Ceramic decal

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A ceramic decal is a kind of decal made from inorganic components which will not burn away in a kiln firing. These components usually consist of powdered ground glass which promotes melting and fusing (also known as a “flux”) and metallic oxide pigments and salts (for color) mixed with a liquid, oil like, organic or plastic printing media suitable for silk-screen printing. After printing the design, it is covered with a temporary plastic carrier which forms a cover coat. The paper which it is printed on is a porous paper with a water soluble coating on one side. This coating consists usually of dextrin or starch which dissolves when the decal is put in water, releasing the decal from the paper so that it can be mounted. Such decals are called “water-slide decals”.

During the firing process the cover coat and media burn away while the ground glass melts and encapsulates the oxide, fusing it to the ware that the decal has been applied to.

Prior to firing, the colors are dark or dull or even odd, mere approximations of their post-firing brilliance. Firing in a kiln under extreme heat (up to 1500° Fahrenheit) causes the decals to undergo a dramatic transformation, as the oxides and salts fuse and reveal their rich palette of colors. This brilliant image becomes an integral, permanent part of the ceramic material which will not fade with time nor by exposure to bright sunlight, and can only be removed by mechanical abrasion or by strongly acidic chemicals.