elaine clapper

Are you putting  wax resist on the area you want to be bare?

Soy wax works great on the bottom of pots, also smells less than paraffin wax when burning off.

I have used Laguna B mix for years. I am comfortable with it. This is what I used when I was teaching at the high school level for plus 20 years.  It is available close to me at Columbus Clay in Ohio.  I like the forgiveness with the smooth texture in cleaning up leatherhard ware. I like the ease of carving into leatherhard forms without grit getting in my way.  But, too often I throw heavy when it comes to anything larger than 10 inches. The thickness feels ok when I am throwing, but as it dries I realize it is thicker than I want.  So I do a lot of trimming on larger pieces.  I am thinking if I had a clay body with just a little grog I could throw larger pieces more easily. Looking for a recommendation of a clay available in Ohio with a small amount of grog.
 

Thanks for your input.  I think I will just put pieces on a back shelf for now. Then I might try the "rough look" that Babs suggested.  For now I will hustle and try to throw some new pieces. If I am lucky I can take new stuff out of the kiln the day of the show.

Thanks for your input.  I think I will just put pieces on a back shelf for now. Then I might try the "rough look" that Babs suggested.  For now I will hustle and try to throw some new pieces. If I am lucky I can take new stuff out of the kiln the day of the show.

Thanks for your input.  I think I will just put pieces on a back shelf for now. Then I might try the "rough look" that Babs suggested.  For now I will hustle and try to throw some new pieces. If I am lucky I can take new stuff out of the kiln the day of the show.

Obviously my mind was elsewhere!  I have a show coming up, on a deadline.... and I accidentally fire my bisque load at cone 5.   I use Laguna Bmix clay and dip my glaze, layering w Amaco Potter's choice.  I (when my brain is working) bisque fire at cone 04 and  glaze fire cone 5 with a 5 minute hold. Right now I am firing a test load w a few small pieces at cone 5 to see if the glaze will hold. My confidence in that working is low. Waiting for the kiln to cool a little more before I open it. My fear is that the cone 5 bisque is no longer porous enough to hold the glaze. Unless I am unbelievably lucky does anyone have any ideas? or does that whole load get trashed?  bummed

As a retired art teacher I totally agree with Pres and the others about applying chemistry and physics. I always thought the critical thinking involved in ceramics, was one of the key educational advantages. There are so many "MacGyver"  moments in working with clay.  Although high school kids would not remember the original tv character Macgyver.  He could figure out a way to invent just about anything with chewing gum, a paper clip and lots of imagination.  What is your goal with the clay?  What do you have to work with? What are the properties of clay? What are the properties of physics? .... ok figure out a solution to create a three dimensional ceramic object, that will support itself, survive drying and firing, and be aesthetically pleasing.
I was very fortunate to have an administration that was supportive of the arts.  If you do not have that, learn to speak "educator language".  Pay attention to the key phrases in your english, math and science curriculums. I know critical thinking was always a term that helped me promote the value of ceramics to non art educators. 
    that was very supportive of the arts

As a retired art teacher I totally agree with Pres and the others about applying chemistry and physics. I always thought the critical thinking involved in ceramics, was one of the key educational advantages. There are so many "MacGyver"  moments in working with clay.  Although high school kids would not remember the original tv character Macgyver.  He could figure out a way to invent just about anything with chewing gum, a paper clip and lots of imagination.  What is your goal with the clay?  What do you have to work with? What are the properties of clay? What are the properties of physics? .... ok figure out a solution to create a three dimensional ceramic object, that will support itself, survive drying and firing, and be aesthetically pleasing.
I was very fortunate to have an administration that was supportive of the arts.  If you do not have that, learn to speak "educator language".  Pay attention to the key phrases in your english, math and science curriculums. I know critical thinking was always a term that helped me promote the value of ceramics to non art educators. 
    that was very supportive of the arts

I just sign my name with underglaze on the bisque ware before wax the bottoms.

I like slump molds because clay shrinks away from them and I don’t have to babysit to prevent cracks. I’ll confess I’ve forgotten about pieces in a mold and when I finally got to them they were totally fine, just dry. On the other hand, putting a foot on pieces is easier with  a hump mold. I do some plates and trays using slump molds and simply don’t bother adding a foot. 
 I usually lay the slab into the mold and use a pounce bag to really get it set into place. That’s not great if you have an elaborate texture you’re trying to preserve. I add texture after the slab is in the mold (which has it’s own set of tricks).

Trying something new... I have always worked on the wheel and not done much with slabs or molds. Recently, I purchased a 10"x5" hydrostone butler tray slump mold. I am thinking of texture design work on the inside flat surface of the tray.  My plan is to roll out the clay on cloth, put the mold on top, flip it, let the clay sink into the mold, pull off the cloth, do my design work, let it dry slowly until I can flip it out of the mold.  Am I on the right track?  I would appreciate any helpful hints...
 

Trying something new... I have always worked on the wheel and not done much with slabs or molds. Recently, I purchased a 10"x5" hydrostone butler tray slump mold. I am thinking of texture design work on the inside flat surface of the tray.  My plan is to roll out the clay on cloth, put the mold on top, flip it, let the clay sink into the mold, pull off the cloth, do my design work, let it dry slowly until I can flip it out of the mold.  Am I on the right track?  I would appreciate any helpful hints...
 

Elaine, you can see some of mine on my blog site along with a teaching handout on teapots, and the use of embroidery hoops to change the angle of the lid opening for a little fun.
 
best,
Pres

I don’t have any teapots documented, but I do make them on occasion. 
In terms of tools to drill holes with, my favourites are just drill bits. If I have a lot of holes to make, I’ll even use them in the drill. The trick is to wait until the pot is set up to a firm leather hard so that when you do the holes, the clay isn’t sticking to itself at all. Cleanup is negligible at that point. Waiting until the pieces are a bit firmer can also help eliminate some of the warping, because it’s easier to not accidentally distort things. 
Another approach can be to work really, really fresh: attach handles and spouts while everything is freshly thrown. Leave the body of the pot attached to the bat, and add your spout and handle wet. Throw the lid, and just let everything set up together. Use a blowtorch or heat gun on the flange so that the lid doesn’t stick, and when the pot has firmed up enough to cut off the bat, you have minimal finishing. With this approach, you likely aren’t including a built in strainer though. As a tea drinker I usually use a tea egg for loose leaf, and find it superior to the built in ones.
 

Very nice work!

Thanks for the comments. I bisque at 04 and glaze fire at cone 5 holding for 5 minutes. I will try keeping the rim a little thicker. I pull my handles and let then dry for about an hour before attaching to the pot. Probably my biggest problem was not keep the lid in place while attaching the spout and handle. Here are some examples of my teapots.

Thanks for the comments. I bisque at 04 and glaze fire at cone 5 holding for 5 minutes. I will try keeping the rim a little thicker. I pull my handles and let then dry for about an hour before attaching to the pot. Probably my biggest problem was not keep the lid in place while attaching the spout and handle. Here are some examples of my teapots.

Thanks for the comments. I bisque at 04 and glaze fire at cone 5 holding for 5 minutes. I will try keeping the rim a little thicker. I pull my handles and let then dry for about an hour before attaching to the pot. Probably my biggest problem was not keep the lid in place while attaching the spout and handle. Here are some examples of my teapots.

When I was teaching ceramics at the high school level..... We lined 5 gallon buckets with old pillow cases to store the clay to be reclaimed. When ready to dry, we just pulled out the pillow case, tied a knot at the top and set it outside to drain.  If the outside weather was too wet or too cold we put the pillow cases in our utility sink which had a clay trap.  When ready to wedge, we just opened the pillow case on the wedging boards. 
I required X number of studio maintenance from each student each grading period.  Reclaiming clay is little more time consuming in my own studio without the help of all those teenagers! 

When I was teaching ceramics at the high school level..... We lined 5 gallon buckets with old pillow cases to store the clay to be reclaimed. When ready to dry, we just pulled out the pillow case, tied a knot at the top and set it outside to drain.  If the outside weather was too wet or too cold we put the pillow cases in our utility sink which had a clay trap.  When ready to wedge, we just opened the pillow case on the wedging boards. 
I required X number of studio maintenance from each student each grading period.  Reclaiming clay is little more time consuming in my own studio without the help of all those teenagers! 

When I was teaching ceramics at the high school level..... We lined 5 gallon buckets with old pillow cases to store the clay to be reclaimed. When ready to dry, we just pulled out the pillow case, tied a knot at the top and set it outside to drain.  If the outside weather was too wet or too cold we put the pillow cases in our utility sink which had a clay trap.  When ready to wedge, we just opened the pillow case on the wedging boards. 
I required X number of studio maintenance from each student each grading period.  Reclaiming clay is little more time consuming in my own studio without the help of all those teenagers!