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I just finished handling some covered jars with black bamboo handles-I grew the bamboo and harvested it last month.

These are headed for a show this weekend.

I'm unloading two glaze fires today the last of 5 glaze fires in the past 11 days-not a record but its been a ton of work.

Vacation really messes up my clay studio work schedule.

Mark

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what am I working on?  Well, normally I would say functional wear such as cups, mugs, bowls, plates, goblets etc., but since I have been temporarily banned from my studio due to a couple of fractured ribs, I am now working on making clay beads and then making necklaces and earrings utilizing these beads and some gemstones like amethyst Turquoise and agate. So far I think they are coming out rather nicely.  When I figure out how to post a picture I will put some up for you to see.

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Mark, what do you attach the bamboo to the lid with?  Also, black bamboo?  I've never heard of such a thing.  Does it involve occult magic, to create?  I've heard bamboo growth can get away from you, if it gets going.  

 

 but since I have been temporarily banned from my studio due to a couple of fractured ribs

 

Did a studio argument get out of hand?

 

I'm working on facing moppin' time.  THis is my wheel spot to be mopped. Char note the wheel, had it over a year and I am very happy with it. Good luck w/the ribs thing by the way.  attachicon.gifIMGP3501.jpg

 

If that's moppin' time, then I'm way past due.  It doesn't help that my cat, likes my throwing sponge, and keeps getting into my water container to get it.  She leaves a clay slurry mess around the wheel...and the rest of the house for that matter.

Do you sit on that bucket to throw?

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I was putting away some groceries when I took a misstep and tripped over the hem in my scrub pants (daughter-in-Law is a nurse and gives me these to throw in) I fell into the corner of the archway between the kitchen and dining room...then slid on down to the floor. At first I thought it was only my pride that was injured, but as the night wore on and the pain got worse decided I needed to have it checked out and sure enough I have 2 cracked ribs...and some really lovely deep purple bruises..wish I could get these colors in a glaze..lol.  Here are the pics..hope you can see them ok.

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Nice bead work Char!

 

Yep Benzine the front leg of the wheel goes through the handle of the bucket so's it can't go anywhere which keeps me tight to the wheel.  The height puts my quads in a good spot to lever my forearms on if I need. Never been shown how to throw but have seen video of course... I'm a lefty so tools on the left, water on the left.  My cats, are too lazy to play with stuff, they eat, go outside, half-kill something, drag it in, become distracted, fall asleep, repeat. maybe that's most cats.

 

Bucket, probably not comfy as your love seat... I'm no clay-throw hero, can't brag. Most potters probably throw more efficiently but I'm satisfied that I do okay, & progress constantly. If I don't prep well I don't throw well. Never seen a potter throw in person apart from myself, they are an elusive breed...  Here I throw - https://vimeo.com/99248806  (not sure that's gonna work, if it doesn't, no worries you've not missed much).

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I actually on threw, from my love seat, on that one occasion.  But I currently throw from a padded office chair, so still not too bad.

 

The bucket size, and material, in itself wouldn't be bad, but the lids seem like they'd hurt to sit on for a while.

 

I am also a lefty, but I can't throw clockwise.  I've had students ask for help, with the wheel going that direction, and it really messes me up.  They don't intentionally throw that way.  They just switched the Shimpo to "Reverse" instead of "Forward", or kick the kick wheel with their left foot.  

 

Nice video.  It looks like you keep the wheel at roughly the same speed, from centering to finishing.  Am I seeing right?

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Mark, what do you attach the bamboo to the lid with?  Also, black bamboo?  I've never heard of such a thing.  Does it involve occult magic, to create?  I've heard bamboo growth can get away from you, if it gets going.  

If you live where its hot bamboo will get away from you.

I grow 4 or 5 kinds here on the coooool coast.

Black is just another variety-look them up there are tons of types-you midwesterners live a sheltered plant life.

I use chair and basket cane (oval 3mm) and carriage cane to wrap them to the clay parts-you soak it and it dries tight-these are hard to run down where I live but the last bunch

came for The contry store off the web in somewhere in PA-I tend to buy lots of sizes-its cheap stuff.

All the secrets are out now-time to plant bamboo instead of corn dude-it does not need husking either.

You can dig a 2 foot deep barrier underground  solid around the bambo and since it shallow rooted it cannot spread beyond that barrier

 

 

Mark

 

 but since I have been temporarily banned from my studio due to a couple of fractured ribs

 

Did a studio argument get out of hand?

 

I'm working on facing moppin' time.  THis is my wheel spot to be mopped. Char note the wheel, had it over a year and I am very happy with it. Good luck w/the ribs thing by the way.  attachicon.gifIMGP3501.jpg

 

If that's moppin' time, then I'm way past due.  It doesn't help that my cat, likes my throwing sponge, and keeps getting into my water container to get it.  She leaves a clay slurry mess around the wheel...and the rest of the house for that matter.

Do you sit on that bucket to throw?

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P.S,  my studio is here at my home out in the back yard...small 12x12 building..but big enough for my throwing and glazing purposes..most of the handbuilding work I do in my studio area inside the house. So just to clarify...no problem with anyone in the studio..its just me..the banning came from my son who thinks it would be better for me not to be on the wheel for a while until my ribs get a chance to heal up a bit.  He is probably right.

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I actually on threw, from my love seat, on that one occasion.  But I currently throw from a padded office chair, so still not too bad.

 

The bucket size, and material, in itself wouldn't be bad, but the lids seem like they'd hurt to sit on for a while.

 

I am also a lefty, but I can't throw clockwise.  I've had students ask for help, with the wheel going that direction, and it really messes me up.  They don't intentionally throw that way.  They just switched the Shimpo to "Reverse" instead of "Forward", or kick the kick wheel with their left foot.  

 

Nice video.  It looks like you keep the wheel at roughly the same speed, from centering to finishing.  Am I seeing right?

Thank you for watching!  You are making me think... ... With smaller forms I'm familiar with, like gp bowls up to 2 lbs where if I prepped well it's just gonna work, I do tend to go about the same speed but I don't have a lot of conscious control over speed or I space out that part honestly.  My mind is mostly on center, base dim, height reaching to mouth dim and compressing the base with repeated thumb swipes somewhere in there. I try for precise repeat forms, with 2 calipers & a ruler until I get a feel for the wall.  So I work toward the key dimension points I want leaving a sort of pyramidal base wall thickness at first to sort of shore up the journey, my shapes tend to widen for some reason so I'll bring them back in with my palms because I like or need the stabilizing quality of some weight near the center at the top of the form, I like to leave material collared on the lip if I've started with enough, to help offset G forces pulling out the top.  I like to go thin forms so if the top goes it's done for, at 2 lbs + I may center faster then slow toward finishing up the pot, or if the vessel is top heavy which is most of the time past 9" high for me. 

 

I sort of would rather have thrown counterclockwise to start, now that I know it is what everybody else does.  But alas I pot in a vacuum & suffer the consequences.  I hope I can learn to throw counterclockwise like other people do, been thinking it would be easy... Now I'm not so sure... 

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I grow 4 or 5 kinds here on the coooool coast.

Black is just another variety-look them up there are tons of types-you midwesterners live a sheltered plant life.

I use chair and basket cane (oval 3mm) and carriage cane to wrap them to the clay parts-you soak it and it dries tight-these are hard to run down where I live but the last bunch

came for The contry store off the web in somewhere in PA-I tend to buy lots of sizes-its cheap stuff.

All the secrets are out now-time to plant bamboo instead of corn dude-it does not need husking either.

You can dig a 2 foot deep barrier underground  solid around the bambo and since it shallow rooted it cannot spread beyond that barrier

 

 

Mark

 

HA, after you said "Midwest", I was going to joke about using corn stalks, but you are one step ahead of me.

That would be pretty awesome, if I could get that to work, but corn stalks are pretty weak, once they dry.  Sunflower stalks are relatively strong though.  I have one I saved from last year; pretty solid.  Not as strong as bamboo, mind you, but pretty strong for a glorified, mummified flower stem.

 

Also Char, I wish you a speedy recovery.  It's always nice having people around, who set limits for us.  Because sometime, we as people, and go getting creative types, don't know when to say when.

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Thank you for watching!  You are making me think... ... With smaller forms I'm familiar with, like gp bowls up to 2 lbs where if I prepped well it's just gonna work, I do tend to go about the same speed but I don't have a lot of conscious control over speed or I space out that part honestly.  My mind is mostly on center, base dim, height reaching to mouth dim and compressing the base with repeated thumb swipes somewhere in there. I try for precise repeat forms, with 2 calipers & a ruler until I get a feel for the wall.  So I work toward the key dimension points I want leaving a sort of pyramidal base wall thickness at first to sort of shore up the journey, my shapes tend to widen for some reason so I'll bring them back in with my palms because I like or need the stabilizing quality of some weight near the center at the top of the form, I like to leave material collared on the lip if I've started with enough, to help offset G forces pulling out the top.  I like to go thin forms so if the top goes it's done for, at 2 lbs + I may center faster then slow toward finishing up the pot, or if the vessel is top heavy which is most of the time past 9" high for me. 

 

I sort of would rather have thrown counterclockwise to start, now that I know it is what everybody else does.  But alas I pot in a vacuum & suffer the consequences.  I hope I can learn to throw counterclockwise like other people do, been thinking it would be easy... Now I'm not so sure... 

 

 

When I teach throwing, to my students, I have them slow the wheel, once they make their initial, small opening.  I tell them, "The faster the wheel is going, the faster your hands have to go to work with the clay, and the faster small mistakes get exaggerated.  Then there is the issue with the outward force of the wheel.  Students ask, "What's the easiest thing to make on the wheel?"  I tell them "Bowls".  Because odds are, with a beginner, getting a feel for throwing, they have a tough time keeping the walls in.  

Even after several years of experience, I've flopped some pots, by slightly increasing, or even maintaining speed.  With big wares, it makes an interesting sound.  A hard "Wooshing" if you will.  Either that, or it was the sound of my confidence being expelled from my body, when it happens.

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Guest JBaymore

Getting ready for the coming anagama build that my New Hampshire Institute of Art BFA kiln class will do at the college is currently on the front burner for me.  Lots of planning details and getting the site ready.  We just broke ground for it this week.  Brickwork coming up in August.

 

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best,

 

.......................john

 

 

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Getting ready for the coming anagama build that my New Hampshire Institute of Art BFA kiln class will do at the college is currently on the front burner for me.  Lots of planning details and getting the site ready.  We just broke ground for it this week.  Brickwork coming up in August.

 

attachicon.gifNHIA-anagama-siteprep.jpg

 

best,

 

.......................john

 

I had to look that up. Man that stuff is amazingly cool. How long does it take to fire pots in there? A week?

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Guest JBaymore

We are planning on a four day firing (heating cycle) as "typical" at this point.  Then at least a week to cool.  While not huge, ....... it still is a large kiln.

 

best,

 

....................john

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I sort of would rather have thrown counterclockwise to start, now that I know it is what everybody else does.  But alas I pot in a vacuum & suffer the consequences.  I hope I can learn to throw counterclockwise like other people do, been thinking it would be easy... Now I'm not so sure... 

 

 I am right handed but throw left. It really doesn't matter which way you throw, if you are comfortable lefty then do it.

 

 I did it because of back issues, and leaning to the right was starting to kill me, leaning to the left balanced it out a lot.

 

 Luckily throwing is a pretty basic 'coordination effort'. It's not like writing where you need really fine hand control for letters. It might take a little while to fine tune but switching over isn't too tough.

 I only get confused now when I'm in the middle of throwing and a right hander asks for advice and I jump over to their wheel... I usually have to ball up a fresh pile of clay and throw it right first, then jump over to their wheel.

 

 I've even got to the point now where I will sometimes switch back to right handed mid pot if I get some wobble, it helps re-align the clay.

 

 I still trim right handed though, it's that fine hand control, easier to hold the tools correctly in my right hand and get the control I need.

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Wedding jars posted on the blog today. Some of you may find the construction of the square knot for a handle an interesting problem in clay manipulation.

 

 

Great jars Pres.  I like the knot idea, very clever.  How do you do the texture; roll a coil on a textured surface?

Also, great carved text.  What did you use for that?  Carved font looks great.  I have students that want to include text on projects, by carving it in.  I tell them, I have no problem with that, but it has to look good; not just take a needle tool and scrawl it on there in a scribbled handwriting.  I tell them I am very particular about the look of font.  So they usually opt to go for cutting text out of thin slabs, and applying them on.  This is much easier for them, to make it look clean.

I notice none of the pots have the dynamic bottoms, like the Retirement Jar.  Too much time and stress to make that element work?

 

Also, did you cut the pots out, from a background and add the gradient backdrop digitally?

 

In answer to your questions Ben. The texture is from rolling the slabs between two grooved boards-see Van Gilder. http://www.baileypottery.com/potterytools/vanGildertools.htm

Yes I have been working more with Gimp brushing up on my photo editing and the edge selection tool is quite cool in there. For an open source quite powerful. Caught me!

The lettering is carved using a bamboo chopstick that I have cut to an 1/8 inch width and added a slight angle to the edge. I hold it like one would hold a Speedball C point for calligraphic lines. As I have done calligraphy for many years, it is not too difficult. The lettering was also carved in while cheese hard.  The square not lid has pressed in lettering from a children's set I found years ago.

Every pot gets the base I feel most appropriate at the time. The retirement thing was intended to stretch the limits of the clay leaving retirement to chance. Guess I didn't push the envelope far enough. :unsure:

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worked on bowl trims, plate & now it's on to butter bell #2... With hope, of many to come.  Thinking I'll leave them completely unglazed apart from double banding the top 1/3, with a band also around the outside of the top section, 3 bands total.  Bada-banda-bing!  

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Grr how can I doubt you, thinking... ahh.. okay.  I know you're right! :)

 

Thank you for the save, Mark. I'm about to do #3.  I worry that chipping could occur when a user locates the top part into the bottom part, if I glaze.  Chipping is terrifying to me though ease of cleaning is an important aspect. Perhaps if I glaze the interior of the storage vessel part, where it can't hit anything else?  3 coats of Amaco HF-9 on the interior, then go ahead with my banding plan with PC-35 oil spot?

 

Probably few here use it but I am using #58 Warm Brown ^5 Amaco.  The finish of this raw clay at ^5, seems to bond very well, nearly glassy even though it retains rough texture thus has lots of additional surface area.

 

So nice to NOT be using my rather improperly reclaimed clay for once!  Okay, back to Bada-butter-bing! Thanks again Mark for helping out.

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Grr how can I doubt you, thinking... ahh.. okay.  I know you're right! :)

 

Thank you for the save, Mark. I'm about to do #3.  I worry that chipping could occur when a user locates the top part into the bottom part, if I glaze.  Chipping is terrifying to me though ease of cleaning is an important aspect. Perhaps if I glaze the interior of the storage vessel part, where it can't hit anything else?  3 coats of Amaco HF-9 on the interior, then go ahead with my banding plan with PC-35 oil spot?

 

Probably few here use it but I am using #58 Warm Brown ^5 Amaco.  The finish of this raw clay at ^5, seems to bond very well, nearly glassy even though it retains rough texture thus has lots of additional surface area.

 

So nice to NOT be using my rather improperly reclaimed clay for once!  Okay, back to Bada-butter-bing! Thanks again Mark for helping out.

 

Um, when you say butter bell you mean the French Butter Dishes that use water or the dome cover on a plate ones?

 

For the French Butter Bell's I fire the two pieces together with no glaze on the rim of the base piece and no glaze where the lid contacts the base. The part the butter is in contact with is fully glazed.

 

If you meant the domed covered butter dishes then glazing the entire plate surface and firing the lid on a waste thin doughnut of clay separately with just the rim unglazed works for me. I have a small flange on the plate to hold the lid in place and stop it contacting the butter. Firing the lid on a waste doughnut of clay keeps it from distorting in shape while firing.

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Yeh Min french butter dishes with the water in a cylindrical vessel then a smaller cup with built in saucer wide base that inverts into the cylinder with its' base then becoming the lid. But no knob shape, i don't like the look of that type, I think it important to be able to get the butter out with a knife without having to support the side of the container with another hand to stabilize it. On #5 now. It's my favorite non-figurine form to make ever.  Until i find out that my sizing is all wrong etc...  Hoping not... You fire reduction?  I fire oxidization and am sadly concerned that when all's said and done, firing them together will result in pitting on the interior pieces' glazed inside surface.  Took me a long time to understand how important kiln venting is. If I put the pieces together will the oxygen get in there enough for the carbon to burn out? I was hoping to single fire these.  Looking forward to distant future, reduction firing some day. Thank you for your advice.

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Nope, I don't fire reduction, cone 6 - 7 electric. I haven't had any problems with the insides and pitting etc. It's no different than firing any closed form, like casseroles, jars etc. I agree with needing a good clean bisque firing to burn off the organics. I do think that the insides of this form fire a little cooler than an open form but you can compensate for that by placing them in a hotter firing part of the kiln.

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