Chilly

I don't throw, therefore make few vessel type pots, but when I do, I think about this: However...... I have two favourite mugs. One of them I can fill with hot drink, and carry it upstairs in total darkness and put it down without spilling a dropl The other sloshes around and I have to put a light on and carry it with total concentration. Mug 1 is shaped like #6 with a narrower neck than body, mug 2 is like #2 but more pronounced - it is a "gardener's mug and shaped like a plant pot. Shape affects function as well as being pleasant to the eye.

Ooh, that's interesting. I've only carved into cast or hand-built as I can't throw.

When I'm teaching newbies, I always say, nothing thicker than my thumb. I think thickness and uneveness is causing the cracks during drying. If you imagine a sphere, say 150mm across, with a thickness of 10mm. The clay on the outside will shrink and crust over as the moisture evaporates. The crust makes it harder for the moisture deeper in to evaporate, and as no evaporation, it can't shrink. So the outside is shrinking and the inside isn't. Tension pulls something apart and you get cracks.

If it's not releasing easily, try drying the plaster more. Put in a draughty place, not a hot one.

How are you constructing the ribbons? Rolled out flat, then bent and twisted? If yes, then at stoneware temp the clay memory is kicking in and it wants to go back to how it was born - flat. Might need to think a different way to create it. Or build in a support. Or fire to a lower temp/cone. Try ^4 instead of ^6.

Long time since I used mine, but I think it's not a tool for applying a solid, even coat of glaze. More for adding speckles/texture - one glaze over another.

Not tried it, but don't think the bisque bowl will absorb enough water to release the form. I have used bisque for press-moulding which does work, but half the water is not present to start. You can do a mini test, by pouring a spoonful of slip onto any plaster (outside face of a mould), and onto a bisque'd item. See what happens. Time how long it takes for the plaster one to dry out and release naturally with no intervention from you. Compare time with bisque one. etc.........

It depends..... Some people are heavier appliers than others. Commercial glaze usually says apply 3 coats. I have seen people apply three coats that look like my 1 coat, and others whose 3 coats would puddle all over the kiln shelf. At our community centre, I get newbies to do a "number of coats" test tile, before they do any glazing or underglazing. A square tile of clay, marked into 4 smaller squares. Corner 1 gets one coat of underglaze, corner 2 gets 2 coats, corner 3............etc This gets bisque fired and then they apply 1 coat of clear on half of corner 1, 2 coats on half of corner 2.......... Second fire to earthenware, (we don't do any high-fire) then they (I) can determine if they are a light applier or a heavy applier. This gives them a guide for future applications. We often repeat with a vertical tile with texture.

£117. A floor mounted extruder for the community centre. (They won't let us attach to a wall.)

Weight. Same for dyes (fibres like wool)

Thank you for this link. I started reading it late at night, and couldn't "put it down" as they say. Don't know that I understand ( or will remember much, but so far it's fascinating.

Do you own this lovely creature? You can get an idea of firing temperature by touching your tongue to the bare clay on his feet, If it is low-fired, it will suck all the moisture and try to stick itself to you. If it is hi-fired it will not, and it will stay wet.

To add to Min's "three main components" ... The silica is a glass (shiny glassy like substance, not glass itself) former, but it will not melt at any temperature that we can usually reach. The flux makes the silica melt at a lower temperature. The alumina stiffens the other two during firing so they don't slide off the pot. Glazes rarely contain just 3 ingredients as most of the stuff we can obtain includes a mix of some other ingredients, so we have to have 4/5/6/?? or more separate ingredients to balance and make it all work nicely together. I can't help much more, but thought the above might help your understanding of why you will need various stuff. Two of my favourite (simple) cone 6 recipes are: The left hand is from a book called Creative Pottery by Peter Cosentino, the right had starts the same, but changes the first two ingredients. You can try various combinations of those two to get better (or worse). Good luck, it can be a fun and frustrating process

You need a book that is written for UK available materials. John Britt is fine in principle, but contains stuff we can't get. The book you need to look for is Glazes Cone 6 by Michael Bailey. (A quick google didn't find any for sale at a sensible price, but they do come up occasionally. I bought mine 5 years ago, second-hand but brand new.)

I fire two different kilns, can't comment on the 2 you've quoted. However Neil makes a good point about controllers. Go for the best you can afford. Lots (10) of programmes, lots of ramps (min 6) per programme. You might think you don't need that many today, but....... Also, look at a kiln that says it will fire to at least 3 cones hotter than you need . Assuming they are electric?

The only thing I would add, is if you want a defined line between different colours of underglaze AND are going to brush on the clear glaze, we have better results with firing before brushing on the glaze.

Can you show us a photo please?

This is such a good thing to do. My usual saying is "It won't come out of the kiln any smoother than it goes in". You could also try gently wiping with a barely damp sponge.

Big plan for this summer is to get my partner fit and well and back out doing stuff after 18 months of surgery/partial recovery/surgery/partial recovery/surgery. I'm going for a week's "summer school" with the Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers - There will be with 300 people spread over 18 different courses. I will be dyeing with natural dyes. We will be staying at an agricultural university in Shropshire. The rest will be filled with hiding from the sun - sun rash is really irriting - in all senses, gardening, spinning, weaving, dyeing and volunteering. Oh, and some pottery.

You can scrape the rough side to make it smoother. You might need to use a rasp or fine cheese grater. Or even coarse sandpaper. Wear a mask and clean up properly afterwards. I do such things on a board across the dustbin in the garden, dust goes straight in the bin. Give it a good wipe down with an old, damp sponge after and allow to dry. I, like, @Hulk use one side for light clay, the other for terracotta.

Earthenware and bisque are so close to the same temperature, one firing will (should) be sufficient. At the centre where I volunteer, we fire both at the same time. If you want it higher fired, it can be done in one firing, but must be very (very) dry.

I read that you should use vinegar to help remove the soap.

Does that mean you've used each mould 4 times, or 100 times. I recall that commercially, they replace moulds after 20-30 castings, as they always deteriorate. They make a negative and positive masters, and re-mould from theose every x number of casts.

We charge by weight at the centre. Plus a little extra for some glazes, or a little less if only once fired.