaze pencils

In this video, I show you how to make underglaze pencils using Mason stains and porcelain.
Finding Your Throwing Bliss with Andy Ruble is a multi-part web series designed to help beginning through advanced ceramic students improve their hand building and wheel throwing techniques.

[@27andymay]

Thanks!!

[@traceturner9474]

Thank you so much, I am so grateful to find your simple but informative video...just what I needed...

[@ravichandranradhakrishnan9971]

Informative, thank you. Hope to see a underglaze brushable

[@micheledickey4066]

Thanks so much

[@phoebelucas4159]

My friend, thank you so much I've been wanting to use these forever but I can't afford the commercial ones. But It's very important that you use a different mask. You need one with dust filters or atleast an N-95 for quick tasks. Surgical masks are intended to prevent water droplets from coming out of your mouth and onto a patient while allowing you to breathe easily from the open sides of the mask. Very efficient and comfortable for a surgery, but they are useless against silicosis.

[@andyruble633]

Thank you so much Phoebe! I haven't looked at this video since the lockdown days and YES I should have emphasized the point of using a quality respirator or N 95.

[@palumbo312]

Great video - thanks

[@windynicholson6268]

Thank you so much for this!!!

[@verar7861]

Thank you 🤗

[@deannak1841]

I think might like to try a pigment muller- could save you some time, but thanks for the info- it was great

[@incilakay2303]

Lots of thanks from Turkey, Bodrum. I have been looking for this receipe so long and with your help I learned it. I was trying to addmwax and it crumbelled it. After trying will let you know if wax resist is needed .🌹🙏🙏🙏🤗👍

[@MerriWinter]

Ooooo. Happy thanks

[@VEGE60]

👏 Thanks

[@juliachai3832]

Could these possibly still work if you didnt bisque them and they were bone dry? Awesome video by the way! Definitely am going to try this out.

[@andyruble633]

Yes Julia! A lot more material will come off of the pencils. It will actually work and feel a bit more like pastels. It will however smudge a easily so some folks use a bit of hair spray to stick it down before firing. Thanks for checking it out. 👍-Andy

[@zsuzsuv]

Thank you so much for this video. I've got only one question: the degrees you mention is meant in celsius or fahrenheit?

[@andyruble633]

Fahrenheit. Thanks for looking and I hope it helps -Andy

[@m.banyas4205]

Hi Andy! I'm an enamelist and I've used underglaze pencils for many years fired into various enamel layers. I also use mason stains, fired inbetween layers, for painting, pen & ink work, etc. I'm dying to try this, but 2 questions: 1) will the porcelain content fight with my enamel since enamel is actually glass? and 2) how long are you firing your pencils? Enamels fire in minutes instead of hours. How long are you firing these? Thanks for the information!

[@andyruble633]

Hi There, and thanks for checking out my video! I usually fire these pencils to 1800 degrees or so. For a harder or softer "feel" you can fire 100 degrees hotter for harder or 100 degrees cooler for a softer feel. I have very little experience with enamels, but I would think the porcelain would effect the glass surface. Maybe you can experiment with silica or some type of mid-range frit (like 3110) for the porcelain replacement? Look luck and let me know what comes of it. :) -Andy

[@judithfarley6990]

Can I do the same technique with ordinary clay? Thanks for your video 😇

[@andyruble633]

Hi Judith! Thanks for checking out the video. A white clay like powdered porcelain will have a much better color response, but if you are making a dark colored pencil like black or dark blue I suppose any clay will work. -Andy

[@lisbethsriis3376]

Could YOU by any chance make this into a brushable underglaze - and do you know how? Thanks for the video, and your time😊

[@andyruble633]

Hi! I have never made this as a brushable. I would think you could by adding more water and some VEEGUM and a few drops of flux like gerstley borate to help it flow and stick.Good luck! -Andy

[@anaisdelossantos1501]

hi ! thank you for the video, just curious if you happen to know the exact spec to plug into a skutt electirc kiln? like if im firing at cone 012, what preheat to input if any?

[@andyruble633]

Hello! I’m not sure exactly what you mean by exact specs? To fire these small pencils you probably wouldn’t need much more than a one hour preheat. -Andy

[@adalovestherain]

Degrees what? Celsius or Fahrenheit?

[@andyruble633]

Fahrenheit. Sorry for any confusion!

[@adalovestherain]

@@andyruble633 Thank you!