How to dye glazed porcelain?

I have a pair of candelabra with red ceramic parts in the middle. I'd like it more if those red parts were black, for instance.

Is there a way to 'dye' them permanently (so that the colour doesn't come off when something scratches the surface?

 

The glaze is inpermiable, like glass, so any surface treatment like paint would be liable to scratch off. Dyes typically penetrate the material they are colouring so dying is not possible. You could refire with a different glaze if you have a kiln, but the results may be uneven in colour

 

There is a "paint your own porcelain" shop nearby and they have a kiln but I don't know how lasting / durable the results would be.

 

Properly fired the overglaze would be as durable as the original. It would be fused to the old glaze which is fused to the body.

However, if they merely use a heat hardened enamel paint, like car body finish, the item would not be glazed, just painted.

It would be pretty durable so it would almost certainly do the job, but not be the same as actual glazing.

Ask what the kiln temperature is. Oven heat, 2 to 300 degrees C. is curing paint, just over 1000 degrees C. is proper glazing temperature.

I suspect that their kiln is just an oven, really. It takes a long time to heat and cool a proper kiln, and a fair amount of energy.

They would need to accumulate a kiln full of objects before firing, unless the local population are queuing up to decorate porcelain it might take some time to get a kiln full.

Since firing temperature would just about melt gold, you could melt some gold scrap at the same time.

 

Hi,
The easiest way would be paint them with nail enamel and then coat them with a clear brush on acrylic. I did that to a lamp part I hated. After 25 years it still looks the same.
greg

 

If you create a matte surface any paint type treatment you apply will be less prone to peeling. As long as you're not concerned about destroying the value, you might sand the surface of the area you want to paint with a fine grade sandpaper to create a smooth matte base to work from. Practice on some junk pieces to see if you like the results first. If you want it shiny it would have to be from the paint used or from a clear overcoat.