I have heard of all kinds of ways to create resists for pottery decoration, from good old wax resist to paper resist, and everything in between. But surprisingly, I never thought of (or heard of) using rubber bands for resists! What a simple and brilliant idea! And I have plenty of those large rubber bands building up in my junk drawer!
In today's post, an excerpt from the June/July/August 2024 issue of Ceramics Monthly, Jessie Shaw explains how she uses rubber bands to get nice clean lines of resist when glazing! –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor
I love using commercial brushing glazes for their wide selection and potential for glaze combinations, but I want to have a clean look, which is often achieved from dipping glazes.
Tape is an option, but when you’re glazing a lot, it becomes wasteful. Wax is another option, but for single-fire potters like me, there isn’t a good solution when you get wax somewhere you don’t want it to be.
To get clean glazing lines, I use rubber bands. I find the ones that are used to bunch fresh produce work the best for me (and they’re free).
Put the rubber band on your piece where you’d like the glaze to stop. Use your finger to nudge the rubber band straight. Glaze as usual, making sure not to get glaze on the other side of the rubber band (1). Allow your piece to dry and gently pull
the rubber band off (2). Be careful of the glaze dust created when pulling the rubber band off. You can sponge the glaze off the rubber band before pulling it off if the glaze gets too dry. The best part about using rubber bands is that they
are reusable. Run them under water or use a sponge to clean them off. Fire your piece and admire that beautiful crisp glaze line (3). Find @modernfirepottery on Instagram to see this process in action.
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Published Jun 24, 2024
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I love using commercial brushing glazes for their wide selection and potential for glaze combinations, but I want to have a clean look, which is often achieved from dipping glazes.
Tape is an option, but when you’re glazing a lot, it becomes wasteful. Wax is another option, but for single-fire potters like me, there isn’t a good solution when you get wax somewhere you don’t want it to be.
To get clean glazing lines, I use rubber bands. I find the ones that are used to bunch fresh produce work the best for me (and they’re free).
Put the rubber band on your piece where you’d like the glaze to stop. Use your finger to nudge the rubber band straight. Glaze as usual, making sure not to get glaze on the other side of the rubber band (1). Allow your piece to dry and gently pull the rubber band off (2). Be careful of the glaze dust created when pulling the rubber band off. You can sponge the glaze off the rubber band before pulling it off if the glaze gets too dry. The best part about using rubber bands is that they are reusable. Run them under water or use a sponge to clean them off. Fire your piece and admire that beautiful crisp glaze line (3). Find @modernfirepottery on Instagram to see this process in action.
Unfamiliar with any terms in this article? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!
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