Rae Reich

Tests, mosaic tiles, bisque molds, beads, bonsai pots, xmus ornaments. 

Spoon trays and small pots jugs and vases, and any unglazed chimes etc.
No space left untouched.
Energy prices rising.....

Thanks for posting my question Pres.
Mark, do soap dishes sell better for you than your soap pumps?
My kiln fillers are quite small, between 2 - 3" tall or wide. Teabag/ring dishes, mini bowls, and no trim mini tubs and mini jugs. The jugs and bowls sell the best for me. Jugs for warming up maple syrup, melted butter, cream, salad dressing etc.
 

 
 

Mine are mini vases and mini bowls-sponge holders and spoon rests -small cat bowls-extruded soap dishes. Smalls are where I make the most money selling as they sell to everyone.

Oooh, that'd be good for the framers (house in progress next door) - they start at seben  a.m.!

This thread has been around for awhile and I'd like to add my 3 cents...
I got my CI-MP wheel from a friend who found it in a barn on a property he had just purchased and, knowing that I had just gotten into pottery making, offered to "loan" it to me on what turned out to be permanent basis. It was a mess, covered in dirt and spider webs (with a few Black Widows thrown in), but it ran, so I cleaned it up. That was about 8 years ago. When I got it there was no splash pan and he said there wasn't any other parts in the barn. Sooo, being mechanically adept, I designed and fabricated my own pan using the bottom of a plastic trash can. Since the wheel base was designed to get wet (it has a drain hole and plug), I made a device that would serve the purpose. Here is a picture of the pan installed. You can go to my gallery and see additional pix in the album.
Last year I got a Giffen Grip and made a riser out of another trash bucket, using the top this time. 
For those interested, I can provide additional info and answer any questions regarding the fabrication.
JohnnyK

My bench is clear today, having finished the pieces in prep for the pending anagama fire. I cleaned up my space, and the pile of tools, went and bought some window caddies to hold finishing materials, set up my most-used tools behind my little work slab, and finally got that annoying curtain out of my way--looks tacky, but I was in a hurry and just strung it up with those vegatable ties you get on bok choy--the poor man's Velcro LOL-works great. 

9 boxes (262#s)left yesterday to Harmony Ca .Another potter stopped by  on way south and is taking them for me on His way to Santa Barbara. I sweetened the deal with a 50$ bill for them for extra gas. One less thing on the bench.
Big show this weekend so bench is clear.
Another out of state show in 3 weeks so lots of greenware piling up.

I have an extra day off this week, so I am exploring some of the ideas that have been rattling around in my head. If possible I like to introduce new designs at my open studio in december, which means I need to start figuring them out now.
Edit:  ....aaaand now that I’ve studied this photo a bit, I’m going to erase the “7” on the brown one, and try to put it in the right place.

I had a good look after they came out of the kiln, I previously said they were a D but on inspection they’re really ears
joy

Ear. The only way I like my handles. Although I want to try the kind where its an ear with a finger pulled up at the top. 
Like this, by Ayumi Horie:

I DID...I swear it WAS NOT THERE last night!!!!!!!!! I looked there and in Aesthetics & even Studio (tho I knew it wasn't there.) Thanks---It's a little crazy-making but it's definately there now! 
ANYWAY....here are some handles from when I used to do mugs. They're more like a capital C , maybe, than the other types. I like my mugs on the hefty side, with the handles in balance. 

Apologies if this has been suggested before but I'm curious if anyone else uses "Kiln Gods" or Gremlins when firing their kiln. 
My first experience with clay was as a laborer trimming cups in a small production factory. (back in the early 80's, called Shapiro's Ceramic and Design, they took over from the slightly more well-known Overland Stoneware) They had two car kilns there and the owner who did the firing had a couple hideous little figures that looked kind of like what you see stuck on face jugs. According to him these were his "kiln gods" who watched over the firing process, and we weren't allowed to place them. 
My father was a Mason and a master welder for the air force. My mother told me that whenever they were having problems with a plane repeatedly, during the fix they made a gremlin out of scrap metal and welded it somewhere inside the body of the aircraft where it wouldn't be seen. 

You know you are not meant to be a potter if ......          You are more excited by the details of a process or technique than the pots you make using these skills.          See Tony Clennell's posts over the last month:
         http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com/2018/02/confession-im-not-potter.html
 
LT

Here's what's on mine today. In progress--carving the outer surface of what will be a lidded container, assuming all goes well. It's for an anagama fire in the fall--the clay is new to me--Sheffield's Z--which John Baymore recommended, and I just love it-can't wait to see how it fires.  I can afford maybe a half shelf, and I hope to have enough vertical pieces to get the most out of that type of fire.  The kiln, at the NHIA-Sharon Art Center was built by John & his students. I get to join in, provided there is available space, as part of the New Hampshire Institite of Art's public-access Community Education program.  Not shown is the banding wheel, a half dozen trimming tools, foam to  cushion the upside down lid w/knob, porcupine quill, hole cutter, a Chinese Lucky Cat wving his paw, and a large mug of fresh hot dark roast. 

Looking good Pres-I'm working on a $3,900 wholesale order myself due on the 11th-I got it last Monday.
Should help pay for my upcoming trip diving in Bali.
Those pots look great by the way-I really like the honeycomb texture. Asa you are finding out extruded handles are very strong and so much faster. Its 99% of all my handles the past 35 years. Never had a mention about folks missing the taper.

Actually the rollers and stamps are applied before shaping right after the cylinder is thrown. This expands the textures, smooths them a bit, softens edges.
No old lady, I am not getting rich, just a labor of love, wholesale, but not bad. teapots are higher return, but all in all I'll be fine. Hoping to save enough for a new L&L with controller!

Working on the next order for Savannah Bee, mugs, teapots and honey jars. About two thirds complete, all teapots, ready for glazing, 30 mugs and 25 honey jars in present load. On the workbench two days ago was this. . . .

All extruded handles! 
best,
Pres

40 soap dishes 200 sponge holders a few hundred mugs-20 small miso bowls 4 oval platters and A partridge in a pear tree.

I do occasionally manage to snap a picture of finished work. 

Pumpkins. Not something I've made before, they are for a raku fundraiser next month.

Hi folks, no new posts for the QotW so I will resurrect one from a while back: What is your latest environmental companion in the studio?
I stated this question with the addendum of latest, because just today I used my phone streaming Pandora via bluetooth to my hearing aids! Really cool, but I found that it used the batteries to the Comm Pilot that makes the connection. Only could use it for about 5 hrs. Maybe have to pick up a battery pack to plug into as it is rechargeable from USB.
 
best,
Pres

@Rae Reich type an @ and then begin typing the person's screen name. A drop down menu will appear, and you can just click on the right one.

I got some mugs out of the kiln last Monday. I am making more mugs this week. Because mugs. 

My glazing table is down to a few pieces of bisqued  mid-fire items. I need to fill one more shelf with new greenware (they'll go in as a single fire) and then I am ready to fill my kiln again.