Roberta12

We have had some events (Mother's Day, studio sales, etc.) on a fairly casual basis as you have described and in order to avoid the problem with sales tax, etc, everyone was their own vendor. Responsible for their own sales and reporting. In Colorado, if we run all sales through one point, we have to have a special license and are considered a Marketplace Facilitator. You might want to check into the sales rules and laws in NY. Go to the Dept of Revenue online for NY. I think @GEP advice is on point for you for now. And @DirtRoadsis correct that Square will 1099 you at the end of the year. That will be reported. You will have to figure that out. I know lots of people who started out selling their wares out of their trunk! But when you know better you do better! Good Luck with all of it. Roberta

Yes, I was thinking about corrosion as well. You have lovely windows right there and the fumes could cause discoloration and corrosion. I remember a post a few years ago about someone whose kiln was in the garage and there was a corrosion problem. But I also know how desperate we can get trying to set up our own studio workspace. And yes, I carry all my pots from the basement up the stairs, out through the garage, across the driveway to the workshop. We simply do what we have to, to make things work! Roberta

I inherited a book on kilns by Daniel Rhodes. Kilns, Design, Construction, and Operation. Copyright 1968. I do not plan on building a kiln but it seems to be a good reference and I loved the photos and explanations of the different types of kilns. Since I know little of kiln building, I do not know if his diagrams are detailed enough. But it might be a title to look for? Roberta

Could you send a picture? You said hump mold but then said you couldn't get the cup out. Does that mean you put the clay inside a mold or outside on the mold. Usually my plaster molds dry clay very quickly. But I live in a dry area. Were your plaster molds cured? I usually wait a few days before using them. Just throwing out some ideas. Roberta

Who knew??? Certainly not me! I know that some plastic is thinner, heavier, but that is the extent of my knowledge! Thanks for the research @Min

In the past, I have placed everything on wareboards, still in the leatherhard stage, and transported that way. I have a Subaru outback, I was able to lay the seats down and accomodate all the wareboards. I have also transported in low tubs with lids, placed some old towels and rags between things just to keep them from knocking together. That way I could stack the tubs and get more in the car. I prefer transporting things in leatherhard stage, rather than dry. A bit more resilient, I guess. I have a bumpy rural roads for part of my journey. Good luck!

What a great idea @Babs a community effort!

I was looking through glaze recipes to determine which glazes to mix for the Empty Bowl fundraiser. Cobalt is $$$, Tin ox is $$$ Gerstley may be on the rise, and since I will be getting funds from a couple of local groups to cover the cost of glazes, I think I am going to buy dry premixed glazes. My personal dry ingredients have become more precious. Roberta

Beautiful @Mudfish ! Nice work!

My Brent C is 12 years old. It's a great wheel. However, I have been using the wheels at our community college, Shimpo Whispers. They are very quiet and smooth. That is nice. Especially when you have several wheels going at once. r.

@GEP I just checked online with my supplier and Denver for pricing on GB. It seems a lot less that what you paid. https://stoneleafpottery.com/clay-raw-materials/?page=7

I like the underglaze idea. And you could use handcut paper stencils, simple designs, circles, squares, clouds, etc. Could you have them make simple clay cups or mugs? If they used underglaze, then you could bisque and all you would have to do is dip the pieces in clear. Just a thought. r.

I read this book every year at school to many of the classes I worked with. And he worked on a kick wheel with one leg, the other had been amputated. My sincere hope is that his family is able to own one of his pots. And that some good can come of his work. Thanks for sharing this @Mark C.

What about making a bisque mold of the fabric? Roll the fabric into clay, dry and bisque, then make a plaster mold? That would work if you are trying to get the texture of the pillow. You could even drape the clay over the pillow to get the shape, roll the clay into the pillow and peel it off, retaining not only the texture but you could manipulate the clay to keep the shape of the pillow. Just an idea.

Have you explored Terra Sigillata? Gives a great matte, soft, color of your choice, surface.

Very unprofessional! But glad they are making it right!

@k77 I have had a similar issue over the years with clear. I think my problem was what @Min described. I now sieve everytime. And if I still have an issue I use a dremel with a diamond tip to grind that bump down. Then I apply more clear and refire. I have been successful with that method 99% of the time. However, that was with a clear glaze. With Stroke and Coat, you may not have a successful result. But I did have to grind the bump down to the surface of the plate. Roberta

Oooooo I know this one. I had exactly the same issue when I used speckled bmix. It's overfired. That was part of my descent into the rabbit hole of "your kiln may be overfiring". I fired to cone 6 as I normally had been and had the same result as you did. Lots and lots of little pimples. My supplier had said that clay was cone 5/6. I called Laguna. They said that clay is only happy at cone 5. I started putting cones in every single load and discovered cone 6 on my kiln was more like cone 7. after more than a year of personal kiln research, I have happily fired speckled b mix at cone 5. Your photo looks just like my overfired pieces. As @Hulk suggested cones on every shelf. That will give you good information. I have used Laguna Speckled buff for years. It is a very forgiving clay. It can easily go to cone 6 if necessary. Speckled B mix is a different story. Cone 5 only. Roberta

I agree with everything stated. I would add surform. I use mine a lot for trimming.

She is offering a free online workshop on Saturday the 24th. Might be worth checking out.

I looked at my recipes that use G200hp or what I have been using G200HP in. There are only 2. One is MC6 clear which I am not really mixing up any longer (Just mixed a small batch and it is very cloudy on my pieces) and the other is Bright Sky Blue G200Hp 20 ff3134 20 Wollastonite 10 EPK 20 talc 11.5 silica 18.5 Cobalt Carb 1.0 rutile 6.0 RIO .5 For Clear I am using a recipe I got from Madeleine or one I got from Naomi Clement. If I am only using G200 in one glaze, it will be easy to do the testing. Thoughts?

Thanks Tom @Hulk for the link on the 2015 posting. I did not see that one. I did see the link to Digitalfire comparing G200 and G200HP. The person I talked to today, at the supply house, was not knowledgeable about the actual product. And because I just took what they had in stock (two 10 pound bags, already bagged up and a 5# bag) I do not have a label to look at either. However, they are a great facility, I will need to talk to one of the owners tomorrow and see if I can find a source for the G200. It is slightly darker in color than what I have in my tub. Tomorrow, when I am in the workshop I will pull my G200 recipes and continue this exploration. Thanks as always for your expert opinions. @Dick White @neilestrick @Min @Hulk R.

I have been using G200HP for, well, since I set up my studio. I ordered 20#'s of G200HP and my friends picked it up for me. As I was adding it to the tubs yesterday, the label says G200. I called the supply house and asked if they had G200HP and they do not. And the person I talked to didn't have any info about G200HP. Here's my first question, Is it not possible to get G200HP now? Second question, should I make adjustments in my glazes that use G200HP or just mix the 20#s of G200 in to the existing G200Hp and cross my fingers? Roberta

@Chilly asked a great question. They do look underfired. On the Mayco site they do recommend a thick application. Perhaps thicker is better with these glazes? Roberta

Idywylld Art Center in Calif has summer adult programs with some fabulous instructors. Roberta