Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between tissue and newsprint transfers?

Tissue transfers are commercially printed and are extremely easy to apply to the clay by burnishing lightly, rubbing with a finger, or gently dabbing the backside with a slightly damp sponge if needed. They can be used on soft, medium, leather hard, bone dry clay, or bisque. They can smear or tear if burnished or sponged too robustly. A zinc-clear glaze is recommended.

Newsprint transfers are a little more involved to use because in most cases you need to use a slip or an underglaze as the vehicle to make the transfer, brushed on either the newsprint or on the clay. The advantage of using newsprint is that it can hold up to a lot of moisture and burnishing, and you can use more than one color on the transfer before applying it to the clay.

What is the firing range for the transfers?

Theoretically and depending on the temperature rating of your clay and glazes, the firing range is between Cone 04-10, again depending on what clay, slip and glazes you are using. I personally bisque fire my stoneware and porcelain to Cone 06, and my terra cotta to either Cone 1 or Cone 04 depending on whether it needs to be more vitrified due to food safety. I glaze fire my stoneware and porcelain to Cone 6 and either Cone 06 or 04 for terra cotta. I’ve also fired the transfers in a friend’s gas reduction kiln to Cone 10 (see results below). I go into more detail on the Slips/Glazes page about the firing range of the transfers, slips and glazes I’ve been using.

What should I do if my slab seems too dried out to work with after doing a transfer?

You can try rehydrating your slab by misting it with a very light spray of water, both on the top and bottom sides, lay it on a piece of plastic, then carefully cover the entire piece with another sheet of plastic and leave in place for 12-24 hours.

Are the transfers food safe?

Yes – these transfers are lead free and food safe, as long as you have a food safe rated glaze over them.

What is the best way to care for the transfers and what is their shelf life?

It is best to store the transfers flat, in a dry area at room temperature and in a sealed plastic bag, out of direct sunlight. The shelf life could be at least 3 years if the transfers are stored properly.

What type of glazes can I use over the transfers?

Many glazes will work on the transfers, especially those that are less opaque and more translucent. You definitely need to do some testing first to make sure you like the results. Some glazes work better than others for a multitude of reasons. I go over the commercial glazes that I’ve tested with success on the Slip/Glazes page, and will be adding more information as I continue testing. Testing never stops! You never know what amazing effect you’ll discover unless you test.

Why do some of the transfers smear after the bisque fire?

It is not recommended to sponge or rinse bisqued pieces as some of the transfers are not completely fused to the clay and can still smear at this stage. The orange transfers are especially prone to smear after the bisque fire on certain clay bodies, so use care when handling or apply them to bisque rather than leather hard clay. They are fine to brush a glaze over. However, unlike the other colors which can be left unglazed if fired to Cone 6 or higher, the orange transfers need to be covered with a glaze in order to be stable. There are always exceptions, depending on the clay body and/or type of glaze, so always test transfers first before committing to a large piece or body of work.