[CLAY KING]

I just got an order from Clay-King with a mistake made in the glazes. When called, they promptly put the correct one in the mail. I would order from them again.

[QotW: What are your Winter strategies for working in the shop or on pottery?]

I live on the north Olympic Peninsula where winter is cold and damp. My studio is a room in our unheated garage. We hung an infrared electric panel heater with a thermostat that keeps the room about 67F and put  stall mats on the concrete floor where I work for insulation and comfort. The walk through the cold garage to get to the studio and use the sink is the worst part of the setup.

[How to prevent this from warping when glaze firing?]

I have a thought...

If your design structure holds its shape through a bisque firing, what about trying a low fire glaze  instead of cone 6? I have fired many sculptural pieces (which don't need to be fully vitrified) made of cone 6 clay to bisque temperature and finished with various paints and waxes rather than glaze.  I'm wondering if low firing might work for you.

[Potter's hands]

Have you tried 100% lanolin?  I have sheep and rub my hands through their wool. Wonderful stuff. You can buy it on Amazon and it won't smell sheepy. 

[QotW: How far do you have to drive to get to a ceramics supply store?]

Seventy five miles is the closest, in Seattle, but requires taking a ferry so it's about 2.5 hrs travel one way. The second closest shop is in Tacoma, one hundred miles away, but just under two hours drive, so that's where we shop. I coordinate with a potter neighbor to make supply runs.