Callie Beller Diesel

I too have been “wedging backwards” for 30 years. Difference is, instead of putting the pointy end of the cone down as in the video, I land the clay on the big round end of the cone that’s already formed. After smoothing out the spiral shape so it doesn’t trap air. That part’s kind of important. I cut slam all my reclaim, because it really does result in a nicer mix. I don’t have the fancy post on my wedging table. I just lay out my cutting wire and slam the clay on top of it. I will say concentrating on your core and using your body weight rather than killing your shoulders is a solid point, though.

Don’t be afraid to buy clay. You just have to remember it’s a product with ingredients that aren’t 100% uniform over time, and mixed by humans who have off days. It would be odder to not ever experience some kind of weirdness from time to time. If you find something, tell the manufacturer and the retail place you bought it from. They can’t fix a problem they don’t know about, and it’s a reasonable expectation for them to do something to make it right for you.

It’s not stupid if it works.

A sheet of 220 wet dry sandpaper usually takes care of most residuals, if you’re only using clay with a manganese speckle. While the piece is still leather hard, it can also help to give the contact points a polish with the little red rib, and make sure the bat you put the piece on to dry has no crumbs that will push into the foot. I hate sanding, so I try to opt for prevention rather than cure.

He’s saying oxides for simplicity’s sake, but his copper wash is the carbonate form. Copper oxide is usually black or red. Short answer is price, and because the base glaze plays a part in fuming as well. Some base glazes will release or pick up things better than others. They’re useful in different applications. In some instances fuming may be desired. Some soda firers will place small cups of copper or cobalt at points in the kiln so it flashes onto the adjacent pots. They use the oxide or carbonate form because it’s less toxic than the salts, and having it contained in the kiln is less hazardous than applying it with a spray bottle post raku kiln. Still wants to wear your respirator though. As mentioned in the digitalfire articles, carbonates disperse differently in glazes than oxides do. Cobalt oxide, unless ground very finely or put through a 100mesh sieve, tends to leave specks in a glaze, while carbonate disperses quite neatly. But the light purple colour of carbonate can be hard to see if you’re using it for brushwork, so the oxide is a better choice for that. For copper carbonate, in high fire glazes it doesn’t usually give too many people grief. But the pinholing at cone 6 is a right nuisance, so some people are starting to use the oxide instead.

I recently started using my bat pins and much prefer them. Wish I’d done it sooner!

Hi and welcome! You have found a delightful relic, it sounds like. I’m going to move the thread over to the equipment section, because it’ll get more of the right eyes on it. If it’s possible, can you post pictures of the control box and any plates stating voltage and wattage? The easiest way is to edit your post via the three dots in the right hand corner of the reply box. Do this from your cell phone’s browser, and upload the images from your camera reel. Your phone should prompt you to choose a file size when you do, and the smallest one is fine.

Hulk covered all the good points, and I can confirm they work in a Canadian climate! My space is a former basement bedroom with a too small window as well. If you work as clean as you can (within reason), your cat will likely get more dust inhalation from bentonite cat litter. I find the biggest thing is to keep clay off the floor. If it helps ease any anxiety, unless you’re sanding things in the basement or mixing glazes barefaced, it’s probably the large particles that are irritating your lungs and making you cough. Assuming you’re using proper mopping technique when you clean*, if you’re still coughing and you live in a humid area, you might want to look into a dehumidifier. *proper mopping technique is either pouring water down and wiping it up with the mop into an empty bucket, or changing your bucket water often and using a clean head as needed.

Usually for product photography with a cell phone, you want 2 feet of distance between camera and subject, and 2 feet of distance between subject and background. Video principles will be the same for this. I think lens adaptors may be extra, and the domain of content creators. But if you like the fun toys, don’t let me stop you. They’re fun to play with. I would definitely make sure your phone is in a case, and has a screen protector if you like your screen unscratched. For demo purposes, I would think as long as the instructor’s hands and the pot are legible you wouldn’t have to fuss it too hard. If you need an additional light source, it should be to one side of the pot and potter, or behind the camera. You may also want to diffuse it somehow: I like a white tissue paper and LED combination, because they don't emit heat and I don’t own a ring light. I suggest playing around with it a bit before you need to actually do the demo.

Dolan has a very small production, even before covid. You can’t get them outside of the US: he will NOT ship them.

I would also expect the spot use of a blow torch to cause enough thermal discrepancy through the piece to crack it entirely. +1 for what Bill said. Either have it reglazed professionally or replace it.

+1 for the cell phone. It has the advantage of being probably already in your possession, and small tripods that are easy to position are readily available online or at some mall kiosks. If you do elect to use a portrait orientation, a trick to avoid distortion is to hold it upside down. Most people will angle their cellphone forward when taking images, and we don’t notice any angle weirdness because that’s how we ourselves are viewing the world. When the angle goes the other way, the distortion is more noticeable in the moment, and easier to correct.

Those are pretty cool! Thanks for taking the time to demo @Min.

@Morgan it sounds like you’re doing everything right. I’ve found clays that have a reputation for being difficult to reclaim benefit from being very thoroughly slurry mixed before laying the slip out to dry. Getting it lump free or very close to it has the added benefit of drastically reducing the amount of wedging you have to do if you don’t own a pug mill. Let us know how your batch turned out!

I don’t know how much Kanthal wire will add structural integrity to a fired sculpture, but if it’s a matter of building a figure around an armature, as long as the finished piece will support itself you should be ok to just leave it in place. If you want a piece such as a bird to stand on wire feet, you’d be better off adding the wire after the firing as a cold process, as it may get brittle after firing to those temps. Kanthal isn’t the first wire choice I’d use for large sculptures though. 1 lb of Kanthal runs about $70 CDN. Most figurative sculptors that I’ve seen use additive methods and wire armatures will cut the sculptures apart and remove the armature, hollow out some of the excess clay and put it back together.

Sellling 10k worth of pots is very doable. And if you’re running a business, purchasing equipment is an expense.

We have seen a lot of folks here and on FB try some of the small, low priced wheels from that South American River website. Some people really love them and have had good experiences, but we’ve seen several questions here about them having electrical issues. Which wheel to get depends on how you intend to work, and how you feel about things like right to repair. The typical complaints about the ‘zon wheels are switches either won’t turn on or turn off fully without unplugging the wheel, or the “foot” pedals don’t have variable speeds for long. I have seen some reports of them being difficult or impossible to repair due to poor construction. I put foot in quotes because they’re too small for an adult to sit at comfortably, and they’re better used on a low table top. Not necessarily a bad thing, just worth nothing. They don’t really have the capacity to handle more than 2 kg of clay. Again, not a bad thing if you only want to make a few little things. If your intention is to work any form of long term, buy the wheel you’ll want to use in 5 years. Any of the major brands that have been around forever tend to be a one time purchase and are repairable. They will also have some resale value if you choose to not continue. On clay: What clay is best is like asking what food is best. It’s a matter of personal taste. About the only recommendation I’d have is don’t start with porcelain if you’ve never used clay before. Think a little bit about the kind of work you’d like to make, whether it’s brightly painted earthenware, earthy cone 10 stoneware dishes or cone 6 that splits the difference. Whichever clay you choose, if you’re making functional pottery you should fire the clay to its maximum recommended temperature so it isn’t porous, and make sure the glazes you use fire to that top temp.

99% Dipping, with some squirt bottle use on pots of a certain size. I don’t have the facilities or equipment to spray, and dipping gets a quick, easy application. I make enough stuff that brushing would be very impractical.

Issac Button is an absolute beast! Love it. I’d be inclined to use a modification of Mr. Button’s glaze method on the inside. Instead of swirling the glaze with a cup, get a soft squeeze bottle, like the kind you’d fill with ketchup or mustard, and put the pot on a banding wheel or slowly turning wheel. Squirt the glaze flow at the widest part of the inside of the shoulder as the wheel is turning, and let it flow down, and pour out any excess. When you dip the outside top quarter, roll the pot slightly to make sure the glaze gets the inside bit that’s still bare.

I agree with everyone above: most low volume creators shouldn’t have major dust risks, but working as dust free as possible is just good practice. If the piece is still green, an old trick is to wet down any canvas surface you work on, and work the pieces in a figure 8 over it to get rid of any wobbles in the base. If you don’t work on a canvas surface (there’s better things imo), something like a smooth cement surface will work. And be easier to clean.

I’m assuming you’re working with lavafleck from Potclays. It’s got a very distinct look to it, and I think by the time you tried to backwards engineer that look, the original might be back in stock. The German suppliers seem to have a lot of options that could work, but shipping may be a factor in trying to substitute. From a first order standpoint, I think the worst thing you can do is to try and hide a big, time consuming problem to solve from the customer. Especially if the proposed solution looks different than the original item. But you still want to look like a professional. I find if you know there’s going to be an unforeseen problem, but you communicate early and come to them with a couple of possible solutions to choose from, it shows you’re in control of the situation and looking after them. If it was me, I’d contact Potclays and ask when they anticipate the restock so that I could give an updated timeline if the customer wants to wait for the exact thing they ordered. Second option is to find a substitute clay that looks similar, show them what that would look like as an alternative, and advise of any changes in order delivery due to material shipping. The third option would be to use your existing stock as a slip over another clay body, but you’ll need to do a couple of tests to ensure compatibility. While you’re talking to Potclays about restock times, you could ask them if they’ve got another stoneware in stock with similar shrinkage, especially dry to wet shrinkage, that would work as a good base. You will want to run a test or 2 to make sure this solution works as anticipated.

I’m not offended! I just like to acknowledge when folks make progress in things.

Having watched his progress on Instagram, Seth Rogen is no slouch. He’s put in some serious work in the last couple of years. His fame did kickstart some things and open a bunch of doors, but he’s still got a good eye. He’s likely supposed to be the analogous body to Kieth, but with less joyful weeping. Probably. That said, Brendan Tang and Natalie Waddel and Robin Dupont are all freaking amazing clay artists, and if you don’t follow them on Instagram, there’s the links. Natalie’s work in person is very delicate and makes me very happy. As far as where to catch the show, I’d keep an eye out for wherever you watched Schitt’s Creek or Kim’s Convenience. Those were also CBC productions, and I think they licensed them on AppleTV and GooglePlay? Amazon may or may not pick it up unless it gets super popular.

Hey Lou! Good to see you again! Not sure how traditional it is from a chemistry standpoint, but this glaze does tick a number of boxes around how Oribe’s are supposed to behave. It IS fluid, and tends to go metallic if on the interior of a bowl. Wouldn’t suggest it for food surfaces, but is a lovely accent bit. The bone ash does gel the glaze somewhat, so that will affect its application. I haven’t ever tried it in an acid bath after the firing, as I’ve seen some Japanese artists do since. Due to the age of this recipe, you may have to do some calculations to allow for material analysis shift, especially if you are buying talc new for this. Custer was also a different animal than it is now. Carolina Oribe (ACAD shop, circa 1998 or so) 29 Custer Feldspar 24 Silica 21 Whiting 12 EPK 7.5 Talc 1 Bone Ash 5.2 Copper Carb

It sounds like at best, your tech is either grossly oversimplifying his explanations, or he hasn’t done a lot of soda firing. Or both. My wood fire and soda mentors all experimented with how different kaolins, feldspars and fuel types affected flashing slip recipes. The differences are indeed noticeable. Clay body also matters. It is possible, under fairly specific circumstances, for a glaze that fits a clay body to pull apart a piece that’s only glazed on the inside. But the glaze has to be as thick or thicker than a relatively thin clay layer, and the piece in question is usually a wide flat piece with right angle walls. Often in this example the glaze will involve lithium as an ingredient. It does non-standard expansion things. These are not your circumstances. These circumstances largely don’t occur in soda firing. I won’t say never, because we all know (or have been) That One Kid who did that thing once that still gets talked about. If the walls of your pot are thicker than the glaze, which I would expect to be the case with a piece 3’ tall, you’re fine. If you want to highlight the texture of your piece, I think a light spray with flashing slip and carefully choosing the position in the kiln is a great idea. Sodium reacts with the clay body itself to form a glaze, which means that areas that are heavily exposed to the vapour can have sharp textures blurred. So you want to have the piece placed somewhere that won’t get fully blasted, but will take advantage of flame path depositing the vapour. I suggest you’d want to avoid right in front of any soda ports if they’re spraying, or right in front of the bag wall if they’re dumping burritos or soda plaster lumps into the firebox. In either case, you also don’t want the piece to be right in front of the flue exit, but to one side of it could be interesting. If there’s any salt in the mix, all bets are off and you’d need to ask someone very familiar with the specific kiln where the “wet” and “dry” spots are. Soda by itself tends to be very sluggish in the kiln, which is why people either spray it, or mix it with water and something like whiting or sawdust that will help it disperse from the firebox more easily. So you can get some pretty pronounced flame records on soda fired pots. Salt will more or less explode when it hits a hot kiln, so it’s easier to get a more all-over coating, and it’s why it tends to take less salt to get an orange peel effect. A few soda artists of my acquaintance aren’t afraid to refire pieces that didn’t quite get the coverage they wanted on the first round. Most kiln bosses will prioritize items on their first ride through the kiln over re-fires though, so check with whoever’s firing the kilns what their preferences are.