Can you talk to me about plates?

[OffCenter]

Never heard of it before but I think the nubbin is a cool idea. Not bad being known for nubbins, super bright glazes and reasonable prices.

 

Jim

[Benzine]

So Mark, the "nubbin" is to prevent against "sagging",due to the large open space, of a plate's foot ring?

 

 

Yes -porcelain can move at cone 10/11 a bit and this keeps them from touching down. Just something I have done for 40 years with plates and other forms-its something my work is known for besides super bright/colored glazes ans reasonable prices.

Mark

 

 

Interesting. I've never fired that hot, so I guess it's not something I've had to worry about. At what temperature/ cone does this start to become an issue?

[nancylee]

Thanks, Mark, for the encouragement, and the information about plate thickness. I know what you mean about wanting to throw thin! But ai tend to like the solid, heavier pieces myself, somehow those pieces feel like handmade to me.

Best,

Nancy

[oldlady]

nancylee, don't forget to show us what you finally did.

[annekat]

This thread on plates is great. Lots of great suggestions and ideas I don't have time to fully read right now, but certainly will. Plates have always been one of those dreaded things for me, as for probably a number of other potters, too..... Customers seem to have a hard time understanding that there would be anything harder about them compared to other pots, that they take as much clay as they do, why they need to be expensive, etc. I've made sets of thrown plates for people before and it's always been more trouble than it was worth. But I'm undergoing some changes in my approach and the appearance of my work, gravitating toward more simplicity and directness. Slab plates are an option for me now, as well as just simpler thrown forms without as much decoration or fussing around, maybe without feet, even. I worked for a few years for some potters who successfully produced slab built majolica dinnerware and sold it wholesale at the better trade shows. They are no longer producing it, not because it wasn't successful, but because they have moved on to other things. The slab plates had simple and clean lines that didn't interfere with the various patterns painted on, but each had an extruded rim attached, using a self-designed die, which gave the plate substance and stability.