Chilly

I figured antique ones would be the most likely references, because they would have been in more common usage, and as such people would have worked out the design kinks already. Didn’t see a reason to fix what wasn’t broken. 

While it might not be an every day thing, I can think of a few scenarios where you’d want to be able to wash a shaker. If it lands in the soup pot, or if it’s been sitting a while and needs a wash before going back into use. 
But I think glaze tension might be the more compelling reason to glaze inside and out. 

If you want to paint images like flowers and whatnot, then you want to use underglazes, not glazes. Glazes will generally run/flow where they contact each other, and any imagery you paint on will bleed and move and blur. Glazes do not require a clear glaze over them, and the clear glaze will mix with the other glaze and change how it looks. Underglazes, however, will not bleed where they contact each other, are not fluid, and have the added benefit of being the same color before and after firing so they're easy to work with. Underglazes require a glaze over them in order to be durable and food safe.

as new to kiln ownership, there are a number of things you should learn to watch for.
first is that whenever the kiln has fired, the sitter turns it off but does not reset the dial to low.  it remains on high until you change it.   remember that.  form the habit of changing the dials to off before you open the kiln.  
the dials indicate the stage of firing you are in so you can turn them up gradually.   if you have a kitchen timer, set it for one hour when you start your kiln.  if your kiln has sections and/or more than one heat dial, start the kiln with the bottom dial on low.  use one hour on timer to then add the next dial upward to low.  set timer for one hour.  when you reach the last dial nearest the top, do the same, one more hour on low.
once you reach the last dial, start again at the bottom dial and turn it to medium.  set timer and repeat the steps you followed on the first trip upwards.  repeat for high.
if you are concerned with water steaming out in a bisque firing, hold a piece of glass or mirror just above the top vent hole and see if there is fog on the glass.  i use the glass when the bottom dial goes to high.  steam will stop coming out usually just around that stage, temp about 900 to 1100.  this depends on the dampness of the greenware you have in the kiln.   your turning up the heat gradually will probably have allowed the moisture to evaporate safely.  if you stick WET greenware into the kiln,  all bets are off.  that is a bad thing to do, do not do it.  dry your greenware.  it is not fun to clean out a kiln full of damaged bisque and vacuum up each little particle from the element grooves.  lots of work because you were not thinking.
though i have never experienced a successful glaze firing as soon as 5 hours after starting the kiln,   mr kielb has said many times that he has.   glaze firing does not involve wet clay unless you have  just now dipped a piece of bisque in very watery glaze and stuck it in the kiln immediately.   that may cause the piece to blow up from the water in the ware.  that will mean that the pieces in the kiln may be damaged beyond repair.  even things on different shelves.  i do not see any benefit in firing fast.
you might look at some books about electric firing,  jeff zamek has one with about that title.   do not dismiss info in older books.   they were written when your kiln was new technology.
my first kiln was new in 1972 and i was absolutely dancing with joy when i got it.   the shop where i bought it had several kiln disaster samples on the walls.   one was a  pile of white clay stuck to the kiln bottom, about a foot high.   that person had not understood cone numbering,   cone 06  is NOT the same as cone 6!  i sold that kiln in 1990 to a lady who also danced.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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!

Understood, and take note that most of the questions I ask are to evoke a wide variety of responses. I look  on  a question with few responses as being a failure, and one that gets  discussion and lots of answers a success. Part of the game.
 
best,
Pres

Why not glaze the rim and fire the lid separately? 

You could glaze a fair amount of that rim. Put bisqued lid in place. Run a pencil around to mark where it sits on rim and wax only the area required.
Your glaze looks stable enough to do that.

when you make another one, you might want to tighten up the hole for the stick.   you may never have found a wasp under the top of one of these jars.  

You may have cracks no matter how you fire it.  Clay likes even consistent thickness of the walls of the sculpture that is why people hollow them out.   Is the head hollow?  I wouldn't put it in my kiln,  to much risk for explosion.   I would give him a new bag of clay and a book on making  sculptor,  he could use this one as a model.   The second version is always much better than the first.  Denice

If you are not taking cards you are leaving $$ on the table. I do not add a fee for cards-I''m not in urban environs ever anymore show wise.Usually a big line with two of us-one wrapping the other taking the funds.The whole business is a happy business -people buying pots are usually happy-pots they sell themselves-.
If I was ever going to think about adding a fee I would just up the pottery prices and not mention any fees-extra fee are not happy
In a smaller home town show its about the same with less people -but thay are still happy
 

I also think that your customers don’t need the gory details of your pricing formula. Its not that I think we need to lie about things or not be transparent when necessary. It’s that presenting any additional charges, whether it’s adding shipping to checkout or sales tax or credit card fees, is drawing unnecessary attention to something no one really likes. It generates a feeling of misrepresentation when you keep adding things to the price tag, and that can be really frustrating (or worse) for some. I don’t want my customers frustrated, I want them happy so they come back. I don’t want to generate more opportunities for myself to have to smooth ruffled feathers.

@Pyewackette if you have a few dollars to spend on it, Rose and Matt Katz have several colleges level online glaze course that goes as in depth as you could like at Ceramic Materials Workshop, There are bundles, and options that allow you to do a lecture-only version for somewhat less money. They also have a podcast called For Flux’s Sake that has some good free info too. 

You will need your electrician to run a proper circuit, install a suitable receptacle and cord end. In North America these item would be sized for 125% of the 5000w because it’s a kiln and can be a continuous load. Your electrician should apply your code requirements when the circuit is installed. Most countries have similar requirements for kilns so always good to inquire.

Lots of possibilities here. Start with seeing if all the elements glow when you put them on high for a bit. If a section isn't working, then you'll have to figure out where the power flow is stopping in the system, either in a wiring connection or a switch.
If the bricks are in good condition, then it's generally worth repairing. Chances are it's just one part that is the problem.
If it's in an environment where it could get rained on or be subject to dewy mornings, I would definitely not upgrade it to a digital controller unless you do a wall mounted controller and bring it inside when not in use, however that doesn't help any of the issues with the current system because it would all still be in use as well.

You are too kind, thank you.  Horses have been my passion a long, long time.  I've worked hard to become one of the best custom glaziers of fine equine ceramics in the world.  But there are some others out there who are really good too, especially in England.  We are very few and there is rarely more than 3 or 4 of us working in this specialized field in the whole world that get the very top prices for our pieces.  So it's a very, very small niche. 
Here's the boy after the next firing.  He's much darker now!  All that is left is fine tuning.  Shade a bit more around the eyes, push small select areas of dappling darker still by hand rather than airbrushing, push the pinks and grey around the nose a bit more, a little more silvery-gold layers at the bottom of the tail, etc.  But he's about done now and the next photos will be of him completed.    The last set of photos I'll take for my website will be with a backdrop and without my hands.  I'll set up a timed exposure on a tripod with a drop sheet to dim and diffuse light so I get very little reflection from his satin glaze - with a polarized filter as well.

Some days, there ain't much view at all! 

Absolutely, the pots definitely work, very nice.
As for qow, there are some pots I don't trim, but not many.
I like
a) to establish the ring where the finger catches on the bottom, particularly for unhandled ware, so there's a closed angle between thumb and fingers (I have "bad" thumbs)
b) to trim the portion within the ring to match the contour of the pot, which typically has a slight arc to it, which then flattens a bit in drying
c) to glaze the portion within the ring
d) to burnish the clay, particularly the bare part
e) to tool the portion within the footring
f) chatter mark
Hence, both, it's clean-up, for there's clay to remove, and enhance, per I like, above, however, trimming is just part of my process, and the ring is mainly practical for me.
As for being part of the creative process, yes, I believe so. The humble portion - it's part of the pot, after all! 
Here's the mug I brought with on my trip - the size I like, just over ten ounces.

I have also been a big supporter of the beveled undercut on the bottoms of forms. I find that even a flat bottomed form benefits from a 1/4" beveled undercut on the bottom of the pot for several reasons: 
The bevel at the bottom makes an easier clean up job for glaze when cleaning to fire for glaze firing. The undercut  hides the unglazed area of the pot The undercut also separates the pot from the table, an aesthetic thing IMHO easy and quickly done before cutting from the wheel, or when trimming. best,
Pres

45 years ago I trimmed every pot bottom As a production potter I still trim most forms with feet (I think a foot adds to the form) and glaze the bottoms if the foot is tall enough.
Nowdays I do not glaze many flat form bottoms like pie plates and chip and dip dishes . I still trim a foot and glaze the bottoms of dinnerware /platters
I use a tool to add a drip line  and undercut to mugs (no trimmers) and sponge holders and spoon rests
Most of my smalls are no trimmers these days-you learn to add the undercut and drop edge to the thrown form when throwing-these include mugs -all sizes and spoonrests and sponge holders. I do trim salt cellars and honey pots
I trim all other medium and large pots. so most of my 30-35 forms get trimmed except for the smalls
All bowls are trimmed as well-no matter the size.Most forms take longer to trim than throw

i do not throw much anymore, have found slab pots more fun to make and easier to sell.  but i love to trim bowls.   i do it with a strange tool that you would not thing of as a trimming tool.  it is the huge open circle on one  end of a wooden handle that has a smaller circle at the other end.   they are no longer sold or made by kemper.  since i form the bowl as a standard planter shape and insert a disc vertically to make the pot spherical, a lot of excess clay winds up being pushed down past the circumference of the bowl.   i find that inserting the circle tool at the very bottom of the excess and  inserting it absolutely flat and tilting it up as the wheel goes around fast will remove a huge amount of clay in one step.  the pot then dries on the duron bat until it lifts off and i do a foot ring to finish it.
i think final trimming is fun and i try to do a very fine line spiral from the center out.

I went from initial intro to clay in HS straight into a college program, so early on I was taught to consider whether or not any given form needed trimming, and if so, why. My instructors also tended to frown on too much trimming as they said it was a sign of poor throwing skills. There’s a lot of technical reasons why that last might not be true, and lots of pottery making traditions where that attitude would be considered patently absurd. There’s also some forms that are easier to make or are more structurally sound if you throw them thick and trim afterwards. Think  very wide serving pieces with a shallow interior curve. 
But if you’ve got a nice box of pre-prepared clay formulated for throwing, you don’t need to trim a foot ring onto every mug you make unless it’s a design element. Recentering a piece takes time, and if the design is served well by simply rounding the edges and smoothing the bottom with a silicone rib, why take on the extra work? It’s less work in the long run to get your walls and bottoms even in the throwing.
I was taught to view foot rings either as a functional necessity (to allow drainage on a berry bowl for instance), or as a pedestal to elevate or give visual lightness to a piece. A consciously chosen design element. I do put foot rings on most serving pieces, and a couple of teacup-inspired mug designs, and any bowl with a curved interior.
I find other ways of finishing the bottoms of other mug designs, storage jars, or anything with a more angular transition from horizontal to vertical. Any flat bottomed pot still gets some form of finishing, it just might not be with a Do-all.

I was taught that trimming the bottom of the pot was part of the balance, stand and overall design of the piece.  I enjoy trimming,  if I was a high production potter I am sure I would find it tedious after awhile.    Denice

Same for me.
I don't trim unless I have to, I give my pieces a visual foot while throwing and be done with it.

A bit late to the party, but I don't have a magnifying glass on the bottom row.  On laptop (Windows 10) or new desktop (Windows 11).  
I do know how to crop and re-size, was an IT Trainer for many years.  
I spent over 20 years writing courseware and reference materials, and one of the impossible things is knowing where to start with instructions, and how any individual's computer is already set up.
Kudos to anyone trying to help, but you have to know what your customer has/knows already.