Chilly

40gms powder to 60gms water ?

Clean as you go. Never leave dropped clay to dry out. Control, control, control.

Dug raw clay from the scout campsite and got the youngsters to make pots. Fired on an altar fire placed on an open fire, covered with more and more and more wood for 8 hours. We guessed the temperature to peak at around 800c. Was hard work, fun, and never to be repeated on a personal basis.

talking books from the library. Anything from young adult adventure/sci-fi/fantasy to Dick/Felix Francis, James Patterson, JK Rowling, Lee Child

try to think this sentence as : "then glaze with the transparent glaze" The brush action is different to painting. Glazing needs a loaded brush and allow the glaze to flow off the end of the brush in one sweep, then turn the brush over, and apply the next sweep to the next part of the pot. Never scrub the glaze onto your pots like you might do with paint. Painting and glazing are different actions, and need the different words stuck in your mind so you remember that. So, to recap all the above comments: bisque firing is to change clay (that can be re-wetted and turned back into workable stuff) into clay that is hard, but still porous. Usually to cone 06-04 glaze-firing should turn the bisqued pot into a stronger, (vitirified ?) non-porous pot that will hold water. Earthenware temperatures need fully glazing, stoneware temps can/should have bare bottoms and don't need to be fully glazed to be non-porous. Can be cone 04 through to 6, 8, 12 or higher. Any more questions - keep asking.

Have you made moulds before? Imagine making a mould for a banana. Probably only needs 2 parts - one for the left side, one for the right. Now think of an apple. Might still only need 2 parts, but this time one for top and one for bottom, as an apple has dimples. Now imagine a pineapple.......... Working out how many pieces you would need for a mould is a specialist job. An experienced mould-maker could probably just look at it and know how to do it. I wouldn't tackle anything that complex, but would think it would need at least 3-4 pieces. If you look at the bottom third, you would need 3 pieces for that , as it curves outward and then in toward at ankle level, then back out at waist level. Everytime you have bits that change direction and have shadows, you need more pieces. You have to imagine shining a torch on it, and where the light shines you need a piece. You might be able to do separate hands, and join them after casting.

Cast plaster? Or cast from plaster mould? Personally, I think it looks like plaster. If it's solid, it's 99.99% certain to be plaster. It will be hard and resistant to rubbing with a wet finger. If it's dried clay, it will be extremely fragile, and you will be able to rub/smooth bits off with a wet finger.

Old Lady, you need a "cruiser bar". A good bike shop should be able to fit one for you.

Treat it like Covid. Wear a mask and don't get within 2 metres !!

As @Babs says, local library. Read every book you can get hold of. You will find some make sense, and some don't. Read them all again, and maybe three or four times. Eventually, it will feel like you are understanding. Old books tend to be more about firing a manual kiln. The pots and the clothes worn in the photos may be "out-of-date" but the info will be sound. Firing a manual kiln is easy, you just have to be disciplined, set a timer so you don't forget to turn it up every so often. And make sure the timer on the kiln is set so that if the sitter fails, it will switch the kiln off by itself. If you need to fire overnight, make sure the "finish-time" is around breakfast time, and leave the cereals near the kiln so you have to go and check it.

I have samples of all the glazes I own, and we have quite a few at the centre, but my comment referred to application method/ability, not colour. But I do get them to do another test before glazing anything they think is "precious".

I have boards made as in that video above. First you need a base board. Then decide what the tallest size you will need. Then make the length of the boards so you can clamp them and they still fit on your base board. I've also used cardboard boxes, fruit boxes, tupperware containers, anything that will hold the weight of the plaster, or can be lined with bin bags and padded out with cardboard, foam, anything. Usually I'm restricted by height more than any other dimension.

I get newbies to do a "number of coats" test tile, before they do any glazing or underglazing. A square 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.

I so agree with you @LeeU. Time is money too, and hours spent re-hydrating is time I could be doing much more interesting things. Problem is, I have some discontinued glazes that I love !

As Lee said, plus ^05/06 glazes can run when fired to ^6. If you do try them, make sure the kiln tech knows, and provide cookies to go under to catch any runs.

monkey, eagle, elephant, swordfish dolphin, long low with flat tail - no idea, seal duck, fish, rhino, penguin Kanga, fish panda, croc/ali/lizard, killer whale, lion fish, camel, fish Humm, looks like I know what "a fish" is, but not what fish! None look like my dinner - salmon, trout, mackeral, plaice, tuna, prawn............

If they are completely dry, you need to either pulverise or scrape them - there is a tool that helps, like a loop tool, but sharp. Wear a mask, as you will be making dust.

As in the oven-bake stuff? It needs to stick to the master item and any plaster sections already made. I always use earthenware as it's cheap, but keep it separate and never re-use for firing. Lives in a sealed bucket, labelled "plaster clay". I think it should work, but the only way you will know for sure, is to try it.

Two suggestions from Anglian Potters - NFU and https://www.a-n.co.uk/about/insurance/

Oh, and buildings insurance is for for the fabric of the building plus permanent fixtures like kitchen units and sanitaryware. Your kiln will need to be covered by contents insurance.

My kiln is in my greenhouse. TBH I'd never thought about telling my insurance company that I have it. I don't use it for business, it's hobby only, and as it runs off a 13amp plug/socket, it is less power than a domestic oven. My best suggestion for insurance would be a broker, but they'll probably never have heard of a kiln. (I tried to get insurance some years back to cover my cycle training business and no-one would touch it, except for Cycles UK). Or the NFU as they deal with farm and other rural properties, so might be more clued up. Or someone like Potterycrafts or Essex Kilns, or similar ceramics based business might have some idea. Also, are you a member of any pottery associations? I'm a member of Anglian Potters, so I'll ask the question on their FB group.

Hi @Bauhauswelcome to the forum. Where in England are you, I might be able to point you to more help? Cones and temperature can only be compared if you know which style of cone, and which firing rate is used. http://c0dc6bc9-fdd4-4b7b-883d-06ca9f81bb37.usrfiles.com/ugd/0c3047_558b1411295f4e049829c9233fe27f91.pdf You will see that 1100c appears in several columns. Usual practice is to bisque at cone 06-04 and then glaze fire at anything from the same for earthenware, to cone 6 for high(UK)/mid(US) to Cone 8 or higher. Stating temperature tends to confuse the issue.

I'm visualising an open ended tube, stood on one open end. like a mug with no bottom. Dipped into glaze but not to the full depth.

Hi @Greg Corningand welcome to the forum. Depending on the clay you are using, and the temperature/time (cone) you are firing to, your clay might be vitrified, and will not need fully glazing. Fully vitrified means minimum absorbtion. So, every question needs another question..... Please tell us what clay and glazes you are using, and the cone to which you are firing. Also, my first thought was that if they collars are not vitrified, you could just bring them in for the winter - which is what I do with my mint collection that are planted in terracotta pots, so they don't freeze/fracture. Although wouldn't have been a problem this last winter as it was so mild!

This is applied to fired pieces. It is not for firing, it would just burn off. Are you using the plaster to create moulds, or using the plaster as the finished item? If the latter, you probably won't find many answers here, as the definition of ceramics is: made of clay and permanently hardened by heat. "a ceramic bowl". https://www.google.com/search?q=ceramic+meaning&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB953GB953&oq=ceramic+mea&aqs=chrome.0.0i512l2j69i57j0i512l7.8885j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Bill's suggestion is probably as much as any of us know. Some of us do work with plaster, but for moulds not final use.