Callie Beller Diesel
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Posts posted by Callie Beller Diesel
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I like deadlines....to a point. Motivation for me can be a complicated thing, because I have ADD (inattentive type, so no H). Not enough on my plate, and I slip into the mindset of there are only 2 times: Now and Not Now, and anything that doesn’t have to happen Now isn’t happening today. Too many deadlines, and the overwhelm leads me to freeze. So for me, rest is something I’m finding I have to be VERY conscious to add into my schedule. Maintaining a steady pace of work and setting limits on my work day is becoming increasingly important to me. I’ll admit it’s a work in progress. I am aiming for a steady rate of work, even if the tasks vary from day to day, or week to week.
I find when I hit the place where I’m burnt out or too tired, creativity and motivation go right out the window. And that’s not good, because it can take a long time to get yourself back to a place where you can work again. I’m finding self care is mandatory, and that includes but is not limited to: rest, “work hours,” exercise, good diet, going outside, doing things that don’t involve work sometimes, talking to people who aren’t artists, talking to people who are artists, limiting social media and other screen time, good sleep hygiene, knowing limits of patience/time/resources/capabilities and communicating them properly, etc etc.
If I’m going to be an artist, my job is to be able to call forth my creativity when I need it, and in order to do that, I need to be fed properly, rested and have my limbic system more or less under control. So self care becomes non-optional. That can be a surprisingly challenging thought to internalize in a culture that values overwork.
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With anything on bats, I don’t bother with a wire at least until the shine has come off the pot. Usually I don’t cut them off until rims are stiff enough to support the pot when they’re flipped. If you cut them off and leave them in place when they’re wet, they’ll just reattach themselves.
I lift pots off the wheel head usually only when the height is more than the width, and the base is relatively narrow. Mostly with small jars or mugs or similar items. When lifting, take all the slip off the pot with a rib, wipe your hands clean and dry, and lift gently from the base. Ribbing compresses the walls of the pot so that they resist warping more.
As far as the paper thing goes, most people just use what they have to hand: that coarse folded paper towel from public washrooms, newsprint, computer paper.
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The only time I cover ware is if it will be too dry to work on within the timeframe I expect.
I use a cheap pop-up tent at my outdoor market. *ducks and covers*
(I weight the heck out of it though.)
- Hulk, Roberta12 and Meredith Kathleen
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Compared to a lot of the older potters or people I was taught by, I have a freakishly clean studio. I don’t deal well or think clearly when I’m surrounded by visual clutter.
I also start the day by siphoning off the settled water from yesterday’s work, dumping the sludge into the reclaim and getting fresh water. At the end, I always sponge out my splash pan and wipe off all my tools and put them away. This way all the fines get into the reclaim, which I also do, despite it being “inefficient.” Starting to farm the reclaim out to the 12 year old though, because he wants some walking around money.
- Hulk and Pyewackette
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1 hour ago, Pir said:
One difficulty I have is that almost every time I measure SG--with a 100mL syringe, or in a 100mL beaker, or in a 50mL beaker and doubling--I get a different stinkin' number. Last week the glaze was 1.56, today it's 1.63 (has been covered all week); it remains 1.6-1.63 if I measure it in a 100mL beaker and 1.48-1.5 if in a 50mL and then double it. I know it shouldn't be but I've done it five times in a row. (I feel like I'm going crazy!)
You’re not going crazy. If you’re measuring in different containers, the different containers will give slightly different measurements due to calibration issues. Unless you’re getting really spendy lab containers (which aren’t necessary), some variation is considered acceptable. If you keep using the same measuring device across the board, go by that device’s numbers to get repeatable and predictable results.
1 hour ago, Pir said:Does the SG change after adding an acid? It should be thicker, but should will that make it heavier?
It will be more viscous, but the SG number should stay the same. You’re affecting how the glaze flows (or rather doesn’t), not adding more dry material or water that would change that number. At least not enough liquid to be measured meaningfully, anyways.
1 hour ago, Pir said:I'm just not sure if the glaze in question needs deflocculating-- which is what I understand adding epsom salts or vinegar to be doing. It is sort of settling at bottom...but not hard-panning (if that's the word).
If you’re adding Epsom or vinegar, you’re flocculating. If you’re adding Darvan or sodium silicate, you’re deflocculating. Flocculating will basically make the glaze more viscous in the bucket without changing the water level. It keeps particles suspended longer because they’re clustered together and allows for a fatter application that dries more slowly, which is one way of fixing your drip issue. It also has the added benefit of preventing hardpanning. Even a flocculated glaze will settle out eventually, it just won’t turn into that hideous, cement-like substance we all know and hate. A flocculated glaze will just sort of gel at the bottom with a layer of water on top, and will stir up in a matter of a minute or two.
As much as I love Tony Hanson for everything else he does, Sue Macleod explains deflocculation and flocculation better than anyone else out there right now. Hers is an in-depth and user friendly explanation.
2 hours ago, Pir said:Am I understanding it correctly that before adding an acid, the glaze specific gravity should be lower (wetter/more water)?
Only if that ratio of glaze materials to water is what will give you the application layer of your glaze that you want. Making it too thin and then adding a flocculant can still make your glaze go on too thin.
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Eh, there’s still some interest in art classes. AUA (formerly ACAD) has decided to take all their departments in a more fine art direction, as opposed to fostering craft. But the Ceramics Department is still going strong, and the faculty there are all trying to foster a certain level of technical proficiency. Classes are weird right now, with people taking courses in shifts so there’s no crowding, and a lot of lectures online so that a minimum amount of time is spent in company of others. One of the local studios that offers individual ceramic workspaces is actually expanding right now. They’ve been doing zoom classes and picking up and dropping off materials and projects. The next generation of potters will come from those spaces, is my guess.
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It takes a little bit, getting back on the bike if you’ve been away for a while. It comes. I found after my extended break, I had a massive flood of constant ideas for a long time. Keep a notebook or a sketchbook handy!
After the last year, I am investing time into actual self care practices, not just engaging in escapism. I need to fill the well after helping my kids through *gestures wildly at everything*.
- Joseph Fireborn and LeeU
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@CeeJay I think it actually might have been someone’s custom build. It’s marked clearly as an FT31, but that’s not a number they manufactured a lot of, I guess. I gave Arturo the numbers on the plate and he sent me 2 wiring diagrams, and my kiln uses elements of both. It’s got the thumb wheel, a timer, a kiln sitter, and it has a really rudimentary set of servo motors that turns the kiln up at different rates. It’s like a weird steampunk version of an electronic control panel.
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Contact Cress. They’re really nice.
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13 hours ago, liambesaw said:
I wish mine looked like that!! Its supposed to be an orange, but some of the details got lost when I used an old spray paint stencil I made since the stencil film didn't really stick well to the clay.
Shhhh! It looks deliberate. No one else noticed this. I like the soft lines.
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It’s my most recent pottery related purchase.
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53 minutes ago, Mark C. said:
Vacation starts 7 am on the 19th on the surgery table.
You and I have very different ideas of what a vacation is.
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I think using cullet made from window glass as a a frit in a glaze is one of those things that is possible in a realm of infinite possibilities, but could be more trouble than it’s worth if you’re trying to build a glaze for functional use. Since the OP is referencing a mug, that’s what I’m assuming we’re after. Float (window) glass has less alumina and silica than bottle glass does, and contains lots of sodium from a couple of sources which are germane for refining bubbles out, but not ceramic purposes. It’s also got lime, so some calcium and magnesium. There’s no boron in it, so I’m not sure how it’d act as a borosilicate frit. (For borosilicate, you’d need older Pyrex, or lab glass). You’d have to do a lot of testing to fine tune window glass cullet in a recipe, given you don’t know the exact proportions of the materials used. Plus, it’s a LOT of hot, sweaty work in a respirator to pound it into powder. The COE of window glass is approximately 8.4. Ceramic glazes tend to be somewhere in the 6-7 range, depending. If you’ve got chunks of glass in a glaze as in the picture the OP provided, they’re going to pull away from each other, creating stress fractures in the work. I bet that mug in the example picture weeps if they used window or bottle glass. Or even some of the colouring stuff sold for use in a glassblowing studio.
If we’re talking about a sculptural effect, go right ahead and do whatever wild and whacky thing that makes your experiment hungry heart happy. Science is cool.
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2 minutes ago, Hulk said:
All glass aren't same, methinks;
They sure aren’t! Glaze isn’t quite the same as glass either, although it shares some ingredients. It’s like the difference between bread and cake. There’s some ingredient crossover and you need to bake (fire) them both, but techniques and times that work for a crusty sourdough will do something awful to a chocolate sponge.
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If she used glass in her clay, it’s ill advised on her part. I know it doesn’t stop some people if they don’t see anything going wrong immediately, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. The coe of bottle glass or other commonly available glasses including stains and frits used in a hot shop are too distant from that of most pottery clays. I’ve gone on clay/glass rants before. I don’t know that the internet needs another one.
If you want a similar effect, you could try mixing a clear blue glaze as a paste, crumble it and fire the bits just enough so they sinter. This will keep them from dissolving when you add them to another clear or translucent glaze bucket. They should melt together for a similar effect. The Jungle Jems line does something similar I believe.
- shawnhar, Roberta12, Lucy GReen and 2 others
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55 minutes ago, JohnnyK said:
Do you and Min live near forests?
I’m on the prairie side of the Rockies, just on the edge of the foothills. A lot of movies set in Montana or Colorado are actually filmed near my city because it looks right, but the exchange rate stretches budgets further. I live in the city, but wood isn’t hard to come by. Various softwoods are plentiful just outside city limits. By fuel burning, I meant I’d be happy with a gas kiln too. Interestingly enough, because of the gas code here, it would be easier to build a Fast Freddie wood kiln in my yard than it would be to buy or build a gas kiln. -
So much technology by this definition is stuff that saves on labor and time. I’m with Min. I’d go back to a fuel burning kiln, but keep the rest.
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I think some of the issue is coming from the fact that some older designs are still timely and useful (treadle wheels for example). Perhaps some of this could be better articulated as a low tech vs high tech definition.
Low tech is typically a simpler design, although may be considered out of date in some instances (various kiln controller advancements, for example). High tech can be defined as being relatively new or having more advanced features (treadle wheel vs one with an electric foot pedal). As far as last week’s discussion went, a 3D printer is basically a jazzed up extruded with a lot of extra features. Incorporating the internet into your daily working life is an evolution of a number of different ways of accessing an audience.
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I'm of the opinion that just because I may not be inclined to use a piece of tech in my own practice, that doesn't make it an invalid approach. I've seen some really interesting things done with a 3D printer for mold making, or even for it's own sake. But I am not a drafter, and my mind doesn't think along those precise lines (heh). I will likely never use a 3D printer, but I love the work a friend of mine is doing in printing masters so he can slipcast screw tops for some bottles he's making. I personally dislike using a Giffen grip, but allow that it's a perfectly valid tool for others to use.
For me, I think it's a matter of asking whether a given tool will actually assist me in doing what I want to do or what I need to make, and whether or not it's the most efficient and cost effective tool for doing the job. How badly do I want to make a given thing, and is that desire strong enough to motivate me to learn a new skill? Do I want to dedicate the necessary time and energy into doing that?
I think various forms of digital presentations of your work or your working process also fall into this category.
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@oldlady Jim Butcher is an urban fantasy author who's largest and most ongoing series is the 15-book-and-counting Dresden Files. They follow the adventures of Harry Dresden, Chicago's resident wizard. Pres and I discovered we were both reading him in the "what are you listening to in your studio" thread earlier this year. If you'd like more details I'd be happy to share them in dm, but I should probably stop hijacking the thread here.
- Pres, blackthorn and oldlady
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I mean, you don't live in Canada without learning how to drive in the winter. We'd be at home too much otherwise.
I was thinking the boxes would be ideal for butter, as it comes in 1 lb bricks here. These are of a size that they should be able to hold half a pound easily.
( @Pres, yeah Mr. Butcher and I were friends off for a few minutes over that one! There's more than a few bombshells in this one.)
Bubbles In Black Stoneware
in Studio Operations and Making Work
Posted
@Kakes Titi has her location (below her avatar) listed as Ecuador. She likely won’t have access to North American clay bodies. Most clay bodies are only available regionally, because they’re not very cost effective to ship, and is usually easier to dig up closer to home.