[What’s on your workbench?]

reminds me of an old (1910) metal lamp base.  crackled slip???  nice job on color and finish.   two thumbs up.

[QotW:What studio habits do you have that others have warned against?]

putting them in isn't a problem unless you turn it on.  

[What's On Your Kitchen Table?]

babs, what is your address?

[Clay Slabs Crack When Bent]

all the advice you have been given is valuable.   you will learn how to treat the  clay so it is just right to work with.

sheetrock will dry out the clay.   it is great for drying clay after it has been shaped the way it is to remain but it will suck out the moisture as you work with it.   put it aside for later.

stop wedging brand new clay out of the bag.  you cannot get air out of that kind of clay, a huge machine has already done that.   just slice a piece that will come out thicker than you intend to use and flatten it as quickly as you can.  you might put a pillowcase over a regular piece of plywood, spray an amount of water that will dampen, not wet it, and roll on that.  you can use a spray bottle to get a slight sheen of water onto the clay as you roll it.  as quickly as the sheen  disappears, roll out from the center into each direction.   flip and repeat until the clay is larger and as thin as you want.

you might be trying to roll the clay to the exact size you want to use, try using a bigger piece and cutting off those cracked edges.  try lifting an edge as you roll and you will see when the clay is just right for working.    at some point you will just do all this automatically.

one other thing,  just my personal observation is that clay that comes in a cube is more difficult to use for slab work than clay that comes in a brick shape.   cutting thick pieces from a cube to make something long is harder than cutting a slice from a brick shape that is already part way there.

[Just How Old Is Too Old For A Kiln?]

that is an L&L kiln by its original name.   it is beautiful.  if you have the money, buy it.  now. it will be gone if you think about it too long.   even if you decide to become the busiest potter in the country, it can become a test kiln later.   18 inches will allow you to fire many pieces often so you can learn faster.

[Clay Slabs Crack When Bent]

victoria, how are you rolling the slab?  on what surface?    do you shape the slab immediately after rolling it or do you let it sit?   do you use a spray bottle of water?

[Need Help Pricing A Sitter Kiln Model Lt-3K]

take the pictures of the whole exterior, the inside of the lid, the inside of the kiln elements, a shot of the bottom interior,  a close-up of the metal plate with the manufacturer's name and the  electrical info on it, the end of the cord  and put measurements in the ad.   and please put them right side up.   hold the camera inside the kiln and aim at the walls for the elements condition.

if you are including shelves and posts or other furniture, separate photo.  DO NOT stack shelves on top of the lid!   a fingernail can dent softbrick, do not break the bricks by putting weight on them.

do price it reasonably.   new kiln prices usually are high because so much newer technology is included.   

[Pieces warping/getting stuck to bats]

miriam, you do not need a heat gun if you have a hair dryer, gun type.  it might take just a little longer.

[What is my Kiln Model?]

i can see  that a model number  has been scratched into the metal label.   are you able to read that number?   

[Pieces warping/getting stuck to bats]

miriam, this is a skill you will learn once you start using less water.   everything said so far should help you figure out how to do this.   the most important thing is having dry hands and to lift as low as possible.  keep a towel hanging nearby.   i have not wired a pot since the 1970s when i started using Duron bats.  i remember pot lifters being useless.  fingers work better and you can control them easier.   good luck and remember you are learning a skill, not making a pot.

[QotW:What studio habits do you have that others have warned against?]

i eat things in the studio.  not clay, plaster or any other silly thing, just something i can hold in my hand.   cookies are a favorite.    and i drink water, too.  maybe even a ginger ale!

[Qotw: Participants Question Pool For Future Qotw's]

thanks, hulk.   i think the beginners who have visited my studio overlook the things that are important to me and just think i am mean or wacky.   i am probably viewed as  overly fussy about keeping the work under my hand clean by avoiding the tiny bits of clay that have separated from the actual piece being worked on.    if you have ever picked up a piece of handwork that has a dozen tiny bits stuck to the bottom, you see what i mean.   there are 2 small boxes attached to the table holding my slab roller so i can brush those bits into the box nearest my hand.   they sit there for months out of the way and not getting turned into dust on the floor.

those tiny stuck on bits make me unhappy, they call attention to the lack of care that i think we owe ourselves, not just for whoever picks up that piece in future.

and tools need to have a place to be when not in my hand.  not scattered all over the room just because i moved the piece or walked to another spot to pick up another tool.  so i provide a space for tools.   unfortunately, i keep adding more tools and the really generous space i started with now resembles a dump.   but exactly where i work is clean and it stays clean and i leave the space clean when the session is over so the next time the space is welcoming.

(funny, i can't seem to work that way in the kitchen)

 

[What’s on your workbench?]

trying one of the many, many differing ways of using clay and glaze in your own way.   or not, now that you have tried it, that might be enough to send you into another direction.     

[QotW: If a workshop were offered at a reasonable distance from you (after we are loose, of course), who would you want as the presenter?]

two whose postcards hang in my studio for inspiration are melissa greene, of maine's deer isle and carol gellner levin at the alexandria, va torpedo factory art center.

the fabulous horses of susan greenleaf, who was at the torpedo factory and teaches through their school.

another workshop with both of the colemans, tom and elaine from nevada.  never enough, 100 times would not be enough.

glenn woods, chicago and palm harbor, fl,  shapes, not the gorgeous crystalline glazes.  i'm agog every visit.

kim kirchman, teaches at st. petersburg  college, clearwater,  maybe i can learn to paint!   though i think it is hopeless.

lots of members here whose photos of their work make me drool.  POST MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE!

BTW if anyone wants to visit bill van gilder, come here and i will take you to his gorgeous studio just across the river.    well, if we go over the bridges in a car, it is about 10 miles or so.

lots more, love workshops, love pottery. love learning something new!

[dipping glaze application weirdness]

it is very hard to explain that i do not mean drown the pot and hold it underwater until it screams.   a quick dip will not get the pot wet, it will not even shine.  but the moisture will prevent the pot from greedily sucking up the wet glaze leaving an uneven surface.   and that quick dip takes less time than tediously wiping all surfaces.

usually there were more than 20 pots to glaze each time at my studio, they were dipped in water first and lined up before stirring and sieving the glaze.  by the time each pot was glazed, some time had gone by and they were never "wet".   

there are many words to describe moisture content, dry, damp, moist, wet, dripping.    it worked for me for many years until i started spraying glaze on greenware and single firing.  might work for someone else.

 

[dipping glaze application weirdness]

pir, a slightly damp cloth is not enough preparation for dipping.   depending on how many pots you are glazing, dipping the entire pot quickly, into a bucket of clean water works well.  letting the first few sit while you dip them all gives enough time for the bisque to even out the moisture content if you have several to do.   otherwise, the glaze will not go on evenly.

powdering should not happen, check the archives for that problem.

[QotW: What investment will you be doing this year to advance/enhance your ceramics journey?]

good, joseph, i miss your photos of what you are currently working on.

[Pugged Clay Becomes Short]

could you please name the exact clay body?

[Hand-built Sculpture Disaster]

small suggestion.   if you have rolled out the slab of clay to make your form, add the pieces to the slab while it is still flat on the table surface.  folding the slab around your internal form maker will allow the whole thing to be a more consistent construction.   much easier to add pieces when it is flat than working on a standing cube.

[QoTW: following last weeks question of the week; would you give up any of the technology you use in ceramics now and go back to a simpler not as technology advanced method?]

don't forget running hot water, heating and cooling in the studio, windows for natural light and all the basics we usually overlook because most of us have always had them.

no, i like my advantages and would not give them up.

[Thermal-Light Shelves]

congratulations!   the ultimate dream material to make life easier.   it's good to be happy for you.

(my original comment on the status report came from the silly internet inclination to go the the most obvious thing and reported that i meant thermal light illumination bulbs and lighting accessories so i never knew they could be kiln shelves.)

 

[QotW: How do you define technology involved in the production of Ceramics?]

no, except that i have a bookcase about 7 feet high and 6 feet wide full of old ceramic monthly magazines if anyone wants to search out what was going on in the 70s re moving down from cone 10 after the gas shortage.

[What’s on your workbench?]

need to be able to use more "likes" at the same time.

BTW, liam, you are also using bat inserts.   i have tried for 3 days to get my photo of bat and inserts onto my post re versa bats.

[QotW: How do you define technology involved in the production of Ceramics?]

thanks, bill, that is what i meant.

[QotW: How do you define technology involved in the production of Ceramics?]

agree with all this.    does make me wonder if Wedgewood would have liked plastic bags or tubs for storing clay.