Stains are fired blends of metal and ceramic oxides that have been reground into a fine powder. They are most popular at lower temperatures where colors tend to be brighter. However, most stains can also be used right up to the high fire range.
Benefits of Ceramic Stains:
- Stability: compared to coloring oxides, stains are chemically stable.
- Consistent Results: because of their stability, produce much more consistent and repeatable color than using raw oxide colors.
- Mixable: this is a key advantage of stains, the ability to target a specific color by mixing different stains to achieve the desired effect.
Stains can produce homogeneous color which can be less interesting than the variegated and speckled color effects that can be achieved with raw metal oxides like iron, cobalt, copper, etc. But it cannot be ignored that stains are far more consistent and reliable to use.
Finally, stains don't suspend well in water to create a paintable material, so it is necessary to mix them with a compatible and paintable glaze medium for doing brushwork.
