These products and techniques give a different finish to glazes and fired, ceramic products.

Water-based products can often be mixed with each other or used in layers.

Solvent-based products can usually be mixed together to a point: thick applications may dry to a ghastly, gummy surface and are hell to remove.

Once dry many of either type can used in layers but you might not get a lasting bond between them.

Use quality Solvent-based products designed for wood. But cheap oil paints and pastels are good enough.

Not all products will weather well outdoors. Many will go cloudy or peel off.

Once they are dry all of these treatments can be sanded. They are intended to be long-lasting and are nightmare to remove!

A Dremel-type tool with a selection of sanding fittings is invaluable. Mine is a Machine Mart brand with extra attachments from Lidls.

ADHESIVES:

Araldite or other 2-part epoxy adhesives give an excellent bond but are brittle.

CT1 Sealer/Adhesive gives an excellent, flexible bond and comes in various colours. There are other brands similar to CT1. “Silicon sealers” are useless.

Avoid getting adhesives to the edge of the join as they show: a gap can be filled with a better looking filler.

FILLERS:

Unwanted cracks and chips can be repaired with (Water-based) Milliput. Bonds extremely well, comes in several colours, can be tinted with water based paint and sanded/filed when dry. Very useful for un-even, rocking bases. Lasts extremally well outdoors but the black one fades.

Wood filler is also good but will fail out doors after a year or two and even indoors may loose it’s bond and shrink away from ceramic.

Dry ingredients can be added to adhesives, including Unibond, to make a filler paste.

COLOURS/TEXTURES:

-black iron oxide in water will get into the cracks, including finer ones you can’t see and bring them out.

-Pigments can be mixed to a wash, applied in layers, dried and then the fixing binder (a clear coat of wax, Danish Oil, Unibond or Mineral Oil) applied over the top. The advantage is you could wash off the colours if you hate them. But they might not all come off. And applying the binder may disturb to colours. And if the surface is too dusty the binder might not bond properly and peal off later.

-SOLVENT-based: if the surface feels a bit dry a coat of white mineral oil (like you use for bread boards) will gently soften it and highlight the colours. This will also seal the iron oxide in the cracks. You can add dry pigments to mineral oil. Detergents will remove it to a point.

– SOLVENT based Wax will give a nice sheen but probably add a little yellowing. It will clog in the cracks- pour hot water over it. Apply, and when dry polish, with a toothbrush or other bristle brush (remember the bristles will wear and leave their colour behind). Waxes can be removed to a point with hot water and detergents but it’s not great so apply sparingly, let them dry and add more in places if you want to.

– SOLVENT Based: VERY thin layer of Danish Oil give a beautiful shine but is yellowing. Lasts well outdoors. Best used on patches rather than all over. (I use it on black clay). Remember it is Solvent based so any further solvent based products will affect it. Pigments can be added including oil paint.

– SOLVENT-based Oil paints are great for rubbing in areas or covering blemishes and can be thinned with a solvent.

-SOLVENT Based Oil-pastels are soft, coloured wax: For highlights of colour and/or to mask fillers, rub onto areas sparingly and polish with a toothbrush.

SOLVENT-based spray paints are ok but have a ‘look’ to them that is unconvincing and can hard to control and impossible to remove. They don’t all last well. Car-paints cope with UV and most temperatures and some are water-based.

-WATER Based: Dry pigments (oxides, clays, ochres, powdered minerals, water-based paints) added to Unibond (from builders-supplies shops- often used with cement) gives a very durable, satin finish. Mix pigment to a paste with Unibond then thin to preferred texture with water. Apply in thin washes with a brush then mist with water to prevent brush marks. Dry between the semi-translucent layers. Lasts very well outdoors and gradually wears off allowing natural mosses and lichens to move in.

-WATER-Based ‘Garden Paints’ and masonry paints are essentially the same as Unibond with pigments but have the valuable advantage of being fade resistant. The small tester pots are handy. B&Q’s own brand is great.

-WATER-based Kid’s Poster-paints, gouache water-colours and acrylic paints are really useful.

– CEMENT bonds well, can be tinted with dry or water-based pigments, mixed with various sands and adds a course texture. White Portland Cement with white sand is very nice. White Portland cement mixed with golden kiln dried fine sand matches ES50 crank and probably other stoneware clays very well.

– PLASTER products could be great. I have not used them as I don’t think they would last outdoors.