Expert: Sam Kelly - 9/13/2008

Question
Alright I’ve gone through a ton of these questions but still haven’t found my answer yet. I bought a  ceramic tea set from a store. The color is nasty but the shape is awesome, so I would like to repaint all of it. I’m not just coating it in one color, I want to do a design on them. So the question is…Do I and can I reglaze them or can I paint and seal them. I highly doubt they will be used an awful lot but they do need to be safe to drink out of.

I had heard from someone that I could use a paint and heat seal it. I did find a link to the same product in another question  http://www.dickblick.com/zz029/48/  ..but even on the site they state that it’s not safe to use on items that come in contact with food.

So end result. If I can paint and seal what types of paints and sealant should I use. Or if I can only reglaze is there a specific type of glaze I need to use.

Thanks for the help.

Answer
Hi Kãdra, Glaze is like glass, the surface is sealed.
You can put them in an oven and heat them up untill hot to handle and dip into a bucket of glaze. The heat helps the glaze to stick by dring very quickly. What temp your tea set was fired to and the glaze used is anyones guess.
If you are going to decorate use the materials on the web site supplied, put them in a show case and don't use them.

Sam