Colouring a pot

[Andrew Legg]

Hi All,

I am looking for a big pot, and a local seller has one, but it is lighter than I'd like. Can anyone tell me anything about dying an unglazed pot a darker colour? Any tricks or techniques?

Have a great weekend!

Regards,

Andrew

[MWid]

I don't have the answer to this, but I would like to know where you get you local pots from.

[Brian]

You can prepare the surface with fine sandpaper, wash it down thoroughly with mild detergent ( I use sugarsoap ) rinse off a few times and allow to dry. Then you can spray it with a good quality primer and a few topcoats of colour from a rattle can. I have done this when I needed to change an unglazed pot to a green blue shinny glazed finish.
I am a professional painter by trade so I do speak with experience.

[Andrew Legg]

I don't have the answer to this, but I would like to know where you get you local pots from.

Hey Mark,

Local pots uhm, not so much. I am a bit of a pot snob (there, I said it), so most of the stuff I buy is Japanese. There are a few local makers who seem to have some good stuff, and you can try Olive Grove for it. Otherwise most of the pots coming in to SA these days are cheap and middle quality Chinese pots. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them, but I just love the fine clays used by the Japanese. One of my favourite pots is actually a pot made by Stan and Ilse Holroyd in Somerset West. I think they sell at one of the craft markets there. Currently (in my opinion) the best selection of pots is available at Steven's nursery near Olive Grove. If you need his details SMS me. He has a good range of prices and quality.

Cheers,

Andrew

[Andrew Legg]

You can prepare the surface with fine sandpaper, wash it down thoroughly with mild detergent ( I use sugarsoap ) rinse off a few times and allow to dry. Then you can spray it with a good quality primer and a few topcoats of colour from a rattle can. I have done this when I needed to change an unglazed pot to a green blue shinny glazed finish.
I am a professional painter by trade so I do speak with experience.

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the response and tip! What I'm hoping to do is keep the unglazed look of the pot, but make use of the porosity of the clay to somehow die the pot a darker colour. I was thinking of using indian ink or possibly even food colouring, but it would be an expensive experiment if it went wrong! I really like the deep brown Japanese clays, and this one is a lighter colour. I guess I could spray it, but I don't want to end up with a glazed look pot either.

Cheers,

Andrew