oldlady

hello, alice uk there are people making beautiful things with sculpey and the other brands of that material. you might try it. i am sure there are videos on youtube. alice usa

how will the old element grooves affect the firing?

so sorry this is happening. i have had something like this happen in the past and the folks here have answered the question several times. they will wake up in an hour or so and i am sure they will have an answer for you.

min, would love to have lunch at your house! but............ i know i am not a cook, how do you smoke paprika????? in a pipe???

you are welcome.

i think they exist now. try Geil and Bailey.

just a warning, joseph, your pot looks suspiciously like an ancient pot from the Mediterranean. if you get much better at it, someone will show up on the antique roadshow asking about one of yours.

linda, do you want a lot of bats that are mug size or do you only want a few that may be larger? do you have access to a good carpenter or woodworking person? Duron bats are wonderful. i started out on them in 1972. they allow the piece to dry with a flat bottom and separate without using a wire. Duron was a brand name for a product made by the Masonite company. duron is 1/4 inch thick and has two smooth sides. unless you leave them underwater for any length of time, they do not warp or deform. assuming reasonable care they will last for years. the cost of a huge amount is very low compared to buying individual bats from some supplier. if you are just setting up a studio you might consider having a woodworker make you one large, as big as your wheelhead, circular bat. then have it cut to hold 6 inch bats which have been cut by your woodworker to fit that hole in the center of the big bat. do not tell the woodworker that you will be getting them wet or they might arrive with a slippery varnish like finish that defeats the entire thing. a good woodworker will have access to Duron, i have found it difficult to locate sheet goods personally but i have not had the need since one 4x8 foot sheet made so many 5 inch squares.

joseph, do you have access to a slab roller? if you slice clay off a new bag and roll it about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, you can sprinkle your coarse material on top and keep adding layers alternating materials. sort of like stony clay lasagna.

the example does not look like it was done in the cuerda seca method, just painted tiles. how do you plan to do yours? the squeeze bottles that are wider seem to work more easily than the round ones, at least in my opinion. there is a potter on facebook who does wonderful flooding like min mentions, look at Davis Vashon Gallery. the more recent posts are about normal paintings, if you go back a ways you will see the pottery done in the method you ask about.

yes, liam. thanks. i edited the original. TWICE but it did not work.

if you are going to do this regularly, use the right tools for the job and be sure to fire little loafers to cone 6. you can make your own bead rack to fit your own work. especially if it is larger than what would fit between the top wire and the next one down. get some kanthal wire for the rack and do not try to do something that is as complicated as you are thinking . it is just a substitution for something you can do very easily. look at the shapes of the bead racks shown and make something that will work the same way but in the right size.

very nice. mugs made for big hands. those are very thick bats, hulk, what are they made of?

the best thing i have found is a pair of printer's blankets. they are a very tightly woven fabric, think expensive men's dress shirts with a stiff backing of rubber or plastic or something. they do not hold anything like the dust that canvas does and can be sponged off daily. the advantage i see is that i have a sturdy work surface to construct something on top of that can be moved around with no real trouble. not like the flexible canvas that cannot hold up a sizable slab without sagging. mine are about 28-30 by 24 inches, just right for making multiples or enough for a large project. i use 2 different slab rollers, a bailey and a blue one whose name i can't remember right now, from the west coast. each one works well with the blankets and feeding them past the rollers is simple, they are stiff enough that they do not ever try to go under the tabletop. i used a hole punch for mine so they hang on the wall out of the way when i do not use them. they are also free if you happen to be anywhere near a printing company that does offset printing. they use the rubber side and sometimes a lot of ink gets on both sides of them. at some point they are trash to the printer and perfect (after washing) for potters.