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Pres

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  1. I also think that your worst enemy in this firing will be the shrinkage factor. I have fired flat slabs in the past using several extruded biqued "rollers" 1/4 " thick. They crack sometimes during firing, but difference in length is not a problem lay them out in the area where the slab will set. Another option is a layer of grog. This can be sprinkled well with a spice shaker with larger holes. Use one of these on your glaze firing also. best, Pres
  2. Hi folks, I was helping in the Ceramics for Adults class today at the HS I used to teach in. I had taken my wedding room off as I always do to work during the 3 hr class. I noticed someone else had taken off her engagement/wedding rings the same and set them on the table. I kindly admonished her for being careless and told her about a student of mine who had accused an entire class of stealing her engagement ring she had just gotten last weekend. We went through all sorts of investigations, questioning, and a very distraught student and class over the loss. The ring was never found until several years later I heard a grinding sound in the Walker Pug mill. Taking off the top cover of the auger tube revealed after so search a mangled gold ring setting without a stone. We searched everything, and still did not find the stone. but lots of clay had been pugged out of and old barrel mixed with newer slop. What a surprise . I also remember when in college finding parts of a metal kidney rib in the clay while wedging it. . . cut me up! QotW: What surprise have you found in your clay, either fresh or recycled? best, Pres
  3. Tried this years ago, and found it was indeed easier to just throw them. I tried mine throwing the flattened slab on a plaster form with a flat bottom and the sides shaped for a plate. while shaping it I threw the foot ring. Alas 2-3 out of 10 would warp. I decided it was because of the shaping of the form while on the wheel would cause particles to become circular in motion as opposed to the center being non aligned from the rolling out. Just my thinking at the time, but now I throw much faster plates using large slightly curved ribs. best, Pres
  4. When pulling mugs or cups or any cylindrical piece off of the hump make a pancake larger than the defined bottom of the piece then draw up the sides to form the walls of the pot. This keeps the alignment of clay particles even as opposed to pulling the walls up as in a normal piece thrown off of the wheel head or bat. The difference is that you are unable to compress the floor of the pot sufficiently off the hump leading to unaligned particles where the wall meets the floor, best, Pres
  5. Hi folks, I have been thinking about my tools. . . most of my favorites are now at the HS until I bring them home. It got me to thinking though about what I would really miss or not be able to replace if it were lost. What tool would be the most difficult to replace? For me as I throw a lot, I use the standard kit: needle tool, sponge, knife style rib, and a spoon shaped rib along with an egote style throwing stick. I use this stick on small and large to inflate the form. I bought it at a NC Potters Conference a few years back and at the time Jack Troy was demonstrating with it. It looked like a great tool, and well crafted so I had to have it, even though at the time I was tight on my budget. . . and still am! At any rate it was a great tool, and with careful use I have had it for many years till it is like and old friend. QotW: What special tool that you work with would your really hate to lose? best, Pres
  6. My bad, my E28M kit came with 6 half shelves. So adding the extra two would allow me to have 12 to 16 depending on the size of patens and whether I use a broken shelf to raise two of the patens to fit 4. I am using the kit shelves that are pretty heavy, but the half is light enough. I will get the lighter shelves for the second layer from bottom as that is the furthest bend/reach. Next two layers are easier. best, Pres
  7. Im hoping to snag some lighter half shelves at NCECA this year. I need a few more shelves to pack a few more patens into the kiln. Kit came with only 8 half shelves. One more witll allow me to fire 16 patens to a firing. best, Pres
  8. @Kelly in AK, I became a much better potter after teaching others, and a much better potter also. I look at teaching ceramics more like coaching, because we are teaching a skill that requires certain movements and body positions along with assembly of parts. I believe shop managers/supervisors of last century were much like coaches also. best, Pres
  9. I've taken to using the web between the pointer finger and the next finger to compress lips. No extra reaching! best, Pres
  10. A while back, I asked about handmade brushes. This makes me wonder, just how much practice do people put in with their brushes. Do you have a favorite style of brush, does it matter to you whether it is synthetic or natural? Myself, I have been a painter both in acrylic and watercolor. I was always aware of good brushes and the value of careful care especially when working with acrylic where an uncleaned brush is often ruined. For ceramics, love a large flat brush of natural long bristles this soaks up the glaze and spreads evenly. I am also a fan of narrower flats often of synthetic that will work with stains over the glazed surfaces. these give me lines that get thick to thin with lots of width and a narrow line when tuned to the side and lifting til just a corner touches the surface. When we were in China about 10 years ago there were street people that used a large round mop brush that came to a point. . . they were painting on the sidewalks with water in beautiful calligraphic strokes that would eventually fade, but were so free until they did fade away. I like to see that sort of brush work on my pots worked into the surface disappearing in textures and reappearing in an unexpected manner. Brushes can be so addicting at times that you must force yourself not to over do. QotW: What is your narrative and preference about brush play on your pottery? best, Pres
  11. Yeah, @Hulk, the more skills and knowledge you gain seems like there are more skills and knowledge YET to gain! best, Pres
  12. I think more of an explanation is needed @Ann B, possibly even a photo of said flower. best, Pres
  13. I phrased things toward Electric @Mark C., but would be happy to have someone bump in with their insights. My only history of firing with a fuel burner is a catenary arch at Penn State during grad years and earlier with loading a box Minnesota type during undergrad. The Cat kiln had to have a bricked up front, and if you weren't careful it could blow out the front. We nearly had that happen on the first firing, but not on the others. Luckily there were T bars laying around so others had problems with it. best, Pres
  14. Hi folks, another kiln question. Over the years I have done a lot of maintenance and repair of kilns in the school district I worked at, and at home. I would say the first level of maintenance is keeping the kiln clean. Using small dust brooms and dustpans is a good beginning place to remove all of the bits that occur during firings. Then there is a first level of repair, replacing bricks, floors, etc. On the stacking kilns much of this is easier than on the solid box kiln that used to be the norm years ago. Then there is entering into repair where you replace elements. This can be scary at first, but following simple steps and manuals can really make it much less of a job than you think, especially if you are handy with tools. This to me is the repairer level where most work occurs. Then you come to repairs where you replace insulators, wiring harnesses and other the setter, or today the controller. I would do all of that but the controller. QotW: When it comes to kiln maintenance/repair, how do you rate yourself? best, Pres
  15. I have done electric raku with an old Amaco electric kiln. We had a center courtyard in the HS that was all open. I ran an extension cord out for the kiln, and fired out side. We had the 20 gal metal trash can with wood shavings and sawdust from the wood shop. The pots were made with our regular clay. . .at that time a white earthenware that we wedged a bunch of grog into as Callie says. Firing started first thing in the morning, and at cone 04-06, unload and reduction in the trash cans occurred in the last period of the day when I had class. The pieces turned out well with great wax resist areas and crackled decoration with some metallic tones from the raku glazes that were more metallic. The blacks were really nice in contrast to the White raku glaze that crackled a lot. Kids loved as did a lot of the students that would watch from the courtyard windows on the 2nd 3rd and 4th floors. They usually closed their windows when we were unloading. Administration must not have like it because two years later they made a major renovation closing the area in for District wide Supply depot/warehouse! Make certain to unplug the kiln before opening as hot air is a conductor of electricity. A major warning in the research I had done back then in some old books on firing and raku. best, Pres
  16. So @DrJillthe pots were red hot, but what was the color of the kiln atmosphere at this time. You should have seen a yellow-white interior. This is the color of the atmosphere at cone 5-6. Looking directly into the kiln to see pots is tough on the eyes, and at the same time it is often difficult to see the cones unless positioned for such viewing. As for cost, seems your elements are good, controller is the problem, and an electrician can probably check that out. best of luck, Pres
  17. Have you mastered the whistle yet, working with the whistle will help you to get to the ocarina. I taught a few sessions for the music teacher that taught theory and harmony at our school. We had them making whistles, but some got into doing the ocarinas after completing a proper whistle. these are more difficult and his book explains about needing to tune them. I made a few along with the teacher and found that the body wall thickness was important. For tools we found that bamboo chopsticks worked really well for cheap tools in abundance. a little whittling and you had all the tools you needed. Your pic does not show exactly what I need to see as the position of the top hole depends on the shape of the mouthpiece and throat. The air hole has to be over the curve of the throat . best, Pres
  18. @Mark C.I knew this, and thought it would be good to urge others to post how often they fired. No Snark about you pointing it out! best, Pres
  19. I was looking at my poor kiln today, thinking I needed to fire a load soon, when I realized I haven't fired a load since September of last year. It used to be that I would fire a kiln at least once a month, sometimes twice. Back then I had a an L&L 23 that had 5 sections. I would mostly fire the 4 sections, but often in the Summer it would be all 5. It would hold a lot of pots, and I could fire some pretty tall thrown vases and jars. However, when it came to plates it was tough to get very many in with the diameter at 23. The new kiln fires many plates at a time since it is a 28" diameter, but it is shorter so tall stuff is more limited. I really don't make a much of the taller stuff anymore mostly limited to 36' including the lid with handle/decoration. Seems of late I will get a load ready at an average of once every 2 months in the good weather. QotW: How many times a month/year do you fire your kiln/s? best, Pres
  20. The two grooves on the sides of the hole may confirm the fact that it is a baffle as it would allow the cover to he removed with tongs or some other device. The grooves will also allow a small amount of air flow. best, Pres
  21. Years ago when I produced much more than now, I used an old refrigerator outside as a wet cabinet. Had to have a lock on it in order to use it that way it worked. The freezer compartment was especially nice for longer term small pieces. best, Pres
  22. Google searches on Japanese pottery throwing methods do bring up quite a bit of information. You may find some Utube videos that will help you also. Years ago, I was having problems with S cracks in the bottom of small vessels off of the hump. . a utube video showed me to make a pancake on the hump and then bring up the sides and then pull the walls. This was a Japanese method. best, Pres
  23. @Kaylahamyng Welcome to the forum, and may your experiences here be enlightening and enjoyable. best, Pres
  24. The damp sponge would soften too much of the bottom of the pieces. The board separates the wetness, but keeps the atmosphere damp enough for storage. I usually take the pieces out earlier than I trim/assemble so they can stiffen a bit. best, Pres
  25. Hi folks, I am getting ready to get back to work in the shop and I was thinking of things I need to get ready for the work I will be doing. I have decided to do some more teapots, and chalices myself and for orders. Much of what I do is in batches, where I may throw 15 stems for chalices, and then throw 15-16 bowls. Teapots, I usually throw 6 bodies, and then the lids, and spouts. This requires storage for the pieces until the bodies are trimmed. Same happens with the chalices. My best way of storing large amounts of pieces is to have a rubbermaid type container with a damp sponge across the bottom and a board over the the sponge. The stems are usually stored in a round container with a plate over top of the damp sponge. I know that several of you have talked about plaster in the same type of containers, but these work for me. Larger slab/wheel constructions I store under a plastic bag. QotW: What is your preferred method of storage for work in Progress?
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