Roberta12

Who knew??? Certainly not me! I know that some plastic is thinner, heavier, but that is the extent of my knowledge! Thanks for the research @Min

In the past, I have placed everything on wareboards, still in the leatherhard stage, and transported that way. I have a Subaru outback, I was able to lay the seats down and accomodate all the wareboards. I have also transported in low tubs with lids, placed some old towels and rags between things just to keep them from knocking together. That way I could stack the tubs and get more in the car. I prefer transporting things in leatherhard stage, rather than dry. A bit more resilient, I guess. I have a bumpy rural roads for part of my journey. Good luck!

What a great idea @Babs a community effort!

I was looking through glaze recipes to determine which glazes to mix for the Empty Bowl fundraiser. Cobalt is $$$, Tin ox is $$$ Gerstley may be on the rise, and since I will be getting funds from a couple of local groups to cover the cost of glazes, I think I am going to buy dry premixed glazes. My personal dry ingredients have become more precious. Roberta

Beautiful @Mudfish ! Nice work!

My Brent C is 12 years old. It's a great wheel. However, I have been using the wheels at our community college, Shimpo Whispers. They are very quiet and smooth. That is nice. Especially when you have several wheels going at once. r.

@GEP I just checked online with my supplier and Denver for pricing on GB. It seems a lot less that what you paid. https://stoneleafpottery.com/clay-raw-materials/?page=7

I like the underglaze idea. And you could use handcut paper stencils, simple designs, circles, squares, clouds, etc. Could you have them make simple clay cups or mugs? If they used underglaze, then you could bisque and all you would have to do is dip the pieces in clear. Just a thought. r.

I read this book every year at school to many of the classes I worked with. And he worked on a kick wheel with one leg, the other had been amputated. My sincere hope is that his family is able to own one of his pots. And that some good can come of his work. Thanks for sharing this @Mark C.

What about making a bisque mold of the fabric? Roll the fabric into clay, dry and bisque, then make a plaster mold? That would work if you are trying to get the texture of the pillow. You could even drape the clay over the pillow to get the shape, roll the clay into the pillow and peel it off, retaining not only the texture but you could manipulate the clay to keep the shape of the pillow. Just an idea.

Have you explored Terra Sigillata? Gives a great matte, soft, color of your choice, surface.

Very unprofessional! But glad they are making it right!

@k77 I have had a similar issue over the years with clear. I think my problem was what @Min described. I now sieve everytime. And if I still have an issue I use a dremel with a diamond tip to grind that bump down. Then I apply more clear and refire. I have been successful with that method 99% of the time. However, that was with a clear glaze. With Stroke and Coat, you may not have a successful result. But I did have to grind the bump down to the surface of the plate. Roberta

Oooooo I know this one. I had exactly the same issue when I used speckled bmix. It's overfired. That was part of my descent into the rabbit hole of "your kiln may be overfiring". I fired to cone 6 as I normally had been and had the same result as you did. Lots and lots of little pimples. My supplier had said that clay was cone 5/6. I called Laguna. They said that clay is only happy at cone 5. I started putting cones in every single load and discovered cone 6 on my kiln was more like cone 7. after more than a year of personal kiln research, I have happily fired speckled b mix at cone 5. Your photo looks just like my overfired pieces. As @Hulk suggested cones on every shelf. That will give you good information. I have used Laguna Speckled buff for years. It is a very forgiving clay. It can easily go to cone 6 if necessary. Speckled B mix is a different story. Cone 5 only. Roberta

I agree with everything stated. I would add surform. I use mine a lot for trimming.

She is offering a free online workshop on Saturday the 24th. Might be worth checking out.

I looked at my recipes that use G200hp or what I have been using G200HP in. There are only 2. One is MC6 clear which I am not really mixing up any longer (Just mixed a small batch and it is very cloudy on my pieces) and the other is Bright Sky Blue G200Hp 20 ff3134 20 Wollastonite 10 EPK 20 talc 11.5 silica 18.5 Cobalt Carb 1.0 rutile 6.0 RIO .5 For Clear I am using a recipe I got from Madeleine or one I got from Naomi Clement. If I am only using G200 in one glaze, it will be easy to do the testing. Thoughts?

Thanks Tom @Hulk for the link on the 2015 posting. I did not see that one. I did see the link to Digitalfire comparing G200 and G200HP. The person I talked to today, at the supply house, was not knowledgeable about the actual product. And because I just took what they had in stock (two 10 pound bags, already bagged up and a 5# bag) I do not have a label to look at either. However, they are a great facility, I will need to talk to one of the owners tomorrow and see if I can find a source for the G200. It is slightly darker in color than what I have in my tub. Tomorrow, when I am in the workshop I will pull my G200 recipes and continue this exploration. Thanks as always for your expert opinions. @Dick White @neilestrick @Min @Hulk R.

I have been using G200HP for, well, since I set up my studio. I ordered 20#'s of G200HP and my friends picked it up for me. As I was adding it to the tubs yesterday, the label says G200. I called the supply house and asked if they had G200HP and they do not. And the person I talked to didn't have any info about G200HP. Here's my first question, Is it not possible to get G200HP now? Second question, should I make adjustments in my glazes that use G200HP or just mix the 20#s of G200 in to the existing G200Hp and cross my fingers? Roberta

@Chilly asked a great question. They do look underfired. On the Mayco site they do recommend a thick application. Perhaps thicker is better with these glazes? Roberta

Idywylld Art Center in Calif has summer adult programs with some fabulous instructors. Roberta

I throw and build inside. Small room, easy to heat. Even with the continual below 0 weather we have had this winter. However, the glazing, and firing happens in a detached workshop. My area of the shop can be closed off and warms up quickly. But like @Kelly in AK mentioned, big cleanup is an issue in the winter, so I do the best I can with wiping things down. I do need to mix glazes but have been waiting for sunshine, no wind, and a slightly warmer day to do that outside. We have so much snow this winter, I can foresee us taking off for a month when it all begins to melt in order to get out of "mud season". Trying to build up inventory before that!

Hmmm good thread. I did not realize there were lead tests kits out there. I have purchased and been gifted pottery from other countries. But they are simply decorative for me, I am concerned about lead. HOwever, I do use some of my grandmother's random bowls, mostly as prep bowls. Rather than have them sitting on a shelf. I will get a lead testing kit. If a person is testing a kiln for lead, do you swab the bricks? Roberta

Sounds like a great QOTW!