Denice

I haven't try to make one of these it is a idea that has been rolling around in my head. The ancient Greeks would put large gourds in trees. The gourds would have a hole in them and strings strung across the holes. They would have dinner al fresco and listen to the gentle wind creating musical tones from the gourds. I was thinking that I could make some gourds out of paper clay to keep the weight down. I grew some large Snake type gourds to give to my son, he has never lived anywhere long enough to hang them up. I finally have trees in my yard large enough to hang gourds on. Making your own gourds would be easier than growing giant snake gourds. Denice

I don't use any Chromium in my studio, I considered it dangerous to my health. One of the first things my glaze professor told us was to wear mask and gloves and don't use chromium if you have a open cut, it can kill you. I decided that there was different ways to make green glazes, I can live without chromium green.

If I just have short seams I use the clay body, water and lots of compression, I am to lazy to mix up some magic water. When I start on a large pot I will mix up some magic water, I really never noticed any magic in slip with vinegar. Denice

Thanks Neil for the reminder I was thinking one of them was called a Udu. Denice

I made some musical instruments for my son when he was in high school. I believe they were African, one you blew softly into the top and it had a hole in it that you could change the pitch with. It was a large vase shape. I think the other one you pounded on it like a drum. I didn't know to much about it, I just followed his directions and he cut out the holes. I found them on-line for $100.00 and higher for ones with fancy carvings on them. My son wanted to start a on-line business selling them, he didn't help me make any of the instruments. I told him I didn't want to spend all of my free time making instruments for him to sell. He was angry with me at first and decided later that it really wouldn't be fair to me. Denice

I have the same luxury so I don't buy very many at a time. Besides I like going to the ceramic supply store, look at the new tools and visit with other potters. I have been shopping there since 1968, I was one of there first customers. Denice

Thank you for the info on Kemper tools I am going to the Ceramic supply store tomorrow, I have been thinking about buying some new tools. I'll make a list before I head out. Denice

Like Lee my clay is indoors, the recycled clay is in 5 gallon buckets on dollies and the fresh clay is stacked in their boxes. I put my fresh bags of clay in a 5 gal bucket of water before I use it. I do that with clay that is on the dry side. I have found that by treating fresh clay the same way I don't need to slam it around to soften it that Cone 5/6 clay usually needs. Denice

When I was getting my ceramics degree I thought I came up with original designs. One week a professor gave us the assignment of finding a original design in pottery. I spent hours looking through books on pottery through history. Every time I thought I had found one there was another one like it further back in history. You were using a technique even if you copied it you can never quite get the same look. Copying is a good way to learn, I had one class where we were given a photo, the amount of clay used and size, we had a week to throw it. Usually there would be only one piece in the class that came close to the original. You should of said " there are mugs that look like mine, I was just copying the seams on my jeans." Denice

I used Mayco Fundamentals underglaze to achieve this look. A hake brush is my go to brush, do not put clear glaze over it. Fire it to C 5, if you are using a low fire clay you will need to find different underglaze. Denice

I am so happy that you are able to spend so much time in your studio. I hope you are able to get some big bucks for your works of art. It is always nice to know that someone appreciates your work and are willing to pay for it. I think I will make a sculpture of my dog when I finish making some repair tiles for a mural. He is a Chiweenie so he is on the small size, I could fit a life size sculpture of him in the kiln. My last dog would go crazy when I was working on a portraiture sculpture. I'd better start taking some photos, he looks like the dog in the old RCA ads. I think I will try that pose. Denice

I like using a small shallow bowl and have a 5 gal bucket near by to wipe scraped clay into. I was also taught to throw dry and like to use a thin slurry starting with warm water. Denice

I owned that model for 30 years I bought it used, it was from a commercial studio and had been fire constantly so I had new elements and cord installed. I used a Skutt dual digital pyrometer set to do holds and downfire. Getting old so I decided to get a smaller kiln, I sold my old one for 600 dollars. It had a new lid and a couple of shelves, posts, cones and new elements. Make sure the lid isn't cracked. The expansion of a lid can cause crumbs from the crack to fall on your pots ruining any glaze beneath it. I sold it about year ago. Denice

You may not have the right foundation for your clay soil, a pier and beam foundation is recommended for some types of clay. Heaving of the clay can cause leaks and cracks in your foundation creating wood rot and mold in the frame of the house. My house in built on clay soil and I am having cracking in my garage wall because of a drought the last few year. I don't have any odor's or moldy wood smell in my house. Denice

There is two private pottery schools in Wichita when we decide to downsize again I will contact them to see if they are interested in any of my studio materials. One private school is fairly large the other school is in a large arts center building with other schools. The pottery school was already growing out of its space and it hadn't been open that long. It probably had 30 powered kickwheels in the main room. We have one large college and three small colleges that have a ceramics program. There is hope that handmade pottery will survive if not future archeologist will be digging up our pots out of the dump. Wondering who made them and why? For now I plan to keep working in my studio until my hands turn into curled up pretzels. Denice

We have everything taken care of with the help of our financial planner. The only thing we have left is my studio and my husband has a lot of cars and tools. If my son doesn't want to handle it I will find a charity like the Goodwill or DAV that will empty the house out and sell everything. When my son moved to Costa Rica he said we need to clear everything out before we die he doesn't want to handle it. I am hoping when I sell my equipment I might find a real potter who could use my chemicals, they will go to hazardous waste otherwise. We plan to move into a nice senior apartment when it is too hard to maintain our house. Hoping we can handle the disbursement of our life. Denice

I did a little research and found that old plaster sets up fast, a bag that is 4 to 6 months may to old. And the big hard lumps are from adding to much plaster at one time and not getting well mixed. The plastic bag might have made it harder to mix, I use a pretty old bucket and pop off the cured plaster and wash it. When it gets to the point it won't clean up anymore I find another old bucket. To make sure my water is really cold I put ice cubes in my water, when they are melted I am ready to mix. I never slake my plaster slab plaster, I haven't had trouble with bubbles. I set the edge of the bucket in the bottom of the mold and pour it out letting the plaster fill in the corners. Sometimes I need two buckets of plaster so I find a friend to help mix a second bucket while I empty the first one. I made two to four piece molds for a while, and used the finger flip method on ornate pieces to eliminate bubbles. I was train dental lab technician and spent the first couple of years making plaster molds off the forms the dentist sent us. You should be alright on you next slab, just one of those days. Denice

I see that there are some cracks running from one lump to another. I make a lot of tile, a thicker area next to a thinner slab can cause cracks to form. She might try removing the clay from the back of the tile in the thick areas and try to keep the clay a even thickness. Denice

I found what looked like a broken pugger tip in a bag of purchased clay. In my own recycled clay I am always finding elephant ear sponges. Denice

Are you firing a electric kiln? A lot of kilns won't make it to cone 10 if it does it will shorten the life of your elements. I had a friend who thought she made some dishes out of a Cone 10 porcelain. she put them in the last firing of the year at the university. When they unbricked the kiln they found out her dishes had melted all over the kiln and the rest of the work. I don't have any low fire clay in my studio or fire another persons work, this type of accident happens a lot. Denice

My husband also used calipers in his job as a technical writer, illustrator and drafter fifty years ago and then the evolution to computers happened . He still uses to calipers when he is restoring a car but they are digital. He tries to give them to me when they are broken, I don't think he has figured out my measurements need to be as accurate as his. Denice

Grackle that is exactly the way I get my clay ready for the slab roller. Denice

Fingers are your best tools but not ones you can replace. That was the only tools I had until our teacher had everyone purchase a set. I have people ask me what tools should they start with, I always tell them that their fingers are a good place to begin. Then I give them a list of a few basic tools, I wish someone could help me with the arthritis in my fingers with a list. Denice

I am glad you are getting better, I know that eight weeks is a long break for you. I finished my radiation therapy on my skin cancer a month ago and it has finally healed. I need to go buy a big straw hat for the summer. Don't overdo it. Denice

Test tiles didn't work out but I have another slip idea rattling around in my head. I decided to take a break and make new address plagues for my mailbox, I made the original ones 5 years ago but someone decide to break them up with a tire iron. I had made a press mold for the plague so the only thing that will require some skill is the decorative glaze work. Living on a rural road you have teenagers drive by mailboxes and hit them with a baseball bat or run over them. Denice