Diane Puckett

I have been told that Karo syrup added to glaze stabilizes it pre-firing. I have not tried it, but maybe it would help with your underglaze.

I often load a kiln over a period of a week or two just to ge something unfinished pieces out of the way. When you say you have no time constraints, you may do the same. I imagine you know this, but just in case you do not, don't let your greenware freeze, or it will likely crack.

Williams Sonoma has a variety of pizza stones on their website. Several are cordierite ceramic.

It would be a good idea to mark the bottom of your pieces to identify the clay, particularly what cone it is.

I have only used it once, as a class requirement to use it in making a sculpture. It was nothing like using regular clay. Perhaps I just got a bad box, but I hated it. If your goal is to gain proficiency in making clay sculpture, go with real clay. Even if you cannot fire it, you will be gaining experience.

It would be wise to read your policy to see if there is anything in there about kilns or home businesses. My experience is that insurance companies work hard at finding reasons to deny claims. Those long, confusing policies, ie contracts, are provided for the insurer's benefit. I figure I have insurance so I can sleep better knowing I am covered if there is a fire, etc. Not following the contract would mean paying the premium but still worrying I would not be covered. That's a heck of a risk.

Someone on here once said he numbered every glaze that came into his studio. Doing so allows you to keep meticulous records with less writing. You could even work out a system adding letters to identify each manufacturer and another letter for your own glazes.

Thanks, Neil. That is what I thought, but it would be nice to find out a longer bisque would solve the problem.

I thought it was the manganese which causes bloating in the glaze firing of dark clays. Is the manganese bloating issue somehow related to organics remaining after bisque firing?

I love so much of the ceramics in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I enjoy looking at the various forms which are the same ones we make today. The celadons of the Asian pottery are stunning. What I find most moving is the pottery from the Egyptian tombs. It seems incredible to be that close to ancient pottery, some of it nearly 6000 years old. There is a perky little bowl on two human feet that look ready to walk away. I think about the potter who created it and wonder what her mood was at the time. There is a photo of it here http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=02&region=afe

I have not and probably will not. Maybe someone near you has some they would let you dip a small piece in. If you want me to do a test tile for you, send me a private message, and I will send my address. I fire to cone 6.

I really like the Glossy Clear Liner Glaze from Mastering Cone Six Glazes. I have never had a problem with it. Wish I could say that about all my glazes.

Interesting article http://cultkiev.com/en/news/the-pottery-is-a-heaven-born-craft . I am trying to figure out what substance in cow's milk would not burn out in a firing. It is only about 70 miles from Kiev to Chernobyl.

If you are willing to go to cone 6, check out the Coyote Glaze greens, particularly green shino. They have a couple others that look close. It is difficult to know unless you fire them on a particular clay. If you happen to have the equipment, spraying would eliminate brush strokes. Another option would be using underglazes to get the color you want and then adding a clear satin glaze. Some clear glazes will change the color of green underglaze, so you would need to make sure to get one that does not.

I glaze the body, aka the bigger part the chimes hang from. I do not glaze the chimes. I recommend making extra chimes to have on hand, as they can break over time.

I have had very experienced potters who use a vent say they always fire with the top plug out. I leave mine in, as I figure the kiln is far from airtight.

In googling around recently, I thought I found some stilts made for higher temps. http://www.theceramicshop.com/store/department/9/Stilts/ Have you considered terra sig rather than glaze? Newman's Red TS is beautiful at cone 6.

I have used them a lot and have consistently had no problem with them even while having lots of problems with other glazes. I have used them on B-Mix, Little Loafer's, Frost, HW Brown Stone, Red Stone, and Riverside Grit. I usually layer them with PC or other types of glazes. My glazes seem happiest when fired using the schedule in Mastering Cone 6 Glazes. I vote with finding a cone 5/6 clay and trying that. And whatever you do, don't open the kiln even to peek before it cools off.

Good idea! Years ago, Popular Mechanics showed a prototype design for a bathroom that could be shut up and run like a dishwasher. I would pay a lot of money for one of those. I wonder if a self-cleaning pottery studio would help or hinder my creativity.

If you post too often, people will block your feed so they do not see it. There is no way for you to know who is actually seeing your posts vs those that do not. My tolerance for a business page of any kind is about once a week. That is enough to keep me interested without being a nuisance.

Chris is right. I detest making handles, because I cannot do them well. My plan is to take a plastic tumbler and spend lots of time putting handles on it. It will be a good activity while sitting on the porch in warmer weather. That is assuming it ever does warm up.

I have found the best way to remove it is a dental scaling tool. I use it to pierce and grab a tiny bit of the latex, and them just pull off the rest. This works even with the very thin latex.

Opening the kiln while it is still hot suddenly exposes the pots to uneven heat, ie one side of the pot is suddenly cooler than the other. Just that can cause dunting. The pots sticking to the shelves combines with the sudden temp change probably did it. Harry Fraser's book, Ceramic Faults and their remedies has a lengthy section on dunting.

Thanks for posting this thread. I am going to my daughter's in a few days and need to remember to take a hammer with me.

Ugh. I hate days like that. Are you letting the kiln cool to room temperature before opening it?