JohnnyK

Since you want to try out stoneware, you might try Laguna B-mix ^5. It is a white clay that I use primarily for throwing, and I've also used it for hand building and a sculpture with good success. What range are you looking to fire to?

If you never plan on making two of the same thing then consistency doesn't really matter, but a true artist has control of his output and having the skill to produce what YOU (Ray) want and not settle for what the CLAY becomes requires a certain level of skill and this is where consistency is important...

Thank you all for your input...I'll take each of your suggestions and put the vase through the ringer and see how it holds up, but first I'll give the outside a couple of coats of clear acrylic to protect it as I usually do.

Just received my first liter of Liquid Glaze and used it on the inside of one of my Horsehair Raku pots following the mfg instructions and it worked! The inside of the pot is definitely hydrophobic...Filled it with water and let it stand for 4 hours with no sign of seepage. I'll leave the water in the pot for a couple of days to see if there are any adverse reactions. If none, then I think I'll have a new line of watertight Raku pots that can be used as vases...Hot Damn!

Have you thought about using actual glass for the effect? It would take some experimentation but the results could be pretty real looking. Here is a sculpture with glass incorporated...

Mark has an excellent design for some good looking, portable display shelves that he has been willing to share, too.

Well, yesterday I put in my order for a liter of the stuff. Fortunately, the monetary exchange rate made the purchase more palatable. I was looking for a way to seal the inside of my Horsehair Raku pots so they would hold water and this looks like it would fit the bill. I seal the outside with a clear acrylic spray, but that wouldn't work for the inside. I think that the process with the LQ will help increase the selling price of the Raku pots...allowing them to be used as vases in some cases.

Thanks for the update, Chilly...Tried to register but it is NOT available outside the UK...I guess we'll just have to wait until it comes out on YouTube

Welcome to the Forum, Jacqui! One of the wonders of Raku, IMO, is that EVERY piece in unique. You never know what the outcome will be. You can come close in trying to reproduce a piece, but they are like snowflakes, no two are alike, You can always try to refire, but there is no way to predict the outcome. You mention making a new set... try your refire experiment and if it works, you are good to go and you have learned something wonderful which, of course, you will share with us. If it doesn't work, you will have learned something that you will also share with us and you will proceed with making a new set. Either way you will have increased your knowledge base. Good luck!

I agree with what Bill said above. Amaco PC recommends bisque firing to ^04. Do you plan on layering the glazes? What colors are you using? If you'd like some examples of what can be done with layering, take a look at my album for pix of some of the work I've done with PC glazes on Laguna B-mix ^5...If you have any ??? let me know! JohnnyK

I just saw a segment of a program called "Factory Made" which said that in making colorants for oil paints, cows urine was used for the yellow pigment...I would think that it might be possible to reduce the urine to get the yellow and possibly use it like a Mason stain...The problem with the paint was that it smelled like urine when it was used...probably why they went to other materials like praseodymium for the yellow these days...not so smelly!

As far the pendant idea mentioned by LinR, you can make it out of clay in whatever design you want...something that would go with the particular piece you are selling. you can make up some generic samples in different type styles and designs to show customers prior to making the final pieces...

Sealing the oak will definitely stop absorption, but is that critical for press molds? If so, why not just make the plaster molds from the start?

Why did you reject the aquarium heater idea...not enough heat output?