Rae Reich

Nice, Lee! On my iPad it displays edge to edge. Scrolls and slides and links smoothly. Don’t know enough to critique further on bells and whistles, but I’d be happy to have this site. Thumbs up!

Definitely trim the feet asap after throwing, as soon as the rims are firm enough. The longer you wait, the more chance of the foot’s clay drying unevenly. Cover the cups with plastic if you have a bunch to do, keep the bases moist until trimming.

Heated floors! (I like @Pres’s floor ideas too - combine them! ) @Mark C.’s vacuuming system! Water and ventilation. Multiple electrical outlets at 4’ height with sufficient amperage.

Thanks, @Mark C., I stand corrected. When I went out to look at my kiln bricks I could tell that the ones I had considered Red were actually just toasted over years of firing!

I’ve used hard red brick for kiln posts. They work fine, but take up a lot of shelf space. I used a lot of silicon carbide shelf shards to add to the height.

Sorry, I’ve been looking all over and can only see his avatar picture of his kiln posts I hope he sees this mention and can show you.

@Elmoclayman, if you were asking specifically about storage of kiln furniture in your classroom situation, I think @Mark C. has posted pictures of his production studio set-up, refined over the years, that is what I’d like, ideally.

Congratulations!

I think you would do better to decal fire the large flat pieces on edge, propped on bricks or other kiln furniture. Try one that way and see. I think that might relieve the cooling stresses that that shape experiences when horizontal. Cool as slowly as possible, don’t let in any drafts.

Guessing that explains the metallic finish on Jeff Koons’ porcelain balloon dog figures.

Definitely a question to ask the decal maker. All the decals I’ve seen fired have been pretty true to their appearance on the paper, when fired correctly, but I haven’t ever seen an original before being made into a decal. Anyone else know?

I take back the Etsy referral - @Callie Beller Diesel knows better than I.

Sounds like a lovely idea. I think, though, that pot making and landscape painting are not often found in the same person! Assuming you have a few local artists who already do plein aire paintings of your area, you could ask if they would give permission to use their images for a limited edition run of ceramic decals that a local, or even an Etsy-sourced potter could apply to their dinnerware. (Be sure to also get some practice, generic decals for the potter’s firing calibration tests, for best possible results.) Alternatively, there may already be images of your favorite areas that do not require copyright to reproduce. I think there have been several references to ceramic decal makers in past posts, but an internet search should lead to Custom Ceramic Decal Maker.

Yes and no. The tub spigot is higher on the wall, to accommodate the stationary tub, and the shower riser is lower. With the hand-held, I can hose off myself too, when necessary. I imagine you could make it work with just the outdoor shower set-up without the spigot.

I have some old china dolls and a few newer black clay pieces. I’ve always cleaned them with mild soap and water. I imagine that large, pale Parian surfaces which are not cleaned often might acquire some stains that could be hard to remove, but the relative non-absorbency should prevent most permanent staining. There are removers for rust stains that should work on Parian (test first on inconspicuous spot) and other types of dedicated cleaners for other stains. Vinegar and water would be my first attempt. Hydrogen Peroxide solution also, for mild bleaching without damage. The beautiful Wedgewood dinnerware is made of Parian, with no additional glaze. I wouldn’t leave my blueberry cobbler sitting on it overnight, though.

I have a faucet mounted at 4’ on the wall just outside the studio door with a fiberglass stationary tub beneath it and a bucket beneath that instead of a drain. The tub is unmounted so it can be moved if it’s in the way, or in your case, to keep out of the weather. I don’t use the sink for slops so I didn’t put in more straining/filtering. My faucet is a recycled shower + faucet unit with a hand-held shower hose attached that I can use to fill buckets without having to lift them in and out of the tub.

Definitely want those beautiful figures to remain in one piece! Have they been hollowed out at all or are they mostly solid? You said you poked holes in them, are the vent holes going to a hollow core?

I agree that white walls are best for lighting and for color perception. The wood is beautiful, but “groovy” (can catch dust). I would cover it with drywall and paint that. Less chance of bleed-through (multiple coats of paint) and the drywall can be removed if the area use is changed. Drywall will give you an additional layer of insulation too. Having the kiln in the same room as the wall heater leaves the smaller room without heating in winter - that’s where I’d prefer the kiln. The doors can be opened for extra ventilation in summer. I envy you the large, fresh, blank canvas!

Good idea, @baetheus! It takes quite a bit of practice to write and draw on curved surfaces - stencils, etc, are much easier to use on flat surfaces as well!

One of my first clay purchases at a street fair after I become a clay student was a wall piece with a gorgeous area of matte apricot/orange. I begged the Santa Barbara potters to tell me the secret - rutile? - but they just smiled. Many years later, while washing it, I scratched that area and discovered it was acrylic paint! Should they have just told me the truth, thus preparing me for Ken Price’s demos for our class? By then, we’d seen his luscious auto paint finishes (which really need an auto painting booth) so he showed us how to be free with “Granny” low-fires for the thrill of bright color in the Age of 70s Stoneware.

Acrylic paint keeps its color well over time. India ink is “traditional”. Shoe polish is intended for very smooth surfaces and might not polish up to be “sealed” on ceramic, even porcelain.

I have re-stuck lifted glaze SOMETIMES by misting very gently with water to get the glaze to lie down again, but there have been some places where touch-up was necessary. Otherwise, wash off and start over.

I know your pain! Your Item 4 is where the problem is, I agree. Any bending will be remembered!! Find or make out of clay a cookie-release shape that you can use to hold the coaster flat as you lift the cutter. I have dowels to push out clay stamped with smaller tubing, but it took a while to find something that fit perfectly within my large biscuit cutter. Also, you can place one drywall board over your board full of coasters to keep them all flat as you flip them over (not too big of a board full of coasters, hold boards firmly together as you turn). Ditto all the advice about drafts!

Might be tortuous in your heat, but your oven can be used to pre-heat your pots, in lieu of (recommended) candling. Mine has a pilot light so it stays warm enough on its own, an electric stove that can be set for 150-165dg works too. Eight hours is about enough.

Glaze pencils on white clay would be good for writing more than 10-15 words. Bisque a few small pieces to test how the glaze pencils work and how much clear to apply. Make a few large pieces, a bowl, a pitcher, a vase, with some surface smoothed with a rib to write on. Bisque fire the pieces. Choose the one you like best. Write lyrics on the cleared space with the glaze pencils and brush over that area with clear glaze. When dry, wax over the lyrics and proceed to glaze the rest of the piece with colors you have been successful with. If there aren’t too many words, you can carve them into the leather-hard clay with a stylus, needle tool or small loop tool and glaze as @Pres suggests. You will still need to make test pieces to try out various glazes or stains that will work for you. If you are working on other things in the studio for practice or assignments, you can test some of your ideas on them. Happy Anniversary (even if you have to present an unfinished piece or photos)