Applying glaze onto a newly decorated vase by blowing, was demonstrated for me at the Arts Porcelain Factory.
Photo: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 1991, 1992
"All types of round wares and vases, including pieces decorated in underglaze blue as well as copies of Guan, Ge, and Jun porcelain, must have their glaze applied before firing.
In earlier times, glaze was applied by brushing it onto the surface of the vessel using a goats hair brush loaded with liquid glaze. This method was used for vessels of all shapes, including square, tall, fluted, and ribbed forms, but it was difficult to achieve an even coating in this way.
Round wares of all sizes, along with plain round vases and sacrificial vessels, were also glazed by dipping them into a large jar filled with glaze. This method often failed because the glaze layer was either too thick or too thin, and the process caused many pieces to break, making it difficult to produce flawless examples.
In the present day, small round pieces are still glazed by dipping them into the glaze jar. Larger round wares, vases, and sacrificial vessels, however, are glazed using the souffle method. This involves a bamboo tube about one inch in diameter and approximately seven inches long, with one end covered by fine gauze.
The gauze end is repeatedly dipped into the glaze, and the glaze is blown onto the surface of the vessel from the open end of the tube. The number of applications depends partly on the size of the object and partly on the type of glaze, ranging from three or four applications up to as many as seventeen or eighteen.
These are the two distinct methods of glazing: dipping, and blowing liquid glaze onto the surface as a fine spray (immersion and insufflation)."