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Yep, ours plucks. But kiln wash is super easy, super smooth or a little alumina works just fine for us. Cone 10 furniture plucks as well but dipping the ends of furniture is super effective and lasts many, many firings. The weight of each load is 30-60 % lighter than ordinary shelves so to us they are worth it in reduced energy alone.

Does anyone here use porcelain with the advancers? The website says you need to use kiln wash if you do, but they look like a pain to kiln wash since they are so smooth and non-absorbent. Wonder how big of an issue this is in practice…

Hi , I want to buy the Speedball Artista pottery wheel. ( I am a hobbyist) and can just about throw 6-7 lbs of clay. I wanted to know if The Artista table model can center at least 10 lbs of clay. That is my maximum limit. thank you.

I also hold my trimming tools with both hands, but I use the left hand to rotate the tool in my hand to the position I want instead of rotating the wrist of the hand holding the tool. best, Pres

I've a particle board "bat" just thick enough to cover the pins for trimming*. I'm using clay to hold the wares in place - rather a lot, for I need both hands to use trimming tools; the right wants to be in charge (control) but needs the left for support**. I grab a handful, for it will need re-wetting throughout the session. For narrow topped wares, there's an (ever growing) collection of tapered vessels to set the ware in, which I then fix to the "bat" with clay. ...so far, each time I think it's time to fashion a chuck, I've found somewhat else that will work. Much as a Giffin Grip would seem ideal for me, I'm accustomed to my process. So far, I think of somewhat else I'd rather have for the $... *which eliminates the striking hazard of bare bat pins... **Oh, they (hands) work, just not the same as they were decades ago. Our adaptations/workarounds, we (err, I) become accustomed and don't always notice "what's missing" if it's not right in front of us!

I await the discussion with great interest. PS It's almost certainly irrelevant, but I'll mention an odd-ball method I once read about for reducing the adhesion between the casting and the mould. They were making a medical device that needed to be X-ray transparent, so the thin body was basically alumina and totally non-plastic. They found that mould release was more practicable if they first cast a very thin layer of paper fiber into the mould. It was obviously a high-value item, so mould life may not have been an issue. I don't think that there was much detail in the mould either.

I use to donate pieces a couple of times a year, one was for AIDS and the other Hunger. I never got any business from them and I thought they treated the artist badly, I finally quit in protest with other artist who were treated badly by the committee. I didn't have any problems . my piece sold but the work that didn't got dumped on the sidewalk the day after the auction. One of my friends who is a well known metal sculptor had his work thrown out. His sculpture covered home is in tourist guide books. Denice

Refiring is need, speckle clay have a lot of impurities that need to burn out, I use several clay's that have a excess of impurities. I fire a slow C04 to keep my glazes clean. Denice

Neoprene disc stuck to the wheelhead with a little water for the vast majority of my pots, no clay wads. For bowls and platters wider than the wheelhead I use a large batt that I glued high density upholstery foam to and put that on a damp Xiem BatMate knockoff. Never felt the need for a Giffin Grip.

I have a seperate trimming station its a small Brent Model A wheel with a few Griffen Grips. One is set up for regular sliders the other is set up for arms. Back when I was really producing tons of wares I could just snap one off and use the right one without time switching parts. Now I'm doing less and its not critical . I also have the griffen huge platter trimmer hanging on the wall but I have not used it in a few years so it may have to go up for sale. Not making mondo huge platters anymore. These are all time savers if you are in the business of pottery production

Morgan Post placement still needs to be about the same. Its not about warping but the thermo load.When loading the bottom the stilts need to be lined up as the thermo load is great with all that weight at bottom, as you get to the top of the kiln it is not as critical. Its always best to line them up when you can. Even advancers cannot take huge offsets due to weight at high temps. They can break from that stress of uneven thermo loading.You have been lucky so far would be my guess.I have had corners crack odd from uneven sharp posts even thougfh they are lined up underneath. Of course my cone 11 load is often 5+ feet tall so the weight is great . In terms of more wares from this shelves you now know they pay for themselves pretty fast with extra space. And your back is better from less weight loading. Its amazing really as they are all upside other than the cost which is recouped the more you fire.

Produced by means that Marge Para was paid to mold, cast, and fire the bisques for the person who commissioned the sculpture from Becky Turner, which was Melissa Meader who's hosting the Show. Every year she selects an artist to do a relief sculpture for her show, then usually Marge molds and produces the bisques. Marge glazes most of them in 'original finish' runs of set colors like teal, green, blue, purple, etc. Those are given away as the primary awards along with rosettes to the various champions that are awarded. Then a small number are sent to guest artists like myself to be custom glazed in realistic colors. These last pieces are then auctioned off to raise funds to benefit the show. It costs many thousands of dollars to host a show, pay for the rental space, food, set up and taking it down, insurance, etc. She also flies in her judges from all over the country so there are a lot of costs involved. There are many such shows I take part in. Some like Melissas are for ceramics only, others are for equine sculpture in general and may have various categories for ceramics, resins, plastics, metal casts, etc. I sometimes get flown out by show hosts to judge at such events, or like Breyerfest in Lexington, KY, there are /several/ major shows scheduled back to back each day one after another. One for ceramics only, one for resins, one is the National Championships. Each one of these events commission sculptors to produce original designs for their awards. So, because producing equine ceramics comprises so many skill sets, it's not at all unusual that we often do collaborations of a great many people. One might sculpt a piece, then pays for someone else to mold and produce it. Then the bisques are sent out to various ceramists who custom glaze them in many various colors, techniques and finishes. It's quite rare for someone to do what I do, to sculpt, mold, cast, and glaze pieces start to finish because it involves so many skill sets that can take quite literally a life time to master each one. Those who do all of the steps usually build and employ entire teams of people to work together to do so. Therefor I have /mostly/ done finish work on other sculptor's pieces over the past five decades but these days I'm focusing more on sculpting, molding and casting my own sculptures to finish and share out with other finishing artists. I've been doing my own sculptures since about 1984 but now I'm focusing on it more as my full time effort. If you felt up to sculpting pieces like this you can reach out to ANY kind of show - such as shows for cats, dogs, poultry, dolls, ceramics shows, whatever and see if they wanted to commission you to do the awards for the show. Usually plaques, medallions, or actual trophy pieces. Some do these awards in bronze but bronze is super pricy. So doing them in ceramics is a lower cost option - and it doesn't look bad on your resume to have shows you have produced awards for! Or if you aren't into sculpting, but you felt up to molding and producing the bisques and maybe glazing, you can team up with a sculptor to offer that service!

I guess all of you by now know that I use a Griffin Grip (GG) when trimming. Over the years I had used all sorts of trimming strategies usually on the wheel head, clay chocks, tapping in place, and rubber pads with a lid on top to hold the pot down. There were I am sure variations on these, but too long ago to remember. Back in the 70's though I started seeing references to a new tool the Griffin Grip. A few years later I had a little extra money in my Ceramics budget at the HS and bought one. After using it for a year at school, I bought one for home. Over the years It has saved me all sorts of trouble when trimming odd shaped pots like pitchers and others that required a thrown wet chuck, or a bisque fired one. Then I realized that with plumbing parts I could trim awkward pieces with more stability and have chucks that could be kept permanently to use, especially when making chalices or flagons(pitchers). QotW: What sort of "trimming platform" do you use?

Thanks for the info on the breaker I will check with husband make sure he knows this before I try to run kiln again. My newer kiln has never done this (so far) I am so glad I found this forum. And folks are willing to share their knowledge and time to submit it

... and presumably the "house" wiring needs to be rated for the new breaker size. Which might be an issue for some retro-fitters.

I invested in advanced shelves a few years ago and can’t imagine going back. I ended up getting a mix of a few fulls and halves. I tend to like this as things that are all the same height I use full shelves and then can use half’s when things get weird. That said, if I could do it all over again it’s probably best to just get them all cut in half because why not? Guess it also depends on what you are firing. With the advancers I don’t even think about post placement much. I get them close vertically but beyond that unless I’m mistaken they can’t warp. It’s pretty remarkable how much more work I’ve been able to fire over the 100s of firings so they certainly have paid for themselves and the some. Pretty much ever firing I do I end up with space for one row of spoon rests/plates, whatever, that I never would have been able to fit until I switched to them.

Yup, I think that is what is happening to me too. So far it’s all been nice I will say but, big but. I had contact with him last week again on messenger and he “found my order” was having medical issues etc but feeling much better now and will get my tools out on Monday (this was a week or so ago). I am not holding my breath. I too feel for him and whatever he is going through but at the same time this is beyond that now. On top of ALL that on his Facebook he just posted recently about reopening his Etsy shop vs alternatives advice like Shopify etc. I have no idea what to think anymore but let’s just say I would be jaw dropped if the tools or a refund are ever coming my way. If he can’t fulfill orders or is not in the right physical shape to do so why would he even consider opening up new orders or avenues?

I need some technical help. I use Valentine’s casting slips. My moulds are very complicated (38 pieces) and their shapes somewhat restricts the shrinking of the cast. My casts are thin for lighting translucency. My moulds are at two scales, one takes 1.5l the larger 12l. The larger mould in particular has highlighted some problems: Glacier porcelain slip works well and I can leave the cast in the mould for 12 hours before demoulding. You can tell that there is some plasticity in the cast that allows a bit of flexibility in the body on demoulding without it cracking. Bone China and Parian however are much more tricky to succeed with and often result in multiple cracks that I repair with mixed success. After just 4 hours the cast will crack all on its own before I’ve even attempted demoulding. And demoulding causes so many cracks as the cast it brittle. What can I add to the Bone China and Parian slips to make them behave more like my Glacier Porcelain slip? Tony on a Digital fire post mentions adding 0.5% bentonite. I need to test but has anyone got any suggestions or input before I start messing with these pre made slips. many thanks. Anna

Ya probably already know this but worth mentioning I think. Breakers fail because they are old but also because they overheat. Here in the US the breakers you buy should not exceed 80% of the rating stamped on the breaker. For kilns which are considered continuous loads by code, per code they require a breaker at least 125% of the kiln full load and not more than 150%. For a kiln that draws 40 amps, minimum breaker size is 50 amps (40X 1.25), maximum breaker size is 60 amps (40X1.5). I mention because electricians often get this wrong. The rule is there to prevent the breaker from overheating and failing prematurely. Often this is not common knowledge so I think worth passing along since you just experienced a worn out breaker on this kiln.

Thanks for all the comments I will refire to come 04. We fixed the breaker which was old. Thanks again for your help,

Curious--does "produced by" mean making from mold and firings, or what does that element of the 3-person collaborative entail?

Thank you all for the insight. And thank you @Min, I was very curious as to the nature of that test.

Amen to that!

In a nutshell to pass the ASTM for "Microwave Safe for Reheating" there is mention of "no metallic surfaces" but no threshold limit for porosity or absorption of the claybody. Ware must show no degradation after the test nor exceed specific temperatures after a set amount of time at full power. I would hazard a guess that those discoloured areas on the plate have let moisture into the body which resulted in the plate getting hot when your son removed it from the microwave. Agree with you, that is one well fitting glaze to stand up for catering use then your home use for 20 years.

I guess I really need to be sculpting some large relief pieces myself to glaze at some point. My galleries would eat these up if they were larger, but they also take a lot of time...