Phase
4 glazes / Amaco
Phase is a four color line built for layering. Each glaze carries a visual texture that appears where the glaze goes on thick.
Amaco designed them to sit over other glazes, and publishes them as layering well over Celadon, Potter's Choice and Satin Matte. We carry all three of those lines.
Cone 5/6Bisque to Cone 04
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Phase by the numbers
4glazes on our shelves
4at Black Level
Friendly studio tip for this glaze family
Phase glazes are layering glazes. They will work on bare bisque, but that is not what they are for.
The number that matters: three or four coats on bare clay, but only one or two coats when you put them over another glaze. Amaco says three or more coats over a glaze can bubble, and that is not a fixable bubble.
They also run when layered. Cone 5 if you want them to sit still.
Every Phase glaze we have in house
Hover any tile to see a pot fired in it, or tap once on a phone.
How the Phase line works
Four glazes, rated for cone 5 and cone 6 over cone 04 bisque.
On their own they are three to four brush coats, undiluted. Over another glaze they behave differently, and Amaco is specific about it: one or two coats is enough, and three or more can cause bubbling.
Coats
On bare bisque, three to four coats, not thinned, each dry before the next.
Over another glaze, one or two coats. Amaco warns that three or more coats over a glaze can bubble. For a full layered pairing they publish three coats over three coats.
Layering
This is what the line is for. Amaco publishes Phase as layering well over Celadon, Potter's Choice and Satin Matte, all three of which are on our shelves.
Their own warning is worth repeating: Phase glazes can run, especially when layered. For less movement, fire at cone 5.
Food and safety
Amaco rates the Phase line for cone 5 and cone 6.
Because these are usually used layered, and a layered result depends on what is underneath, anyone producing functional ware should test the specific combination they intend to use.
Clays that suit Phase
Amaco photographs this line on their 32M Dark Chocolate clay at cone 5, so their published results are on a dark body.
Rated forCone 5 and cone 6 over cone 04 bisque.
Dark bodiesBerlin Gray is our closest body to what Amaco photographs these on. The visual texture reads hardest against a dark ground.
Light bodies#16 Porcelain, B-Mix and Half & Half will give you a paler, airier version of the same glaze.
Usually over a glazeMost Phase results come from layering rather than from bare clay, so the glaze underneath matters more than the body in practice.
RunningAmaco warns these can run, especially layered. Fire at cone 5 if you want less movement.
From The Clay Hole University
More info about Phase below, but first... Everything we teach about glazing, written down and taught properly. These are the glaze lessons, and they are a small corner of a library that runs from centering your first pot to selling your work.
GuideGlaze Brushing Techniques, Coat by Coat
GuideGlazing Big and Intricate Pottery Faster
GuideGetting the Most Out of the Mega Glaze Tool
GuideMaking, Logging and Dialing in Test Tiles
GuideGlaze Problems, Causes and Fixes
GuideGlazing on the Wheel for Even Coats and Clean Bands
GuideBubble Glaze with Dish Soap
GuideMixing Your Own Glazes: What It Actually Involves
GuideMaking a Glaze Catcher
GuideGetting Great Results with Crystalline Glazes
GuideOxide and Carbonate Washes
GuideWhen to Use Celadon Glazes
GuideHow to Use Dipping Glazes
RakuRaku Firing: Techniques, Tips and How It Works
UnderglazeHow to Use Underglaze: Techniques, Rules and Firing
UnderglazeMishima: How to Inlay Slip and Underglaze into Carved Lines
UnderglazeWipe-Away Texture: Underglaze and Oxide Washes on Bisque
Common questions about Phase
How many Amaco Phase glazes does The Clay Hole carry?
All four, and every one has its own page here with test tile and fired pot photos.
What cone do Phase glazes fire to?
Cone 5 to cone 6 over bisque fired to cone 04. Amaco suggests cone 5 if you want less movement.
What do Phase glazes layer over?
Amaco publishes them as layering well over Celadon, Potter's Choice and Satin Matte. We carry all three lines in full.
How many coats do Phase glazes need?
Three to four on bare bisque. Over another glaze, only one or two, because Amaco warns three or more can cause bubbling.
Do Phase glazes run?
Amaco says they can, especially when layered. Firing at cone 5 rather than cone 6 reduces the movement.
What is the visual texture in a Phase glaze?
Each of the four carries a lighter spotted or mottled texture that appears where the glaze is applied thickly.
The Phase test tile pot
Every glaze family on our shelves has its own test tile pot, and it is the fastest way to decide what to put on a piece. It is a fired pot wearing the whole family, one numbered tile per glaze, on a surface built to show you what that glaze actually does rather than just what color it is.
Look for Amaco Phase written on the rim. Each glaze on this page carries its tile number, and the numbers run around the pot.
One trick worth knowing
Some glazes tell you loudly that they run. Others hide it. Look at how the brushed lines fired: crisp edges mean a stable glaze, and edges that went soft and fluid mean it moved, and it will move on your pot too.
About these images and what your pot will actually look like
We have done our best to represent every glaze here accurately, and you should still expect your pot to look different from what is on this screen.
Our glaze tile images are digitally created. They are built to show the character of a glaze, not to be a color match.
A screen is not a printout, a printout is not a test tile, and a test tile is not a finished pot. Each step in that chain shifts what a glaze looks like, sometimes a lot.
On top of that, the pottery itself changes the result: the clay body, how thick the glaze went on, whether it was brushed, dipped or sprayed, what was layered under or over it, where the piece sat in the kiln, how hot that spot ran, how fast it cooled, what was fired next to it, and how much texture the surface had. Two pots glazed from the same jar on the same day can come out different.
Treat every image here as a starting point, and treat a test tile fired on your own clay as the real answer.