Spectrophotometer, electron microscope, and X-ray studies have revealed chat the red colour of iron glazes is caused by ferric iron oxide in colloidal subdivision in the glass phase. The shade of the red colour is dependent of the size and shape of the Fe
2O
3 particles. Properties of the iron oxide used as the raw material, and their treatment such as milling and firing, as well as the thickness of glaze layer were also found to be of decisive influence on the colour of glaze.
During the firing of iron glaze, the Fe
2O
3 particle in the molten glass phase was found to grow in size, resulting the change of colour of the glaze. The rate of growth of the Fe
2O
3 particles increased with the increasing solubility of Fe
2O
3 in the glass melt. On the basis of this result, an iron glaze having excellent constancy of the colour during firing was developed.
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