oldlady

just remember that the "chemicals" are ground rocks of differing kinds. rocks are found in even hotter places than NC.

what about the kind of cord used with window air conditioners? they come in short lengths, have used one six feet long for heavy tools. yes, 3 prongs very thick, wide cord. try an electrical supply store, they probably have a cover for the place your wheel plug fits into the extension cord. congrats, i got my pacifica in 1972 and still loving it, runs fine.

love my L&L (and bob battey from 2002) but wish i had known about the kiln that is a little wider and less deep. now that i cannot deny that i am a senior citizen, i find lifting the round shelves i have been using for over 20 years is getting to be too hard to do. at 5ft5 inches, reaching the very bottom requires my standing on a 4 inch high stool. many are so warped they could be used as pasta bowls. they are the thick, heavy kind, wish i had the $$$ for advancers.

thanks, min. my warping problem is not the common slight twist but seriously bad, including the sides falling outward. i know they are lost, some have picked up kiln wash at the edges of the hot waxed area. i have a diamond bat for the simple rocking problem but rarely need it. i am making more and drying them in the sunny windows of my studio. heading out there now. will attempt photos later.

just FYI, slip made from the same clay as the body of the pieces you make works very well while the piece is still damp from forming. clay slip soaks into the clay body then but it cannot do that once the piece has dried. if you read the labels you will find that stroke & coat is a glaze, not an underglaze.

helena, i noticed that you referred to several cones beginning with zero. are you working with stoneware or porcelain? do you have access to a chart that tells you the temperature associated with those cone numbers? i ask because so many people have been confused and think a higher number following the zero is hotter than the lower numbers. there are some earthenware clays that are bisqued to 06 and fired to 06 but stoneware finishes much hotter because of its higher density. the numbers read from high (cool) numbers upward to zero and single digits upward toward very high (hot). my stoneware is mature at cone 6 and i bisque at cone 04 to burn out impurities, the temps are approximately 2240 for cone 6 and about 1850 for bisque 04. (books out in the studio with accurate #s.)

yes, min. your clarification is right on. in addition, some of the bottoms need touch up. another potter came by yesterday and said she would just offer everything as is and let buyers decide for themselves. somehow that feels like cheating. i do not sell seconds but sometimes point out a tiny flaw and reduce the usual price by $2 or $3. different question, same subject. a number of the shallow trays have warped. no explanation. wondering if i removed them from their supports too soon. i cannot refire the ones that have sagged, looks like i have some to keep for myself. wish i could add photos, did well with them in windows 7. 11 is not the same. somehow my edit went to the original post, not the one i wanted.

i use a sprayer to glaze my work. recently, i started using flowers to make pattern blocks that i really like. some finished work did not get enough glaze in small areas. interior edges of rims sometimes are not as glossy and fingers can feel the slight roughness where this has happened. i fire to cone 6. i have refired these in the past to cone 6 but now i am so pleased with the form that i do not want to risk losing pieces to overglazing some spots. would using cone 5 be enough to fix the problems? the show is in 10 days and the big kiln takes 3 days when full. min, this is the marvelous clear glaze that you gave me and it has taken over my glaze kitchen. the colors are fabulous. some of the pots have sufficient color that i can just add some clear to smooth out the roughness, others need more color.

karo, hope the wheel is still available for you to buy. looks are only important to a fashion model.

as i get older, i wish i had a "wheelie bin". wanna trade for my circular dragitouttothestreet one?

question. did i read that you are making test tiles and firing them to cone 6? now that you have fired them, you must have learned that they should only go to bisque so they can absorb glaze in the same way you will working with actual pieces. bisque temps are a whole subject with many options and reasons for selecting the best cone for your clay and style of work.

hot wax on the bottom when finishing the work will keep the glaze from staying on the bottom while you glaze it. easy to do then, no handling with dry glaze being knocked or rubbed off. have you considered spraying the glaze so you can reach the whole thing without touching the glaze at all? sprayed glaze dries so quickly i hardly have time to put the spray gun on its hook before the piece can be handled safely.

the word "dust" is misleading. ordinary household dust is bad enough but pottery making involves many chemicals, well, minerals, that are toxic to the lungs. when in the powder state, silica is the main culprit and handling it carefully while wearing a respirator provides the safest way to use it in a home studio. keep a damp sponge near any handbuilding area and use it all the time. no work surface should be covered in dry clay. and tossing tons of water at the piece while working at the wheel is just silly. only your hands need enough water to control the clay. cleanup is so simple if you do not make a mess in the first place. sloppy working conditions are not necessary in any studio. keep it as clean as you would like your lungs to be when you die.

did a big birdbath in the 70s without glaze. molded the shape on a piece of fabric stretched over a large, 22 or so inches diameter trash can and held in place with several rubber bungee cords. rolled out a slab 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick and draped it into the fabric while keeping an eye on the bungee cords and avoiding their slipping down the can. came out great, plain 112 plus 112 with lots of red iron oxide to make fake wood supports running through the bowl so smaller birds could use them while drinking. adjusting the cords allowed the bowl to be shallow enough, 2 to 3 inches, for birds to bathe safely. glaze is too slippery so i did not use it. threw a separate large diameter, flared base about 9 inches tall so the ratio of support was enough to prevent tipping over. sadly, i was not home when the first frost was predicted. calling my son to ask him to take it inside did not work. teenager.

what are you referring to when you say "handle"?