oldlady

i am one of the folks happy to be  once firing.   i have not had any problems that could not be attributed to my own errors.   very few over many years,  maybe once a year one piece .   i am absolutely NOT adjusting any firing.   i have an L&L programmable kiln that i only fire to the standard cone 6 slow glaze.  i do not know more than the manufacturer so i stick to simple.  it works.   i have one  wonderful white clay, highwater little loafers that works on the wheel and as my favorite, slab serving pieces.    
my own errors have been twice i did not fully dry a piece that had an overlap.   the design was new and i was just too impatient.  so one thing blew up.  it did hit a few other pieces but everything else survived.
i never wedge, clay straight out of the bag is much more compacted than anything these old hands could wedge.   to make a slab, i smash the slice of clay on the floor stretching it and compressing it at the same time.   no bubbles and i never make anything as thick as the 1/4 inch beginners are told is necessary.   why?
i have refired pieces for changing  a color or adding a second color detail and to adjust some pieces that did not get a deep enough sprayed layer.   in any load there might be newly made greenware,   totally dry.   a piece that is glazed and has gone to cone 6 with insufficient color,  or a glazed piece whose test on a smaller piece made it seem good color that i recovered in something else.
have used many different glazes without problems.   maybe being self taught has freed my head of the restrictions some people think are necessary and i have never considered myself an ARTIST so i don't look for DIFFERENT.
try it, you might like it.

i am one of the folks happy to be  once firing.   i have not had any problems that could not be attributed to my own errors.   very few over many years,  maybe once a year one piece .   i am absolutely NOT adjusting any firing.   i have an L&L programmable kiln that i only fire to the standard cone 6 slow glaze.  i do not know more than the manufacturer so i stick to simple.  it works.   i have one  wonderful white clay, highwater little loafers that works on the wheel and as my favorite, slab serving pieces.    
my own errors have been twice i did not fully dry a piece that had an overlap.   the design was new and i was just too impatient.  so one thing blew up.  it did hit a few other pieces but everything else survived.
i never wedge, clay straight out of the bag is much more compacted than anything these old hands could wedge.   to make a slab, i smash the slice of clay on the floor stretching it and compressing it at the same time.   no bubbles and i never make anything as thick as the 1/4 inch beginners are told is necessary.   why?
i have refired pieces for changing  a color or adding a second color detail and to adjust some pieces that did not get a deep enough sprayed layer.   in any load there might be newly made greenware,   totally dry.   a piece that is glazed and has gone to cone 6 with insufficient color,  or a glazed piece whose test on a smaller piece made it seem good color that i recovered in something else.
have used many different glazes without problems.   maybe being self taught has freed my head of the restrictions some people think are necessary and i have never considered myself an ARTIST so i don't look for DIFFERENT.
try it, you might like it.

i am one of the folks happy to be  once firing.   i have not had any problems that could not be attributed to my own errors.   very few over many years,  maybe once a year one piece .   i am absolutely NOT adjusting any firing.   i have an L&L programmable kiln that i only fire to the standard cone 6 slow glaze.  i do not know more than the manufacturer so i stick to simple.  it works.   i have one  wonderful white clay, highwater little loafers that works on the wheel and as my favorite, slab serving pieces.    
my own errors have been twice i did not fully dry a piece that had an overlap.   the design was new and i was just too impatient.  so one thing blew up.  it did hit a few other pieces but everything else survived.
i never wedge, clay straight out of the bag is much more compacted than anything these old hands could wedge.   to make a slab, i smash the slice of clay on the floor stretching it and compressing it at the same time.   no bubbles and i never make anything as thick as the 1/4 inch beginners are told is necessary.   why?
i have refired pieces for changing  a color or adding a second color detail and to adjust some pieces that did not get a deep enough sprayed layer.   in any load there might be newly made greenware,   totally dry.   a piece that is glazed and has gone to cone 6 with insufficient color,  or a glazed piece whose test on a smaller piece made it seem good color that i recovered in something else.
have used many different glazes without problems.   maybe being self taught has freed my head of the restrictions some people think are necessary and i have never considered myself an ARTIST so i don't look for DIFFERENT.
try it, you might like it.

i am one of the folks happy to be  once firing.   i have not had any problems that could not be attributed to my own errors.   very few over many years,  maybe once a year one piece .   i am absolutely NOT adjusting any firing.   i have an L&L programmable kiln that i only fire to the standard cone 6 slow glaze.  i do not know more than the manufacturer so i stick to simple.  it works.   i have one  wonderful white clay, highwater little loafers that works on the wheel and as my favorite, slab serving pieces.    
my own errors have been twice i did not fully dry a piece that had an overlap.   the design was new and i was just too impatient.  so one thing blew up.  it did hit a few other pieces but everything else survived.
i never wedge, clay straight out of the bag is much more compacted than anything these old hands could wedge.   to make a slab, i smash the slice of clay on the floor stretching it and compressing it at the same time.   no bubbles and i never make anything as thick as the 1/4 inch beginners are told is necessary.   why?
i have refired pieces for changing  a color or adding a second color detail and to adjust some pieces that did not get a deep enough sprayed layer.   in any load there might be newly made greenware,   totally dry.   a piece that is glazed and has gone to cone 6 with insufficient color,  or a glazed piece whose test on a smaller piece made it seem good color that i recovered in something else.
have used many different glazes without problems.   maybe being self taught has freed my head of the restrictions some people think are necessary and i have never considered myself an ARTIST so i don't look for DIFFERENT.
try it, you might like it.

i am one of the folks happy to be  once firing.   i have not had any problems that could not be attributed to my own errors.   very few over many years,  maybe once a year one piece .   i am absolutely NOT adjusting any firing.   i have an L&L programmable kiln that i only fire to the standard cone 6 slow glaze.  i do not know more than the manufacturer so i stick to simple.  it works.   i have one  wonderful white clay, highwater little loafers that works on the wheel and as my favorite, slab serving pieces.    
my own errors have been twice i did not fully dry a piece that had an overlap.   the design was new and i was just too impatient.  so one thing blew up.  it did hit a few other pieces but everything else survived.
i never wedge, clay straight out of the bag is much more compacted than anything these old hands could wedge.   to make a slab, i smash the slice of clay on the floor stretching it and compressing it at the same time.   no bubbles and i never make anything as thick as the 1/4 inch beginners are told is necessary.   why?
i have refired pieces for changing  a color or adding a second color detail and to adjust some pieces that did not get a deep enough sprayed layer.   in any load there might be newly made greenware,   totally dry.   a piece that is glazed and has gone to cone 6 with insufficient color,  or a glazed piece whose test on a smaller piece made it seem good color that i recovered in something else.
have used many different glazes without problems.   maybe being self taught has freed my head of the restrictions some people think are necessary and i have never considered myself an ARTIST so i don't look for DIFFERENT.
try it, you might like it.

jeff.   thank you for clarifying my clumsy attempt to say the same thing.  some days are better than others and today was not a good one.

The best advice comes from people with years of first hand experience with selling. I have seen lots of second hand advice being peddled, and it always come across to me as "this person has clearly never tried the advice their peddling." Second hand advice is always over-simplified, as if the person thinks there are formulas and paved roads to follow. Those don't exist! 

envy you moving near bailey, pye.   i have a lot of bats made of Duron, a double sided masonite.  i had a 4x8 sheet made into bats back in the 1990s.  still going strong.    i do not know the relationship of the business called masonite and the brand name Duron.  it seems to have changed.   there are still duron bats for sale but i do not like the holes.  one is round and the other is a slot.   i gave a bunch to mea, good elephant pottery several years ago, maybe she will chime in on durability.

i have used rio to color the clay i used for a birdbath.   it was years ago and i just tossed a bunch of rio into some soft clay and wedged it in.   made places for the birds to stand in a very large slab  that i hung over a trash can on cloth.  came out great, the birds loved it while it lived.   i went to texas and heard it would freeze that night at home so i asked my daughter to bring it in.   she didn't.

just found this and though i do not have the problem, i wanted to mention a slight improvement for reading the metal label shown just above.  that is an excellent example of how to photograph that kind of label and is is very clear.    sometimes they are illegible but  if you use a very soft pencil that is not too sharp to run over the numbers, some of the pencil graphite will stay in the numbers and be more easily read.   then the photo is even clearer.

that photo should be preserved as the best example of black coring photos.   any way to insert it into one of the resources mentioned for future searchers?

the pot will leak, period.

great news that you will be close to bailey.   maybe you can then change your location below your avatar to a real place.
to learn to throw a cylinder by pulling toward the center, think you are making a flower pot upside down.   always complete every pull without changing the pressure.  do not lift your hand until you reach the very top of the clay and then hold a finger down on top for at least a few revolutions.  your hands are made of steel, rigid, not floppy.
unless you are not opening at the very center, pulling walls toward the center should become easier with practice.   remember, you are learning a skill, not producing work.
if you smack down  and stretch the wet clay onto a piece of 5/8 drywall, you might dry it out enough to use the same day.  

great news that you will be close to bailey.   maybe you can then change your location below your avatar to a real place.
to learn to throw a cylinder by pulling toward the center, think you are making a flower pot upside down.   always complete every pull without changing the pressure.  do not lift your hand until you reach the very top of the clay and then hold a finger down on top for at least a few revolutions.  your hands are made of steel, rigid, not floppy.
unless you are not opening at the very center, pulling walls toward the center should become easier with practice.   remember, you are learning a skill, not producing work.
if you smack down  and stretch the wet clay onto a piece of 5/8 drywall, you might dry it out enough to use the same day.  

great news that you will be close to bailey.   maybe you can then change your location below your avatar to a real place.
to learn to throw a cylinder by pulling toward the center, think you are making a flower pot upside down.   always complete every pull without changing the pressure.  do not lift your hand until you reach the very top of the clay and then hold a finger down on top for at least a few revolutions.  your hands are made of steel, rigid, not floppy.
unless you are not opening at the very center, pulling walls toward the center should become easier with practice.   remember, you are learning a skill, not producing work.
if you smack down  and stretch the wet clay onto a piece of 5/8 drywall, you might dry it out enough to use the same day.  

What weight are you throwing?
Make up your balls of clay, slap onto wheel and centre without coning up and down.
Did a lot of years of pottery without coning well prepared clay.
If using straight out of bag,drop the bag a few times, ( @oldlady tip), get that young person to pick it up for you, then open, slice in cubes, ball  up and throw.
I'm guessing you can't leave to rest overnight before throwing.
Use metal ribs to shape after opening and raising the clay.
Worth a try. 

South Bear School is a collective of artists, family, and friends who are working to preserve and impart the artisanry that has been passed down through generations of craftspeople. Many of the objectives of the educational structure of South Bear School are principals that were used at the Dornburg Bauhaus and at Pond Farm Pottery. We believe that the main tools for maintaining the tradition while changing its direction are primarily demonstrations. This year, our annual pottery workshop will take place during the last two weeks in July, from the 17th through the 29th. We will primarily focus on learning 16 basic forms on the kick wheel, which were taught at Pond Farm and the Bauhaus and passed on to us through Marguerite Wildenhain. We believe that a well-rounded artist is formed through the understanding of multiple crafts; we will feature drawing sessions and various presentations by local and visiting artists. A few very talented and very dear South Bear alumni will be joining us to demonstrate their techniques and share their knowledge. Students are welcome to camp on the property or find a place to stay in town about ten minutes away; there are airbnb’s and hotels quite close by. Just before our pottery intensive, on July 14th-16th, we will be holding a 3-day program where students will learn to build a kick wheel. We are located in the enchanting Driftless region of Iowa, where rolling hills, limestone bluffs, and bubbling springs inspire our imagery and design as well as bringing tranquility into our hearts. 
If you have interest in attending, or would like to learn more, please visit Southbearschool.org and contact us through email.

that photo should be preserved as the best example of black coring photos.   any way to insert it into one of the resources mentioned for future searchers?

that photo should be preserved as the best example of black coring photos.   any way to insert it into one of the resources mentioned for future searchers?

the kiln was located in a shared studio called Brick Street Studio  in st petersburg.   it is in the warehouse arts district and there are other pottery centers there.   i cannot find a phone number for brick street so i tried the Morean Center for clay.   formerly known as the Train Station.  it is only 2 blocks from brick street.   there is a third one on first street south at 20th called the Clay Center.  
i left a message at the Morean but nobody has called back.  same thing at the Clay center.  i will keep trying but you might do a search and get better results.  the area is full of potters.   the train station has a history of fantastic workshops using many of their fuel burning kilns.   it is an ever-growing area for artists of all kinds.  the city is supportive.

if you heat the pot just before you glaze it, it probably will work.    if you brush on glaze be careful, a brush may just stick to the spot and need washing off.   it does not have to be super hot, just uncomfortable to hold without a potholder,    funny, i think that would be you.
heating with hot tap water can help, just dry the spot by dabbing a towel on the unglazed spot.

all of the above works for the folks who use those methods.  they may be exactly what you need,  dookie.   i just want to make a comment on the fear of using an oven with heat on greenware.
there seems to be an opinion that heat in an oven is detrimental.   heat is only changing the state of the clay from wet, or moist, or damp or whatever stage it is in to drier.  and warmer for awhile.   that does not mean it cannot be returned to damp, moist or even wetter than moist.    i have been using the oven in some cases for years with no bad effects.  
potters should know their clay.   its qualities and its limits.   some clay likes to be thrown but will fight being made into a slab and bent to a shape.   others are the opposite.  it is your job to seek its limits.    the very easiest thing to learn is how does it react to water.   it will not hurt the potter to simply dry out a piece of clay and test it.  a piece about the size of a business card allows a lot of tests.   totally dry it.    use a cup of water and dip the short end in deep enough for half an inch of wet to show on the clay.  pull it out fairly fast.   look at the surface to see if it still shines or not.   remember that.    now, scrape the wet area with a sharp tool to see how deeply wet that part is.   probably not very deep.   remember that.   try the opposite end of the clay and dip it longer.   remember that.   scrape it and see how much more the wet has grown.   remember that.  dip the alternate end in long enough to make it separate from the original shape.   remember that as too much.  anything before destruction can be reversed with heat or time.   just try it!
by now, you might have realized that it does take a LOT of water entering a totally dry piece of clay to destroy the original piece.    so many folks think just getting something wet will kill their piece and they might be surprised to learn that was just fear and they need not believe it anymore.    i know a potter who thinks if she is interrupted while working, she has to start again from the beginning.  to her, there is just a short window to have the "flow" of making a piece work.    nonsense?
 

sorry, i do know of a shallow, 18 inches high or so,  (i did not measure it) round electric kiln that was made by the manufacturer to a sculptor's design.   he sold it later to a group who made ceramic crosses and had a very large customer base.   the sorry part is that it is just about as far from seattle as you can get, st petersburg florida.   
you are near skutt, ask about a custom design.   just be sure you will need it for a long time and have a place to put it.

do you have adequate liability insurance for those buyers who get cut on imperfect, crappy, pots you sell?   imagine someone with a mug full of boiling coffee when the handle falls off.

i have such a glaze.   it originated with Charles Counts.   he worked with standard clay 112.   i started with that clay but changed about 3 times before finding little loafers by highwater.   i do not know what kind of clay is available in amsterdam but if it as rough as the clay used in the bowls, i would try it only on the exterior.   matte glazes and rough clay make very poor eating surfaces.   the noise of a utensil scraping in a bowl is very irritating.
it can be seen on the avatar and several blue slipped bowls in my albums.   the pieces do not seem to have a white glaze over the slip but they do.   i have a small mug in standard 112 somewhere in my photo collection,  i will look for it.