Back to Glazes

AMACO Engobes (SE) (lead free)

Scroll down for color chart.

Sgraffito, Slip Trailing, and Painting. Engobes are either natural clays or a mixture of clays and ceramic raw materials, and are typically rich earth colors and subdued tones. Only water is added to obtain a working consistency like thick cream.

Methods of Decoration. Engobes may be brushed, poured, or trailed thinly on wet or dry greenware. Sometimes they are used to cover an inferior body, but generally are applied as decoration to contrast with the color of the clay piece. Slip painting, slip trailing, and Sgraffito are especially good decorating methods for engobes. For best results when slip painting, use short brush stripkoes. The designs should be compressed with direct strokes of the brush which is heavily loaded with the engobe. More elaborate designs may be made by the slip trailing method. Try decorating with the AMACO® Slip Trailer to produce thin and thick line designs. When the Sgraffito process is used, designs are scratched into a layer of engobe so the color of the clay shows through.

When used for decorative ware on stoneware and left unglazed, most of them have a smooth matte, or satin finish, except SE-701, SE-720, and SE-740. These will have an irregular surface at Cone 5-6.

Any AMACO® dry or moist pottery clay may be decorated with AMACO® Engobes and fired to the maturing temperature of the basic clay. Usually, a clear transparent glaze for unique effects is applied over the entire decorated shape.

If left unglazed, AMACO® Engobes should not be used on surfaces which come in contact with food or drink. AMACO® clear glazes LG-10, F-10, and HF-9 or any other dinnerware safe glaze are recommended to be used over AMACO® Engobes to make them dinnerware safe.

AMACO® Engobes have only been tested and approved as dinnerware safe when applied and fired under AMACO® LG-10 Clear Glaze.