Post #691561 by MadDogMike on Mon, Aug 26, 2013 4:58 PM

Hey Jürka! Looks like you are making progress!
One of the magical things about ceramics is how the glaze goes in looking so crappy and comes out all glossy and shiny. Yes, the glaze dries to an ugly powdery and somewhat rough coating. The brush marks should smooth out when fired. That being said there are still A LOT of variables: opaque vs transparent glazes, the consistency of the glaze when applied, how thick the glaze was applied to the ceramic, the speed and temperature at which it is fired, the quality of the glaze, etc.

Most people like to do test tiles with their glazes ~ glaze a carved or textured tiles and see what the glaze looks like when fired. If you don't do a test tile, I would surely recommend that you do just one mug first and see how it comes out.

Be sure there is no glaze on the bottom of the mug or it will fuse to the kiln shelf. The person firing your pieces should be a good resource too. He obviously knows about ceramics and can probably answer some of your questions.

Good luck Jürka, here's to your success.