DMCosta

Hi Everyone, I started exploring more underglazes lately and need a good clear glaze recommendation. I use a mid fire clay, Standard 710 Dark Brown, and I'm looking ideally for both a great bottled clear glaze, and dry clear glaze that's pre-measured that I can mix up myself in my 5 gallon bucket. I currently have this clear glaze left over in my studio: https://www.amaco.com/products/glaze-lg-10-clear but since it's low fire, would it behave well on mid fire clay? Anyone have any clear glazes that they love for mid or high fire clay? Thanks for answering all my questions! ~Dianna www.dmcostaceramics.com

I'm also a high school ceramics teacher, and my district is offering either fully digital learning or hybrid model to the students. Digital or hybrid home students follow the bell schedule daily with live period by period instruction via Google meet. I asked the students to purchase Creative Paperclay, it's a great air dry clay that dries to a very paper-like surface. Once dry, it accepts crayola (or any) markers well to apply pattern or surface decoration. It can also be painted! Not all my students purchased it but it's going well for the ones that did and it still gives them a feel for working with clay. One issue it does create more work for me though because I have to plan and offer an alternative project to students that aren't able to get the clay. So far my level 1 students made pinch pot animals and drape mold bowls. Level 2 has made simplified portrait busts, all using that clay!

Hi Everyone, I'm going to be shipping a cake stand next week. I've shipped lots of things but not often large plates or cake stands. I'm concerned about it breaking in transit, any suggestions? Also, my last stint of making cake stands I bisque-fired them upside down in the kiln as someone suggested. Anyone feel that's necessary? thanks! ~Dianna www.dmcostaceramics.com

Ow wow that's so amazing, thank you for the detailed response! I plan to do that.

Hi Everyone, so I returned back to work today for staff development (I'm a HS ceramics teacher) and I have all these untouched boxes of low fire Amaco clay in which the clay has gotten unusably dry. There are two 25LB bags of clay in each box and I was wondering how I can reclaim them back to life? I saw something years ago on how to do it but I cannot find that content now. I ordered new clay to use with the students but it'll literally take months to see that order. Was hoping someone had a solution to revive these bags of clay. Thank you, ~Dianna

This is really helpful thanks. They're trimming super well and even. The way you only tape/cover the rim and leave the rest exposed is interesting I never thought of that.

Thanks everyone it seems my issue is likely that I'm not transferring the plate properly from the original bat to the wheel for trimming. I wasn't doing the flip technique mentioned I was just lifting it off the bat manually which may have been why I had the warping. I'm going to have to give it another go and hope I yield better results with your advice!

Ok yeah makes sense it does keep it's shape after trimming. I'm not new to pottery but apparently new to making dinnerware plates haha

That's great advice thank you. So after trimming to get it right side up again do you flip it again using a bat?

I basically did the same, I let them get leatherhard on the bat then only removed them for trimming.

Thanks for the advice

Good point that's a possibility I have seen a ton of videos where people flip the piece onto a clean bat. I didnt do that, I just lifted them off the bat which could have caused this problem. I was able to flatten them back again since they're leatherhard but because of the clay memory I feel like when I fire them they'll resort back to bring warped. Sigh.

I'm throwing them on the bat as well. I only I'm throwing them on the bat as well. I only move them off the bat when ready to trim.

So I'm on the quest to make proper dinnerware plates. I first tried handbuilding them using the G R Pottery forms and when I fired them almost all warped in firing. I recently made some nice thrown plates and just finished trimming them. I go to check on them today and every one is already warping. They're all ovaling or what I call lemon-ing out. They're basically at the middle of leatherhard now. I had them about 80% wrapped last night and intending on drying them to leatherhard slow and steady. I'm using cone 6 Standard 710 brown clay and compressed them very diligently with my rib when throwing them. I'm far from a plate expert but have made others using various clay bodies and never had this issue. Do you think it could be this 710 clay? I appreciate any help you can provide!

So I ordered some new kiln shelves and thought I had kiln wash. Turns out I think I brought it to work and left it there. I wanted to fire tonight or tomorrow. Does anyone have any DIY kiln wash substitutes or recipes I could use? I don't mix my own glazes anymore but I do have potash feldspar and frit in my cabinet if that can help. Thank you, ~Dianba