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Help With Ordering Newbie


jolieo

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Hi I have a few questions.

I am putting my order together. I tend to agonize , partly due to low funds, partly due to wanting everything. So I have developed a practice of allowing myself to put everything ing the cart and then I whittle it down.

I don't know what's essential besides kiln wash , kiln shelves, and self supporting cones.

I have underglazes and clear glaze.

I would appreciate any shopping list essentials, things I will need .

I do have a question. I can't get into making my own glazes until I figure out just making and firing. I am not set up for chemicals, which in this florida humidity might take some figuring out. Everything either goes rock hard or melts. I don't want to deal with that yet. But I am curious, I found a matt clear glaze at the ceramic shop that sounds right up my alley. I love smooth matt surfaces. Waxy smooth. Anyway can I add mason stains to this glaze if I follow the rules? Or is this just not worth the candle?

Here's what I am really asking: when I see all the potter made glazes that react and give all the unique surface treatments, and then all the store bought neutral surface treatments or even things like potters choice glazes or coyote hi fire ( I know most of the first responders do not use store bought) , will the store bought do fun stuff when mixed against each other, or will the process have neutered them? And if there is a mixed answer , is there a link I can get to?

I would like to experiment w/o getting into the mix, both cost wise and space wise. My kiln is 1.4 feet so tiny. I am hopefully uploading a photo of a wash they have at the ceramic shop called Georgies wash autumn foliage, I dont really understand what the test tile is telling me. It looks like fun, cheap enough, but what do I have to have in stock in order to mess with it. Please have patience, I am slow but determined. Thanks for any helppost-3117-0-11438400-1425490840_thumb.jpg

Here is the link to their page : http://www.theceramicshop.com/store/product/15255/Autumn-Foliage-Wash-4-oz./

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If handbuilding: Canvas (for wedging and rolling out slabs), rolling pin, wood boards for drying, a rack for holding your ware boards, lots of plastic bags or bubble wrap for slow drying, a wire cutter for slicing clay off of the pug, wood tools for shaping, rubber and metal ribs for scraping, brushes for glazing/decorating, an Xacto knife. Those are the main tools I use though I'm sure there are many more I've left out. For wheel work, I woudn't know where to begin as I only hand build. I'm also unable to answer your question about adding mason stains to a clear matte glaze. I've read of people adding the stains to dry-mix commercial clear gloss glazes but not into a matte clear. Pretty sure the stains have to be added to a dry mix in either case, though, adding to a premixed wet glaze will probably leave clumps of stain floating about.

 

You can do a lot with just underglaze and a clear glaze. Most underglazes can be used on greenware and bisque ware, be sure to check the manufacturer's application directions. If the UG is applied to bisque, you may want to sponge on the first coat of glaze so the UG layer won't be disturbed/mixed in with your glaze coat. If applied to greenware, the UG will be hardened in the bisque fire so you can just apply the clear glaze normally without sponging on the first coat.

 

The tile sample from Georgie's contains 'pigments' which appear to be combinations of oxides mixed together with frit, making a wash. Here is the key I found on Georgie's explaining what each section means: http://www.georgies.com/pdfs/georgies-ip200s.pdf

 

Hope this helps a bit, I'm not one of the experts here but I do understand your dilemma; I too am a chronic 'put everything in the basket' type, sometimes I'm glad I don't have the funds for all of that stuff as I probably don't even need most of what I 'want'!

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Thank you Nancy, 

      That is helpful. I do have clay tools. I do have brushes . I couldn't understand Georgie's key  but those reactions look delicious. I just din't want to buy it and have it sitting there waiting on stuff that I don't have. The matte underglaze is coming in powder form: I guess I could experiment(GASP!). 

Other art disciplines tend to be very purist and rigid, if one branches off too far it's no longer"archival". Test test test is a new venue for me.

I would ask : what are the essential chemicals/ball clay, that a basic clay studio needs? Like the stuff for making magic water,or wax that can only be bought through clay suppliers, or frit, or ballclay, , or all those chemicals that I see all over the place in here. Will I be like OMG I need some of THAT right as I go to fire my first load , or will it be a list  that can wait until I figure the first layer out info out.

There is a clay shop around 40 miles from me, so if it is a slow list I can go up there in around a month or so. I don't go to Jacksonville very often, but that is where I bought the clay I have. I am just used to mail order and trying to get everything in to save on shipping. Thanks again Nancy! Jolie

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In my experience, stains don't need to be added to a dry mix; I add dry stuff to my fluid test glazes all the time.  If working with small quantities, a cheap immersion blender works well to mix stuff.  If I add dry ingredients to a fluid glaze, I let the dry stuff sit on top of the fluid until moisture has wicked up through the little pile before mixing.  Finally, if you sieve the glaze after thorough mixing, it should have colorants well distributed.

 

On the other hand, I don't use commercial glazes, so this advice may not apply.

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Don't know if you found the key underneath for the test tiles. What you are seeing is the wash being painted on and different glazes producing different colour variations. (Note to self, read other posts first  :rolleyes:) Just saw the other post xD

 

To get all the different looks they have on those tiles you need the wash and 4 different glazes. Some of them are fired to cone 4 and some to cone 6.

 

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If you are looking to get the most variation out of the smallest purchase I would maybe buy a clear glaze, white glaze, a semi-matt or whatever kind of matt you are into. Get a few mason stains that you can colour the glaze/clay/paint and maybe a wash or two for painting under or over glaze.

 

That would probably get you started. It all depends what kind of surface you are looking for and the colours.

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In regards to "essential chemicals," what you should buy depends on what you want to make and how you like to work.

 

For instance, I know simple and cheap recipes for kiln wash, so I don't mess with more costly store bought. But with a kiln the size you mention, the cost savings of mixing your own would be negligible, so you can use watever option you find most appealing: diy vs convenient.

 

When mixing your own glazes, the rough principle is that you have a base glaze that you add colourants to. So yes, you can add oxides or stains to a store bought base glaze or a homemade one. Think of it as doctoring a store bought jar of spaghetti sauce with your own spices.

 

You *can* add dry ingredients to a premixed glaze with water and everything added, but for the sake of being able to repeat and tweak results it's best to get a powdered base that you can weigh out with your colourants into a container of water. It is easier to mix when all the ingredients have slaked down. I know a lot of people swear by the stick blender, but I like a test sieve. Again, a personal preference.

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Thank you diesel, this is encouraging! I just read the descriptions on the ceramic shop dry chemicals page. I want to buy a pound of everything, thank goodness I know better. I don't even know how to really make a good pot yet. So when I make a good pot, I want to be able to experiment on it. Hell I think I'll experiment on all my badly made pots.

One thing seemed odd : the ceramic shop went into great detail of what each chemical did,which chemical it was similar too, where it was mined if applicable. It did not mention health precautions at all. That seemed strange , cuz I know that they are there. If they go through Usage shouldn't precautions be in there? Thanks again Jolie

I am not knocking the shop, I am wondering why and it's probably a known reason.

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Assume all the dry ingredients are bad to breathe in so if you are handle dry glazes or chemicals get a good mask. There is book out there talking about the health hazards to the potter, i don't recall the title but i am sure agoogle search will bring it up. Here is a web page that talks a bit about proper handling of stuff in the pottery studio maybe it will help.

 

https://www.goshen.edu/art/DeptPgs/Hazards.html

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http://digitalfire.com/4sight/education/being_realistic_about_toxicity_and_safety_in_ceramics_278.html

 

Digitalfire is a very reputable source of information on things ceramic. Any supplier who sells ceramic material I believe is obliged by law to supply MSDS sheets on any material they have. Just ask them. I did find a link from your clay shop to this:

http://www.lagunaclay.com/msds/

They seem to have everything.

 

A NIOSH approved respirator with a proper HEPA particle filter (not the vapour ones) is a must. These are the half face masks that make you look like an alien, the ones you get from automotive supply places. Anything paper does not fit the bill. Mix outside if you can. Latex or nitrile gloves are a good idea, as a lot of glaze solutions are mildly caustic (think on the level of harsh dishpan hands after a day of glazing).

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I started with a transparent glaze and some (small quantities) of oxides - Copper (green), cobalt (blue), Iron (straw through to brown). Coloured stains can also be added to the transparent and with them, 'what you see is what you get'. These offer a wide variety of colours and you can mix them like paint to produce even more colours. I haven't used them with a white glaze, so don't know how they respond, but a nice white glaze would be a good one to start with too.

 

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

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A poor rodent's advice for some stuff:

 

1. Plastic grocery bags are like gold to potters! They're free or super cheap in most places, an you can use them over and over with clay stuff.

 

2. Thrift stores are treasure troves. I've got everything from buckets and sponges to canvas and textured placemats for under $5-$10 total. You can sometimes find great knick-knacks that are good for carving, too. The "dollar" store is awesome, too!

 

3. RECYCLE. Clay scraps are your friend! Save those babies. :)

 

Good luck with your new clay adventures! ^_^

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Jolieo, if you read the entire story of one of our members recent order, i think you will find the answers to many questions you have and some you haven't gotten around to as yet.  see   "Here's what i ordered" in clay and glaze. 

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Thank You very much.thank you guinea!!i do shop at thrift stores, I love reuse and recycle.i am beginning to see textures everywhere. All this is fun for me.

The health precautions are very serious for me ( I have had health issues , and while I feel fine right now, I know the paranoia isn't worth it).

Old lady I will have to look at her list , cuz I changed my mind( I have been peeking , I just didn't understand it) I was looking over my list and a pint of matte glaze ( which sounds delicious) is $28. One glaze pen $10.85. Then a few suggested a white glaze , and a glossy one.i can't afford myself!

I am about to start a new thread asking for glaze recipes.

This is so much fun! Thank you all so much . Jolie

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I have found that a lot of those fancy gadgets sold in ceramic supply stores and online just aren't worth the ridiculous prices they ask for them. There are plenty of DIY alternatives that are a lot more fun and satisfying to have in your tool bin.

 

For example: If you have a small torch and a grinding wheel at your disposal, used hacksaw blades can be re-purposed into wonderful trimming tools for wheel thrown work.

 

For about $5-$10, you can create your own extruder out of a cheap caulking gun, pvc pipe and plumbing test caps.

 

Guinea is a woman after my own heart with respects to thrift shops and the dollar stores. Yard sales are also a treasure trove!

 

One needn't buy expensive wax resists when cheap coloring crayons and old grungy candles can be found in abundance at all of the above locations.

 

For me, half the fun of this whole venture, is in finding ways around the over commercialization in the industry today. That's not to say that there aren't any "must have" products out there. But, one should always ask oneself if there isn't a more economical alternative to be made yourself. ;)

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