Overglazes and Luster Users Guide

MAYCO/DUNCAN OVERGLAZES

ADVANTAGES: Mayco Overglazes have been especially designed for the hobbyist, so you'll find them easy to use, even if you're a beginner. And if you've tried other manufacturers' overglazes in the past and were discouraged by the difficulty of application, you'll appreciate the advantages Mayco Overglazes offer. 

Mayco Overglazes are tinted, so you can see where you've applied them

a. Premium Gold tint should be red in color.

b. Bright Gold tint should be brown in color.

c. White Gold tint should be green in color.
These color tints not only make it easier to achieve smooth, even coverage, but also makes it a much simpler matter to use the overglazes together on the same item for design work or when you want a Gold band or trim on a piece with Mother-of-Pearl. Still another advantage of tinted overglazes is that you can see any accidental misplacement of an overglaze. To correct, dip a cotton swab in OA 901 Essence and wipe off the misplaced overglaze, repeating until all tint is gone. Other advantages provided by these new overglazes include longer working time, the ability to undergo firing while still wet, and the firing compatibility of the Gold sand Mother-of-Pearl. If you want to use Bright Gold or White, Gold and Mother-of-Pearl on the same item, you save time and money by being able to fire both overglazes at the same time.

CHARACTERISTICS: OG 801 Bright Gold and OG802 White Gold have all the clean color, brilliance and high durability of 22-karat gold. Mirror-bright effects result when the Golds are applied over glossy glazes; satin-smooth effects from application over satin-finish glazes; and rich matte effects from application over matte-finish glazes. OG 803 Mother-of-Pearl is a luster that deepens over colors, turning. more opalescent when applied smoothly and producing a rainbow of hues when applied in a swirling fashion over clear glazes. When applied to a fired glaze surface and fired to cone 020-019,Mayco Overglazes become a firm part of the underlying glaze, providing a lasting and durable finish.

OVERGLAZE ACCESSORIES:DM-222D Gold Palette with Lid is the ideal palette for use with Mayco Overglazes. A little overglaze is poured from the vial into the central reservoir. The brush is loaded from the overglaze in the reservoir and worked on the flat surface of the palette until the hairs are saturated, then the brush can be pulled or rolled to a fine point. The palette is designed with a lid which protects the brush and overglaze when not in use. OA 901 ESSENCE is the necessary cleaner for brushes used with Mayco Overglazes. Any other agent may contain water or solvents which will cause separation of the overglaze during application. (See HOW TO CLEANBRUSHES for proper way to use Essence.)

OVERGLAZE BRUSHES:NOTE: Brushes used with a Mayco Overglaze should be reserved for that overglaze alone and not used with any other products. Brushes should be cleaned only with OA901 Essence.

Other Recommended Brushes - The following brushes are also excellent for applying Mayco Overglazes, depending on coverage needed:

DECORATING TECHNIQUES TO USE UNDEROVERGLAZES: E-Z Stroke, Foundations underglazes work under a Mayco clear , tinted transparent or semitransparent glaze can be greatly enhanced after firing with yellow or white gold accents or a pearlescent finish. Mayco's Mother-of-Pearl Overglaze blends the underlying color and adds depth to a design or antiqued effect. For this reason, Mother-of-Pearl is very successful over an Elements Glazes. (If you plan to use a green-or metallic family glaze, check the section INCOMPATIBLEGLAZES before making the final selection of your glaze.)

PREPARATION OF WARE: Bisque Firing -Carefully cleaned greenware should be bisque fired to cone 04. The hard bisque firing eliminates all gases in the ware and will prevent minute crazing in the glaze which will not be visible until after the overglaze firing If a Crackletone Glaze is to be used, bisque fire to cone 06.) Glazing - Dust bisque well with Duster brush to remove any dust and particles accumulated during firing. Follow directions on glaze jar label to make sure ware to, be decorated with Mayco Overglaze is fully glazed. Thinly glazed areas will feel "sandy" under Mayco Overglazes. Fire ware to highest cone recommended on jar label (cone 06 for most glazes).

Cleaning the Glazed Ware - Glazed surfaces to be decorated with Mayco Overglazes must be clean and free of dust, lint, film left from firing, fingerprints, and oils. Moisten clean, lint-free cloth or paper towel with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and wipe down ware. As alcohol contains water, allow to dry for some time after cleaning to be sure no moisture remains on ware. After ware has been cleaned, handle it with a paper towel or a lint-free cloth to avoid fingerprints and smudges.

WORK AREA: When using Mayco Overglazes, work in a clean, dust-free area with good ventilation. Cigarette smoke does not affect the overglaze finish, but moisture in the exhaled smoke might. Keep ashes well away from ware. Your hands must be free of all oils, hand lotion and moisture. After washing, hands can be wiped off with a paper towel dampened with rubbing alcohol.

PREPARATION OF BRUSHES: The brushes used for the application of Mayco Overglazes should be cleaned with Mayco Essence and wiped on a paper towel before use. (See HOW TO CLEAN BRUSHES.) To avoid contamination with other materials and possible consequent problems, reserve brushes for exclusive use with only one of the Mayco Overglazes. (See OVERGLAZE BRUSHES for recommended brushes.)

BRIGHT GOLD & WHITE GOLD APPLICATION: Do not stir or shake overglaze. Place a small amount of overglaze in central reservoir of Mayco Gold Palette. Wipe off lip of vial with the brush you will be using and cap tightly. Load brush by dipping one-fourth to one-half of the brush hairs into overglaze in reservoir. Work brush hairs on flat surface of palette until hairs are saturated. Detail brushes are then rolled on smooth surface of palette; Shader brushes are pulled out on smooth surface of palette. This allows the overglaze to become slightly tacky and thicker for easier application, elimination of purple areas and achievement of clean, brilliant color. Apply one smooth coat. Try to attain an even tint with the Bright Gold, and the White Gold. If an area looks thin, wait until it is tacky and then touch it up with more Gold. Do not let Golds pool in an area but brush out smoothly. When covering large areas, reloading will be necessary, so work as quickly as possible. Continue from previous point of application, so overglaze will flow back into itself and total application will be as even as possible. If Golds are accidentally applied on wrong area, dip cotton swab in Essence and wipe off misplaced Gold. Repeat until all tint is gone.

MOTHER-OF-PEARL APPLICATION: Do not stir or shake overglaze. Place small amount of overglaze in central reservoir of Mayco Gold Palette. Wipe lip of jar with the brush you will be using and cap tightly. Load brush by dipping one-third to one-half of the brush hairs into  overglaze in reservoir. Important: Wipe off excess on edge of palette. Too heavy an application may cause powdering off in the firing, crazing or a frosty look. Mother-of-Pearl is tinted blue so you can easily attain complete coverage. Hold flat part of the brush against ware and swirl on one smooth coat of Mother-of Pearl  in  large,  semicircular  strokes,  overlapping successive strokes. The more swirled the stroke, the more broken the design will be after firing. Mother-of Pearl can also be applied in long, even strokes for a waterfall effect, with diagonal strokes or with horizontal strokes around the ware. Overlap strokes but avoid heavy dark areas or very light areas. The application will look uneven. Each type of application will give a slightly different effect. Reload brush as needed, wiping off excess each time.

HOW TO CLEAN BRUSHES: Brushes used with Mayco Overglazes should be cleaned only with OA 901 Essence. For each Mayco Overglaze, label two small glass jars as #l and #2. Pour one-half inch to one inch of Essence in each jar. Clean the brush by first wiping off all excess overglaze back onto palette, then wipe brush on paper towel. Dip brush into jar #l and again wipe on paper towel, then repeat process with jar #2. Do not clean brushes in water or any other cleaner. If brush seems slightly stiff before next use, dip into jar #2 and dry well on  paper towel. When Essence becomes very contaminated, wipe out jar with paper towel and place towel in trash for immediate disposal.

Don’t clean the brush

FIRING: Fire overglaze-decorated ware as soon as possible to cone 020-019. Mayco Overglazes dry in about one hour but overglazed ware can be fired while still wet, if desired. The kiln must be clean, well-ventilated and follow a normal firing schedule. If ware cannot be fired immediately, store in a dust-free environment. Do not touch wet decoration and handle as little as possible until ware is fired.

STORAGE: To avoid contamination, do not return overglaze in Gold Palette to original vial or jar. Cover palette·with lid or place remaining overglaze in clean, labeled jar for future use. Leftover overglaze can be used in later project by adding more overglaze or one to two drops of Essence. Essence thins overglaze, so use it sparingly. Label all jars and keep out of reach of children. It is best to keep each Mayco Overglaze with Essence, brushes and Gold Palette used for that particular product in a dark, dust-free place with an even temperature to maximize the already long shelf life of Mayco Overglazes.

POSSIBLE DEFECTS & HOW TO AVOID THEM: If you are unaccustomed to working with overglazes, this information on possible defects will help you avoid them.

Dull, smoky, or cloudy appearance  Cause: Too heavy an application; uneven application; incompatible glaze. Remedy: Use silver polish to polish ware.

Crazing Cause: If the