maryO

Thanks much, Chris. I was thinking they'd slump in bowls. Most of these "students" have just started working in clay & I want them to have as positive experience as possible. We are using those thicker, crochet'ed cotton doilies, so that might help.

Due to popular demand, I'm going to try to help my seniors pottery class dip doilies in slip & fire the resulting shapes. I've never done this before, but imagine, after watching the Robin Hopper video, dip into slip, squeeze a little, arrange, let dry, carefully fire. We are using cotton only - I have some burlap & cheesecloth too. My slip is Great Lakes Clay Michigan White, a smooth body clay. Can anyone who's done this before give me a few pointers?

Thanks Marcia! I'll be raku-ing tomorrow & using my usual technique...fire to 1850F, put in metal can w/plenty of shredded paper, seal, leave alone to cool down...seems like everyone has their own magic & it gets confusing.

Ok, the topic re: ideal bisque for raku was so helpful as I am loading my kiln right now & firing as usual to ^04... So my question for discussion is..."Is there an exact way to reduce a copper matte glaze?" I'm firing the glaze to ^06. Do we put it in an airtight container w/combustibles and leave it alone to cool? Do we "burp" after a few minutes? Do we throw in more combustibles to re-ignite? Do we quench w/a hose? I'm using a "tweaked" Piepenburg Patina glaze. My pieces are large-ish box shapes with about 3/8" to 1/4" walls. I've done all of the above but have had excellent results & mediocre results. I'd really like to know what works for you...

Chris, you bring up a very interesting idea. Most potters I know also love to cook. There are many stoneware clay bodies out there that will work great as ovenware & clays designate as ovenware. I use an absolutely beautiful round dish that was made by Ellen Shankin for giant pies, lasagna, casseroles, it's my favorite go to when "entertaining". I love to serve up my food on my own handmade dishes - we eat off dinner plates that I handbuilt over 15 years ago. My salad bowl was made here by a local potter - Earl Heinz - I use this every single night. I would love to see a workshop built around making & serving in handmade pots. We all have so many questions - will it be ovenproof to what temp? microwaveable? can I make my own pizza stone? I envision a wonderful book - step by step pots & favorite recipes - at the very least! Perhaps Randy Brodnax can bake us biscuits in a kiln - best I ever ate!