Roberta12

@GEP you knocked it out of the park, Slugger! I know I have told you before, but I will say it again. You are often the voice in my head when I am prepping for a show, checking out a new venue, etc. And yes, Mea, I even quote you to others! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all. Roberta

I have made some coasters rather like I made brown sugar savers. I use porous clay and take it to bisque temp. On coasters I put cork backing. r.

Duncan makes some underglazes called Stroke and Coat that actually act like glaze. So yes, they would stick together. I have not had Amaco underglazes stick to the shelf or other pots but...they will sometimes leave an impression on the shelf or another piece if you are stacking. So, I am careful with my stacking. r.

@kristinanoel Your glaze is gorgeous! Is it the same glaze you have been using? And do you have the same glaze on the outside of the pot? I ask this because of an experience I had last fall. I put one glaze on the interior and a different one on the exterior. A combo I had never used before and what happened looked just like your photo. Roberta

In my experience, a crack is a crack is a crack. It will never be a "safe use" piece of pottery. For functional pieces like a mugs, I pitch them. Depending on the customer, I have offered to replace it for half price or replace it completely or offered a discount. It varies. If the customer is someone who has supported me through the years, I have replaced. It's really your call on how to handle that situation. Roberta

I do agree Mark. If you are looking to have a thriving business, an education is imperative, apprenticeship or something (unless you are a highly motivated person who is able to do it alone) however, if you live in the middle of nowhere without access to classes or education, you will need to find your clay community wherever you can. That may be online, videos or books or whatever. And workshops away from home can be great as well!

How to help out beginners stuck working alone with their processes? What helped me the most (and still does) was to find a clay buddy. Even if you can't connect in person, connect via email, phone, text, whatever. Simply having someone to bounce ideas around with! And for me, books were a lifesaver. All the great ones we have talked about here on the forum, whether it was Clary Illian or Val Cushing or Bill Van Gilder. I would recommend a great reading list. Then offer up some time for conversation and exploration. Roberta

@Babs is correct, she is pointing you in the right direction. It does seem that you are firing at too high of a temp for bisque. Your clay is rated for much higher firing temps than the Cone 4 glaze you have. You will have to have glazes and clay that match firing temps. It takes a lot of research to understand this field. I had to get most of my information from books from the library, books that I purchased, books that I borrowed, and then when more information became prevalent on the internet, that became a source. I am still always in search of more information. This is the beginning of a long and interesting journey for you. Keep asking questions and this will begin to make sense. Roberta

I just checked with my Denver supplier. Tin ox is $33/pound right now. I think it was $25 last year. I haven't bought any for awhile.

That was interesting about the Syracuse china. Maybe you could try one plate, with cone 5/6 glaze, place cookies or wasters under it, and just see what happens? I have a few pieces of Duncan bisqueware that I was going to do that with. But when I looked it up, that bisque ware is low fire. I don't have any low fire glazes, so they are still sitting in a box. Could be a fun experiment? Roberta

I cannot choose. It's the whole thing for me. r.

@MikkiNightCraft This is out of the Mastering Cone Six book. Glossy Clear G200 hp feldspar 20 Ferro Frit 3134 20 Wollastonite 15 EPK 20 Talc 6 silica 19 It always worked well on Nara 5 for me. But it is a Cone 5/6 glaze and I fired to cone 6. This is another great recipe. I got this one from @Min My friend and I use this all the time. We call it Madeleine's Clear. It has letters, but I do not remember them. epk 23.0 Silica 34.5 Neph Sy 2.9 Wollastonite 5.0 Minspar 200 12.0 Gerstley Borate 22.0 Talc 3.0 Dolomite 3.0 The John Britt book page 77 has a low expansion clear that I have tried. It works great. But it's not a low fire glaze. It is a cone 5/6 glaze

Nara 5 is a midfire cone 5/6 porcelain from Aardvark. They also have a Nara 10 for cone 10. If you are using low fire clear that could be the issue. If you are using the John Britt low expansion clear in his midfire book, it's pretty bullet proof. I have used the Mastering Cone 6 clear on Nara 5/6. If you want the recipe, let me know. Roberta

@Crooked Lawyer PotterMy kiln repair person said that firing clay with iron or manganese in it can shorten the life of your elements. Has anyone else ever heard that? I seem to have a short life on my elements as well.

That appears to be gold luster. You paint it on already glazed pots and fire again to 017 or 018.

I literally never ever thought of that before Denice! Excellent point. We don't have the threat of tornados, but...we have had some violent derecho storms here in the past 2-3 years. food for thought. Thanks.

I attended a workshop last weekend . The presenter said the dishwasher is hard on glazes because of the alkaline nature of the dishwasher soap and the constant hot water. He also mentioned the absorption as Neil said. I have always put my work in the dishwasher. Endless times. There is however, one glaze that I use, that I think might be seeing the effects of dishwasher abuse over time. I have not decided what I am going to tell customers. The glazed pieces in question are years old. Years. And it's only one glaze, that I have seen visible effects on.

@LaniSelick I did this very thing as a test. I wanted to see if the black underglaze would "swallow" the brighter colors. My testers were made of midfire porcelain. It didn't. But you would need to test test test to see if it would work with your underglaze and clay body and firing schedule. Roberta

This is a great question. I wouldn't be doing what I do if it weren't for people who shared their skills and tips and tricks. I just spent a weekend in Denver at a glaze materials workshop. It was a wide mix of people and skills and ages. One of the younger men who is the ceramics director at a studio in Denver commented on how the host of the workshop (Jonathan Kaplan) was still asking questions and learning from the presenter (Matt Katz) who is much younger. You never stop learning seemed to be the message and you never stop sharing. Lots of people were asking questions of one another and sharing ideas, recipes, techniques etc. I was given a recipe years ago and asked not to share it. So I have not. Everything else that I have learned over the years I readily share. Like @GEP I have also heard Sarah Pike explain that she does not share her glaze recipes. She developed/tweaked it and it is hers to use. There does have to be some proprietary parts to a business I would think!

I had this conversation with a friend who lives 150 miles south of me, and she was quoted $500 per year. Covers liability and her studio and equipment! Right now, mine is $425 per year. Liability, studio equipment, etc. State Farm for me. R.

I do not do as many shows as many of you, but my average is 1/2 cash 1/2 CC. Pretty much everywhere I do shows. I think the urban areas may be higher in CC sales. I agree with Neil. CC fees are simply a cost of doing business. r.

@LeeU It will be interesting to see what the copper strips do!

@Rey Duncan carries bisqueware. Is this what you are looking for? https://www.buyduncan.com/bisque-duncan

I have had that orange peel texture happen with Amaco's Flame orange underglaze and with the intense Yellow as well if I apply too thickly!

These photos were from April 12. The first one, looking straight on to the patio, is my view from my studio. Our basement is garden level, so I have nice light. I can watch the birds as they come to the patio for a drink from the dog's water bowl, or to find a place to nest. The 2nd photo is simply looking from the upstairs at the birdbaths filled with snow that day! The snow is gone now for sure! We have had lots and lots of wind this spring. Once again, we are concerned about the fire danger. Seems to start earlier every year. Roberta