Night Rain

PG-24

⬛ Black Level

Night Rain is a satin brush-on glaze from Amaco's Phase line, fired cone 5 to cone 6.

SatinOpaqueCone 5/6
Available at The Clay HoleYes
Test tile
Fired pot
Phase family
Find it on the glazes shelves Shelf 4, Row 1Tile #2 on the Phase pot
Show me where

The quick version of Night Rain

TypeBrush-on glaze
FinishSatin
OpacityOpaque
Shows textureNot especially
Glaze fire toCone 5/6
Bisque toCone 04

What this glaze does

A deep indigo blue with lighter blue visual texture, reminiscent of a night sky through a rain spattered window.

Clays that suit Night Rain

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.
Blocks of clay in the studio at The Clay Hole The complete guide to clay bodies What each body is made of and how it behaves under a glaze. The clay bodies we stock at The Clay Hole The clays we carry Every body on our shelf, with bag sizes and prices.

Applying this glaze to your work

Three to four coats on bare bisque, not thinned, each dry before the next. Over another glaze, one or two coats only: Amaco warns that three or more coats over a glaze can cause bubbling.

Across the Phase line

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 the point of the line. Amaco publishes Phase as layering well over Celadon, Potter's Choice and Satin Matte, all of which we carry, at three coats over three coats. They also warn that Phase can run when layered.

Before you commit a pot

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.

From The Clay Hole University

More info about Night Rain 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.

Glaze Brushing Techniques, Coat by Coat GuideGlaze Brushing Techniques, Coat by Coat Glazing Big and Intricate Pottery Faster GuideGlazing Big and Intricate Pottery Faster Getting the Most Out of the Mega Glaze Tool GuideGetting the Most Out of the Mega Glaze Tool Making, Logging and Dialing in Test Tiles GuideMaking, Logging and Dialing in Test Tiles Glaze Problems, Causes and Fixes GuideGlaze Problems, Causes and Fixes Glazing on the Wheel for Even Coats and Clean Bands GuideGlazing on the Wheel for Even Coats and Clean Bands Bubble Glaze with Dish Soap GuideBubble Glaze with Dish Soap Mixing Your Own Glazes: What It Actually Involves GuideMixing Your Own Glazes: What It Actually Involves Making a Glaze Catcher GuideMaking a Glaze Catcher Getting Great Results with Crystalline Glazes GuideGetting Great Results with Crystalline Glazes Oxide and Carbonate Washes GuideOxide and Carbonate Washes When to Use Celadon Glazes GuideWhen to Use Celadon Glazes How to Use Dipping Glazes GuideHow to Use Dipping Glazes Raku Firing: Techniques, Tips and How It Works RakuRaku Firing: Techniques, Tips and How It Works How to Use Underglaze: Techniques, Rules and Firing UnderglazeHow to Use Underglaze: Techniques, Rules and Firing Mishima: How to Inlay Slip and Underglaze into Carved Lines UnderglazeMishima: How to Inlay Slip and Underglaze into Carved Lines Wipe-Away Texture: Underglaze and Oxide Washes on Bisque UnderglazeWipe-Away Texture: Underglaze and Oxide Washes on Bisque
Browse all 170+ lessons and guides

Firing Night Rain

Amaco rates the Phase line for cone 5 and cone 6 over bisque fired to cone 04. Firing at cone 5 rather than cone 6 gives less movement.

If you are a member here

None of this is yours to manage. We handle everything on the kiln side, and every glaze on our shelves can be fired safely in our studio.

Common problems with Night Rain

Why did my layered piece bubble?

Too many coats over the glaze underneath. Amaco says one or two coats over another glaze, and that three or more can bubble.

Why did it run?

Phase glazes move, especially layered. Amaco suggests firing at cone 5 for less movement.

What should I put it over?

Amaco publishes Celadon, Potter's Choice and Satin Matte as good bases, and we carry all three.

Food and function

Amaco rates the line for cone 5 and cone 6. Because Phase is normally used over another glaze, anyone producing functional ware should test the specific combination they intend to use.

Across the Phase line

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.

Test tile pots lined up on the glaze shelves at The Clay Hole

Our test tile pots

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.

  1. 1Find the pot The brand and family name are written on the rim. This glaze lives on the Amaco Phase pot.
  2. 2Find the tile This one is tile #2. The numbers match the ones in the Glaze Bible.
  3. 3Read it properly Look at what the glaze does across all four textures, not just what color it is.

What to look at on the tile

Broad vertical textureA broad open surface. Shows the color at full strength, and whether the glaze travels down it.
Shallow textureA shallow swirl stamp. Shows whether light carving still reads once the glaze is on, or fills in and vanishes.
Deep textureCut lines. A deeply rough texture stripe. Shows where the glaze pools, how it breaks, and how dark it goes in the recesses.
Wipe-away textureGlaze wiped back to bare clay. Shows what the edge does where the coat runs thin. Find this wiped away on the tile's number.
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 the Amaco Phase Family

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.

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.

All Phase glazesAll Amaco glazes
Phase family

More ways to pick a glaze

The Mega Glaze Tool Every glaze we carry, filtered by level, color, sheen and more. The Glaze Finder Type a name and see exactly where it sits on our wall. Clay Hole University Glazing lessons, from brushing to dipping to layering. Download the Glaze Bible PDF The whole printed Bible, in one file.

Membership levels that may use this glaze: Black

Not sure whether this glaze suits what you are making, or how it works with our system here? Ask an instructor. That is what we are here for, and a two minute conversation at the shelf beats a fired pot you did not want.

How membership levels work Back to the Glaze Bible
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.

Download the Glaze Bible PDF