Crystalline
6 glazes / Coyote
Six glazes that grow crystals while the kiln cools.
Coyote made these easier to live with than traditional crystal glazes: less runny, no drip tray, and they can be fired alongside ordinary glazes. They are not for foodware.
Cone 5/6Bisque to Cone 04
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Crystalline by the numbers
6glazes on our shelves
1at Yellow Level
5at Purple Level
3good on texture
Friendly studio tip for this glaze family
Crystals grow while the kiln cools, not while it heats.
That is why these are called slow cool glazes, and Coyote have made them unusually convenient: less runny than a traditional crystal glaze, no drip tray needed, and they can go in alongside ordinary glazes.
Two things to hold onto. Coyote still say these run, so keep them up off the foot. And crystals grow best on smooth white clay, so porcelain or B-Mix will show them better than a speckled body.
Every Crystalline glaze we have in house
Hover any tile to see a pot fired in it, or tap once on a phone.
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Nothing by that name.
6 to choose from
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How the Crystalline line works
Six glazes, fired between witness cone 5 and witness cone 6.
The crystals form on the way down rather than the way up, which is why Coyote call them slow cool glazes. They are less demanding than a traditional crystal glaze, though Coyote are clear that these still run.
Coats
These are slow cool glazes: the crystals form on the way down, not on the way up.
Coyote say they are less runny than traditional crystal glazes and do not need a drip tray, but they add that these do still run. Take care near the foot.
Layering
Coyote say these can be fired alongside non-crystal glazes, which is unusual and makes them much easier to schedule than a traditional crystal glaze.
Food and safety
Coyote do not recommend the Crystalline glazes for foodware.
They have all their recipes reviewed by an independent toxicologist and none use lead, but the surface here is not one to eat from.
Clays that suit Crystalline
Crystals need somewhere clean to grow.
Smooth and lightCoyote say crystals grow best on smooth, white clay. #16 Porcelain, B-Mix and Half & Half are the bodies to reach for.
Darker bodies52 Buff, Speckled Buff and Berlin Gray will still work, but the crystals have less to contrast against and a rougher surface to form on.
Not for food surfacesCoyote do not recommend this line for foodware.
Worth knowingCoyote say crystals can form in the liquid glaze if it is stored below 65F.
From The Clay Hole University
More info about Crystalline 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
GuideOxide and Carbonate Washes
GuideWhen to Use Celadon Glazes
GuideHow to Use Dipping Glazes
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
The Crystalline 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 Coyote Crystalline 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.