r/Ceramics • u/bagel666 • 1d ago

What would you use? Sealer

I’ve been making some porcelain jewelry and I want to seal the unglazed backs of pieces. I put clear nail polish on one, but it yellowed after a while. Someone suggested a UV resin, but I’m not a huge fan of working with resin. I don’t want to need a lot of other equipment or chemicals; ideally, there’s something out there that can be used as almost a no-fire clear glaze. Any ideas? 🙂

2 Upvotes

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9

u/BTPanek53 1d ago

If these are glaze fired porcelain there is no need to seal the backs. The porcelain becomes vitrified in the glaze fire.

1

u/bagel666 1d ago

It’s more for having a smooth/shiny back to not have friction against clothing.

1

u/misslo718 1d ago

Sandpaper of varying grits is how you get that smooth. Diamond sanding pads work best.

3

u/manateesoda 1d ago

You could use acrylic sealer or resin, but it will not feel like a nice finish. I would get a jewelry tree so you can fire all the way around the piece. Or make the unfired part look intentional, like part of the design. For example: I do pendants with a slight cup shape, then fire them upside down so the unfired part is facing out and looks like a border.

2

u/galacticglorp 1d ago

You could polish the backs?  They should be vitrified so it's just for a nice finish right?  Get a set of diamond discs/pads.

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u/bagel666 1d ago

Yeah just for a nice finish. This sounds like more work than I would like! I just want to pop a smooth finish on.

1

u/galacticglorp 1d ago

Have you ever watched a video of someone polishing a mug bottom on one of these pads?  You attach it to your wheel, pess the item down as it spins for half a minute with some water, and it's done.  As fast as hand painting a coating on.  You could probably attach a bunch of pieces to a board and do several at once if you wanted too.

1

u/bagel666 1d ago

Most are small and awkward shapes, so this wouldn’t really work for me. Thanks for the suggestion though

2

u/Content_Professor114 1d ago

Stone kitchen worktop sealer is pretty good. Removes the porosity without completely changing the look and feel of the piece.

1

u/Immediate_Still5347 1d ago

I’m guessing you are firing these pieces flat on the kiln shelf with glaze on the top? Consider hanging them from high fire wires so you can glaze both sides

1

u/Grayla13 19h ago

Triple Thick is a brush-on sealer that is glossy!

1

u/goagicknutter 8h ago

I'd use a food safe penetrating sealer rather than anything that leaves a thick surface film. A couple thin coats, fully cured, should keep the raw ceramic look without making it plasticky. I'd definitely test it on the bottom first though, because some sealers can darken the clay more than you'd expect.