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.

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?

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.

A solar powered kiln is a wonderful fantasy. If you don't know about it you might enjoy ready about the Energy Exchange http://www.energyxchange.org . There was also a CM article about it, but I don't remember when. This is also interesting http://www.bartelart.com/firing/ecokiln.html .

I love these glazes. At Potters Council, Amaco gave out sheets showing samples of combos, similar to their ads but at lot more of them. I don't know where else you can get them, but they are great to have in the studio for reference.

I do not have plumbing and have no room for a sink. In the winter I carry out water in plastic gallon jugs. I generally have 3 or 4 of them out there. If I were going to store water above a sink I would probably get a big plastic jug with a spigot. With water weighing 8 pounds per gallon, a gravity-fed system is a challenge. I have considered a rain barrel, but the water coming out of the ones I have is full of pollen and other stuff I don't want in my studio. I found a number of possible storage jugs with fill holes and spigots on Amazon searching for "water storage jug 5 gallon". For exa

I have seen bisque repaired with paper clay slip.

I would throw it away. Some things are just not worth the aggravation.

Potter, and proud of it. Unless I am in NYC, where I morph into a ceramic artist. Y'all have a drama-free, muddy holiday season.

If by chance the thickness is in the bottom, put three or more very short kiln posts under it in the kiln.

In this area, there is a potter under every rock. I really wish some entrepreneurial type would put a pugmill on a trailer and go from one studio to the next. They could have a great pugmill, earn extra money, and offer a tremendous service.

Hopper's book, Functional Pottery has that info and is in general a wonder resource.

Great idea! I would be especially interested in photos of layered glazes, including the ones that did not turn out well. Nice pot, BTW.

Love this combo. What is on top? And is it layered over the Ancient Jasper?

Reading these posts, one thing you need to consider is your own level of expertise in using a kiln and locally available assistance when you need it. If you are completely new to kiln use, make sure you have someone local to assist and advise if you decide to go with AIM.

I recently read (in Fraser, I think) that the issue is not so much temperature change as temperature differential on the two sides of the pot. If the pottery in your kiln is still hot, opening the kiln rapidly cools part, but not all, of the pot. Any weakness in the pot, even throwing lines, can crack. I once had a large bowl dunt, and it did so right along the throwing line.

I wonder what one of those trillion dollar titanium coins would do.

What were you hoping to see? Per the US Mint, since 1982 pennies have been made of copper-coated zinc. I had no idea, though, with the value of copper, I should have known. Composition: Copper-Plated Zinc: 2.5% Cu, Balance Zn Weight: 2.500 g Diameter: 0.750 in., 19.05 mm Thickness: 1.55 mm Edge: Plain http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/circulatingCoins/?action=CircPenny

For pieces that are not quite dry or have thick bottoms, it is a good idea to use some small stilts to raise the bottom of the pot off the bottom of the kiln shelf to give an outlet for any steam released from the bottom.