Wednesday 3 December 2008

Underglaze Decal Factory

We finally found the right factory for the decals.  These are underglaze decals made from cobalt oxide and maybe manganese to make the color darker in some cases.  They wet the oxide down until it is a slip-ish consistency and smeer it into a steel mold type thing.  The mold has a very thin carving design of the decal on it.  Once the oxide is pressed in and excess is scraped away a piece of thin paper like tracing paper is placed over it and pressed onto the top of the mold with a large roller.  Then the paper is peeled away with the oxide design on it.  All you have to do in order to transfer it to a pot is apply it just like a temporary tattoo with water.  These things are pretty cool and super cheap so I bought a few sheets with dragons and things on them so I can make china gifts for people when I get home.    

6 comments:

ang design said...

wow now that's a great decal factory...do they sell online brad??

Brad Lail said...

I think they do, but I have no clue what the charge is. I can tell you they have quite a few women laborers working in extremely bad breathing environments with no masks. They will probably not live very long. I have the e-mail of one of the ladies that works there and might could get a hold of some. I am not sure about supporting that kind of labor though. Let me know what you want and I will try and see if I can get something shipped for you.

ang design said...

thanks for the info brad, i'll take your word for it, i just assumed with the light coming in they had ventilation too and being underglaze it wouldn't require a turpentine base unless you're refering to the cobalt itself?...great to see the process though its given me some ideas..

Unknown said...

Hi Brad Have you had any luck with finding a souce for the decals you . I very interested. Great video

laureenjl said...

Hi Brad,
I m planning a trip to Jingdezhen and I am interested in visiting the decal factory. do you have an address or an details that may help with planning this?

Any help would be great,

thanks,

Laureen

Simply Dee in Long Beach said...

Has anyone had any luck in finding out whether or not they have an on-line shop listing their underglaze decals? I'm very interested in seeing their selection of decals.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thank You.

Regards....Diane Cropper/Long Beach, CA