Snow Drift

KI-11

⬛ Black Level

Snow Drift is a glossy brush-on glaze from Amaco's Kiln Ice line, fired cone 5 to cone 6.

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

The quick version of Snow Drift

TypeBrush-on glaze
FinishGlossy
OpacityTranslucent
Shows textureNot especially
Glaze fire toCone 5/6
Bisque toCone 04

What this glaze does

A diffused, milky white, in Amaco's own words. On a dark body the white sits over the clay and the crack network shows through it as fine dark lines, which is the whole Guan ware effect in one glaze.

Clays that suit Snow Drift

Amaco fires this line's own sample tiles on No.32 Dark Chocolate clay at cone 5, and says the crackle shows best over brown and buff bodies.

Rated forCone 5 and cone 6 over cone 04 bisque.
Dark and warm bodiesBerlin Gray is the closest thing we stock to what Amaco photographs these on. The crack network reads hardest against a dark body.
Buff bodies52 Buff and Speckled Buff sit right in the range Amaco recommends, and the iron speckle plays well with a translucent crackle.
Light bodies#16 Porcelain, B-Mix and Half & Half will show the color cleanly but give the cracks less to contrast against.
Worth knowingAmaco notes this line works best with their manganese-free chocolate clays, which we do not stock. Berlin Gray is our nearest equivalent, not a match.
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, and Amaco says heavier than a normal coat. Several brushed layers work better than one very thick one. A thin application is the usual reason the crackle does not show.

Across the Kiln Ice line

Three to four coats, and Amaco says heavier than you would normally brush. Several brushed layers beat one thick one.

Thin application is the usual reason a Kiln Ice pot comes out looking like nothing much happened.

From The Clay Hole University

More info about Snow Drift 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 Snow Drift

Amaco rates the Kiln Ice line for cone 5 and cone 6, published as 2167F and 2232F on a medium speed firing, over bisque fired to cone 04.

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 Snow Drift

Why is my pot covered in fine cracks?

That is the glaze doing its job. Kiln Ice is modeled on Guan ware and the crack network is the effect.

Why does mine look pale and plain?

Almost certainly too thin. Amaco calls for three to four heavier than normal coats.

Can I drink from it?

Amaco does not recommend this line for food or drink surfaces. Use it on the outside.

Food and function

Amaco rates the line lead free and food safe as a material, and still does not recommend it for surfaces that touch food or drink, because a crazed surface is not durable enough for it. Keep it to the outside of pots and to sculpture.

Across the Kiln Ice line

Amaco rates these lead free and food safe as a material, and still does not recommend them for surfaces that touch food or drink, because a crazed surface is not durable enough for it.

Use this line on the outside of pots, on sculpture, and on anything that will not be eaten from. Amaco also puts a cautionary label on it restricting use to above grade 6.

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 Kiln Ice pot.
  2. 2Find the tile This one is tile #1. 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 Kiln Ice Family

Kiln Ice is Amaco's crackle line, modeled after Guan ware from the Southern Song dynasty. Every glaze in it crazes on purpose.

The glaze itself is translucent and goes slightly opaque along the cracks, so you end up looking through one surface at another. Amaco says the effect reads strongest over brown and buff clay.

Six glazes, all translucent, all crackled. Amaco released these as a mid-fire line rated for cone 5 and cone 6 over cone 04 bisque. The crazing is the product, not a fault. That is worth saying plainly, because a crackle glaze is a network of hairline cracks and those cracks are why Amaco does not recommend this line for food surfaces.

All Kiln Ice glazesAll Amaco glazes
Kiln Ice 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