Callie Beller Diesel

@poppyandlily It’s @Bill Kielb’s video.

Yes, if the peg does not need to be vitrified, you only have to bisque it. But. If the firing peg is only meant to be a support for another item, a different option might be to just make yourself some wadding. The simplest recipe is 50/50 by volume alumina hydrate and any dry clay, EPK being the most typical. Mix it with enough water to make it mouldable. Wadding is typically used in wood or soda firings to keep pots from sticking to the shelves, and it’s very refractory. Wadding isn’t fired before use on the pots, and is applied while the kiln is being loaded. They are usually consi

If they’re being a nuisance either fire them as a client outright, or tell them if they want to go any further they need to make a design consultation appointment, at the end of which they will owe a deposit/consultation fee and work will begin. This will get rid of time wasters right quick! Anyone who is truly interested won’t balk, and will set up the appointment. This was the structure we used at a custom glasswork studio I used to work at. Just treat it as defining the services you’re providing, and politely inform them of your business model. Do not chase them if they’re not interes

I’ve been messing around with Alberta slip, frit 3134 and varying levels of red iron. I’ve been getting either an amber or a black. My next step was going to be to alter the frit to see what happened.

I am debating a ring light and a second kiln. The first, well, it depends on what happens in the next few months. If I make a drift towards video on social media, it’ll be handy regardless of the platform I’d be using. If it turns out video is the latest dopamine fix, I don’t want to be into it for a whole bunch of equipment. The second kiln is because I’m still having trust issues with my existing one. It’s fixed after the Great Meltdown of ‘21, but it doesn’t fire the same. But I lack the cash flow to do it until after summer. Which will translate to after Christmas between the bu

If you want a recipe for hand cream DM me. You can source your own oils and glycerine so that you aren’t getting stuff you don’t want.

Argh. I wish I’d been able to divide the conversation before it got really going! The second question isn’t going to get as much response because it’s in the glaze section instead of the business section. If you want, I can do some cut and paste, and set up that part of the conversation in a better spot. As far as commission work goes, another thing to take into account is that while you are making a product, you’re also providing a service at this point. Not everyone has the skill to make pottery, so they’re asking you to use your skills for them, the same way they would for any n

It shouldn’t stick any more than the clay body underneath, no.

I prefer a beeswax and oil base too. My reclaim is just reclaim, and plus one to what Mea said about not handling bisque with greasy hands.

I like the half shelves too. Easier on the back, and I can deal with loosing the footprint of a kiln post.

+1 for it being kiln placement. If your firing situation is the biggest thing that’s changed between this glaze working and it not working, that’s the most likely culprit. Are you working with a newer or older kiln than the one you were in before? Are you using the same firing cycle that was happening at your previous studio?

What Neil said. The overall makeup of the glaze is more important than the presence of a given colourant, unless that colourant is something super unlikely like Uranium. If the glaze is durable, cobalt metal forms aren’t particularly soluble. We work with worse things. There was this thread a few weeks ago, where I did an ADHD research rabbit hole special. Tl;dr, You need to be more mindful about your own health and safety when you’re making the work than you do about the final glaze, unless the base glaze is really unstable. You’ll want to test it with a dishwasher tab.

When I say tin garden shed, I mean one of these guys. Mine is 6x11 or 12 I think. Ventilation is not a particular issue, There’s room for a 4’ folding table next to the kiln to set pots on to load and unload, and a small wooden rack for the kiln shelves when they’re not in use. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Outsunny-6-ft-x-9-ft-Metal-Outdoor-Backyard-Garden-Utility-Storage-Tool-Shed-Kit-with-Spacious-Design-and-WeatherResistant-Roof-845-031GY/313811987 edit: yes, I realize it’s galvanized, not tin. But tin foil is shorter to say than aluminum foil, and that’s the colloqu

Yeah, that smoke test is not a fun way to find mask gaps! Also, store your mask in a Ziplock bag or other sealed thing if you’re keeping it in your (possibly dusty) studio. It defeats the purpose if you put it on dirty. This is probably coming a bit late, but I replaced all my mask elastics with cut up pantyhose. MUCH softer. Edited to add: also probably the only good use for pantyhose.

@Pyewackette If you don’t know how big to make your proposed building, have you priced out a tin garden shed kit?