What’s on your workbench?

[Mark C.]

Here's that last load that came out last week.This is the kiln load in above post

It was a loose load -what I call a year end clean up fire.

Now its a everyday selling pots  at my pottery booth and dropping pots off at my 9 outlets in this county. Xmas is go time in my world.

The 25th is time to put my feet up. Then its stock up the outlets for the slow winter months.

 

 

[liambesaw]

Picked up a used kiln yesterday.  Crucible 234, inside dimensions 23x18.  It's a cone 10 electric with 3 inch brick.  It needs new elements and two of the grooved bricks have chipped but overall good condition!  The person I bought it from only fired to cone 06, so that's nice. The elements are functional but bulged in the bottom ring, might as well replace them if I'm going to have to pin them anyway, right?

Next step is getting the 50amp outlet installed outside, get a few bisques in, and then try making this raspberry pi controller.  Not a bad kiln for 75 dollars I think.  Anyone know a cheap electrician? Haha

 

I made some divided plates last week and my wife likes them so I'll make some more this week.

Edited December 18, 2018 by liambesaw

[Bill Kielb]

47 minutes ago, liambesaw said:

Picked up a used kiln yesterday.  Crucible 234, inside dimensions 23x18.  It's a cone 10 electric with 3 inch brick.  It needs new elements and two of the grooved bricks have chipped but overall good condition!  The person I bought it from only fired to cone 06, so that's nice. The elements are functional but bulged in the bottom ring, might as well replace them if I'm going to have to pin them anyway, right?

Next step is getting the 50amp outlet installed outside, get a few bisques in, and then try making this raspberry pi controller.  Not a bad kiln for 75 dollars I think.  Anyone know a cheap electrician? Haha

 

I made some divided plates last week and my wife likes them so I'll make some more this week.

Nice on both fronts!

I was an electrician at age 20 (some time ago) and would offer to help but the distance from Wa to IL is rather significant. I will have to cheer you on from a distance. With respect to the Rpi  I was going to drop you a note that said funny, now you have some programming to perfect along with your wares.

Sounds like a fun project, hope you can keep us apprised.

[liambesaw]

Just now, Bill Kielb said:

Nice on both fronts!

I was an electrician at age 20 (some time ago) and would offer to help but the distance from Wa to IL is rather significant. I will have to cheer you on from a distance. With respect to the Rpi  I was going to drop you a note that said funny, now you have some programming to perfect along with your wares.

Sounds like a fun project, hope you can keep us apprised.

Will do, first step is saving up for the electrician.  Luckily there will be less than a foot of wire to run, the kiln is just on the other side of the wall from my circuit breaker.  After all is said and done will be nice not to blow 15 bucks in propane every time I bisque.

[Gabby]

Finally, after several weeks of looking wistfully at my worktable (while attending to  study unrelated to ceramics), I got back down to the studio.

What is sitting on my worktable is a large elliptical cylinder about the dimensions of an office wastebasket. Red stoneware, as usual.

I have the basic features painted on it in underglaze but still haven't decided on the detail, whether to go entirely with thin black line work or to have something more going on.

Independently, I opened my newest Ceramics Monthly today and find the articles very intriguing. I am so glad to subscribe.

[glazenerd]

On May 9, 2018 at 4:42 PM, Min said:

Last pot on the bench today, carved vase.

So @Min- I have been waiting 8 months to see the final product. Piece caught my eye when you posted it. Final pics? 

[Min]

15 hours ago, glazenerd said:

So @Min- I have been waiting 8 months to see the final product. Piece caught my eye when you posted it. Final pics? 

Hi Tom, sure.....

^10 - flashing slips - soda - front / back

 

[glazenerd]

Min:

i was curious to see how the glaze broke on the ribbing. Nice job.

Tom

[LeeU]

I've had these 5 pieces on my worktable for over a week---can't make up my mind. I'm submitting sets of 2  to  2 different exhibits. One will be in our capitol city, at a Victorian estate that has galleries and an art school-it's for the NH Potters' Guild. The other is for the NH Institute of Art and includes external clay artists associated with the community education program. The small dish with the nice celedon glaze and the firecolor on the back is from their anagama kiln, as is the one with the white inner glaze. The other pieces are from my L&L, and are very hefty. The rectangular one is  1 lb. 10 oz.  of porcelain. I added the pic of their  undersides because the pieces are meant to be heavy, tactile, and inviting to be looked/touched at all over.   Help me eliminate one piece and put 4 into companionable pairs!  Any feedback welcome. Thx-Lee  PS-I added a detail shot of the little bowl w/the black circle 'cuz the outside doesn't get a fair shake in the group shots. 

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by LeeU

[Gabby]

1 hour ago, LeeU said:

I've had these 5 pieces on my worktable for over a week---can't make up my mind. I'm submitting sets of 2  to  2 different exhibits. One will be in our capitol city, at a Victorian estate that has galleries and an art school-it's for the NH Potters' Guild. The other is for the NH Institute of Art and includes external clay artists associated with the community education program. The small dish with the nice celedon glaze and the firecolor on the back is from their anagama kiln, as is the one with the white inner glaze. The other pieces are from my L&L, and are very hefty. The rectangular one is  1 lb. 10 oz.  of porcelain. I added the pic of their  undersides because the pieces are meant to be heavy, tactile, and inviting to be looked/touched at all over.   Help me eliminate one piece and put 4 into companionable pairs!  Any feedback welcome. Thx-Lee  PS-I added a detail shot of the little bowl w/the black circle 'cuz the outside doesn't get a fair shake in the group shots. 

Hi, Lee. I think I would leave out the stubby little dark one, as it looks least unique.

Everything I make on the wheel looks like that, so it isn't that I don't think it is cute. It just doesn't look as special as the others.

 

[Chilly]

This:

 

[Bill Kielb]

14 hours ago, LeeU said:

I've had these 5 pieces on my worktable for over a week---can't make up my mind. I'm submitting sets of 2  to  2 different exhibits. One will be in our capitol city, at a Victorian estate that has galleries and an art school-it's for the NH Potters' Guild. The other is for the NH Institute of Art and includes external clay artists associated with the community education program. The small dish with the nice celedon glaze and the firecolor on the back is from their anagama kiln, as is the one with the white inner glaze. The other pieces are from my L&L, and are very hefty. The rectangular one is  1 lb. 10 oz.  of porcelain. I added the pic of their  undersides because the pieces are meant to be heavy, tactile, and inviting to be looked/touched at all over.   Help me eliminate one piece and put 4 into companionable pairs!  Any feedback welcome. Thx-Lee  PS-I added a detail shot of the little bowl w/the black circle 'cuz the outside doesn't get a fair shake in the group shots. 

 

I personally see an interesting similarity yet contrast in the top one and bottom right. They have matching glazes yet different offsetting contrast and the diversity in the texture yet similar textural design would make me want to display them together.

[oldlady]

if you eliminate the bowl with the white glaze interior, you would have two sets of similar looking work when viewed from above.

[Rae Reich]

@Chilly, nice chocolate glaze! Serving dishes are pretty, too.

[Joe_L]

Edible cones?

[shawnhar]

1st pots of 2019!

Tried to make some planters with built-in drip trays

Edited January 4, 2019 by shawnhar

[LeeU]

On 1/4/2019 at 8:23 AM, shawnhar said:

built-in drip trays

Curious how the inside looks--is the interior bottom raised up with a hole for drainage? 

[shawnhar]

I just cut holes in the side at the bottom. Going to pick up a hole tool tomorrow, I tried to use one of my drill bits and they came out terribly messy. 

 

[Mark C.]

Brass hole punch set works wonders-1/4- 3/8- 1/2 -3/4 inch They used to have wood handles now I think they are all brass pipe with plastic cap or you get them from Chinese art supply and they are very cheaply made-make sure the hole bottom is flush with planter bottom. I always did 3 holes evenly spaced.

No pots made yet in 2019 but I ma firing a electric clean up bisque right now.I have a small gas kiln load to do in a week to clean it all out.

[liambesaw]

Having an electrician come out tomorrow to install the kiln circuit.  Fingers crossed it turns out well.

I have a bunch of mugs I've been working on this week, trimmed, fluted and handled a few today, pulled more handles and will finish the rest up tomorrow, might even give the electric kiln a run if everything goes well!

 

[Pres]

Liam are you doing your incising before shaping, that often softens the lines. Nice clean shapes from what I can see.

best,

Pres

[liambesaw]

42 minutes ago, Pres said:

Liam are you doing your incising before shaping, that often softens the lines. Nice clean shapes from what I can see.

best,

Pres

Kind of, I do them while shaping with my steel rib.  I pull the cylinder and then scrape the slip off and shape the base at the same time, then I will fine tune the shape from inside with a small wood rib.  I probably should go back and sharpen them up again after, the line is just the line of slip that the steel rib leaves.  

Should have seen me sitting there in my shed trying to figure out how to do it nicely like the ones I mistakenly left like that last time. I like the way glaze breaks over the horizontal line though, it's really nice.

If you were talking about the fluting, I did that at soft leather before I put on the handles

Also the "electrician" won't be here tomorrow, mainly because I found out he's not an electrician.  

Edited January 6, 2019 by liambesaw

[Pres]

Try fluting before shaping to see what happens. Only shape on the inside of the fluted area, then finish the top with inside/outside movements.  Just a suggestion.. 

Smart move on the electrician.

best,

Pres

[JohnnyK]

On ‎10‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 10:05 AM, liambesaw said:

Got some jars and lids thrown, I was going to trim the ones I threw over the weekend but with typical Seattle 95% humidity and a light drizzle, nothing has hardened up one iota.  Not even hard enough to alter the forms or decorate.  Hate this time of year, everything gets put on slow mo.  Gonna try to clear out some shelves so I can at least carefully free up some bats.

Have you tried putting a fan blowing on low to help dry things out a little? I have similar weather conditions here in Citrus Heights, CA and found the fan helps speed up the drying process...

[liambesaw]

1 hour ago, JohnnyK said:

Have you tried putting a fan blowing on low to help dry things out a little? I have similar weather conditions here in Citrus Heights, CA and found the fan helps speed up the drying process...

I've used a little space heater, works prettty good but costs a bit to run.  I'll keep an eye out for small fan and see if it works just as well, thanks!