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Roberta12

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  1. @Katie S I have become quite adamant about "what clay is it?" Name, rank, serial number, when firing for others. If they do not know, I politely decline. A friend of mine just had a horrible kiln accident with that very thing. Melted cups and plates all over the shelves. Yes, they were low fire. Fired to mid fire. The person making the request didn't do their work. You would probably be fine with 04, probably. But.....
  2. @chris123 When I dry my slab plates and trays, I put a bag of rice in the middle of them while they are drying. I do this with porcelain and stoneware. It's just one of the small things a potter can do to try to insure a measure of success. Along with maybe changing glazing or how you fire or or or.... What clay are you using and what temp do you bisque and fire to? Also, just a thought, "toss it on the wheel" going with clay has a memory situation, maybe carefully put the clay slab on the bat?
  3. A corner might be good. Clay is such a therapeutic way to manage all sorts of stress, life events. As we have all witnessed the last 4 years, prices have gone up and up and up. If you decide to go back to clay, your cost outlay would not be as steep. I hope you can find a corner. As @Denice suggested, maybe the slab roller? If it takes up a lot of space? Your life is crazy busy right now, but it will change. We had 3 kids. We get it. Best of luck to you Joseph. Roberta
  4. Good question. I have 1000 firings on my L&L. My husband and I work together on it, Mostly I could do it myself, replacing elements, thermocouples, wiring etc. But it is nice to have the help. We have even replaced bricks (yes, the one on the bottom ring). And patched bricks. I helped a friend replace bricks and elements on a larger, older L&L. But I have never attempted repair on other brands. Not sure if there would be a lot of difference or not. We are hours away from any sort of help, so we had to do this on our own. L&L has GREAT over the phone, email, support. My hat is off to Rob Battey. He patiently listens to my kiln problems and gives such down to earth sensible advice. Over the phone, and via email. I really appreciate L&L. They have made it possible for me to keep my kiln running.
  5. Hello! The white spots look like the glaze is too thick. I have had the same problem at times. Did you put cone packs in your kiln? That would be the best way to see if your kiln is firing to the proper temperature.
  6. @akilpots I like RSMC as well. I have one box left. I have to special order it from the clay supplier. Recently I have been trying some of Kentucky Mudworks Clay. Their Kota is wonderful. I just purchased Big Turtle, Mullhollun, and White Bear. This will be for Empty Bowl throwing. It will be a nice way to do some testing with glazes, etc. I am always on the lookout for a cone 6 red that performs well. I like the Kota porcelain, so I will use up #16 from Laguna, and I also use Speckled Buff from Laguna and I like the New Mexico Chocolate from Santa Fe Clay. All of those are available from the Denver supplier. and yes, it does appear I have a clay problem. Oh, change of subject, I was at the supplier on Tuesday and casually asked about Gerstley. They had it in stock $224 for 50 pounds. I picked it up for my friend. I have 50#s and not sure what I will do when it's gone. They told me Laguna held 2 pallets for them, but that is probably it.
  7. Thanks for asking this @Sandi0720 I have wondered the same thing myself. I have some small dishes I make for a local pet store. The stilts work fine for that. But I have wondered about using wadding for bisque and glaze firing on porcelain!
  8. Sewing, crocheting, jewelry making (with pieces I have made from clay) swimming, and I am teaching myself Tarot cards right now. Always something.
  9. I took a workshop where they had a "drying room" All of our pieces (we were using porcelain) went into this room which was outside of the studios. It was sort of cobbled together plywood walls with lots of shelves and fans and heaters. The interns educated us about the importance of air flow surrounding the drying pots. We did not have one piece that broke, cracked or anything. I have used that here at my house. Admittedly I live in a very dry climate, but I put all the drying pots in the spare bedroom, turn on the fan, if necessary add a heater to the mix and close the door. If you could find a way to do that, close off the drying pots so the fans aren't blowing clay dust everywhere. However, I only do that if I am crunched for time. No sense in using extra resources. Roberta
  10. @Bam2015 I like what @GEP said about stylistically original, and what @Kelly in AK said about making pots that are beautiful and interesting to the artist and what is pleasing to hold and touch. @Mark C. comments about changing up what was pleasing to his eye and what actually was selling. I will add that you have to know your venue and customer base. I live in an area where function is the key. I have had people pick up a bowl and ask what they could use it for. It's not that they don't know what a bowl is used for, it's that they wonder if there is a specific function for a handmade bowl. I always try to have an answer for that. (mashed potatoes, oatmeal, applesauce), but my customers like color and pattern. Maybe that's because what I like to make. Circling back to what @Kelly in AK said. You have to have your heart in what you make.
  11. I took a 3 day in person workshop in 2022 from Matt Katz in Denver. He explained the UMF and Stull chart. That was an eye opener for me. I will admit I barely have a grasp on the 0.3 R20:0.7 RO But I did immediately sign up with Glazy and I do turn to it when I am either trying a new glaze or looking at my standby glazes with a fresh eye. I try to find the sweet spot on the UMF chart depending on the glaze I am looking at. I would like to take a deeper look at glazes either with Sue Mcloed or Matt and Rose Katz, but my time for that has been limited the last few years with family stuff. It's still on the docket for me, perhaps this year it will happen. But to go back to the original question from @Min I do look at the UMF. And if a glaze is not where I would like to see it on that chart, but I still want to try it, I do a fair amount of testing. Freeze, boil, lemon, dishwasher, micro, all those things, just to see. One example was a glaze called Ayumi Aqua. We used it at a workshop. I really loved it. Nice feel, soft color, I mixed a small batch. It was in the "crazed" part of the chart. I have not been able to make it craze on any clay, but it does not perform well on any clay. Pitting, bubbling etc. So, there you are. I should have "listened" to the chart. Roberta
  12. @HulkWhat is the advantage of a hold on a bisque firing?
  13. If you choose to use a garden pot from the center, perhaps putting it on a LARGE waster slab or cookie would be in order. You probably don't want a melted mess on your shelf. Like @Kelly in AK pointed out, you only need to get to 1200 degrees for calcine. When I calcine epk, I put it in the bisque load simply for ease and convenience. If I am reading correctly, you could even roast it, which is 1000 degrees F.
  14. Would your terracotta pot be able to withstand bisque temperatures?
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