Pyewackette

Now wondering ehat dud happen before plastic.
Box with wet towels wrapped around it.
I do this still when put recycled clay out on the plaster.
Hole in the ground...
Different life,.

@neilestrick I counted today.  There are exactly THREE of these strips of filmy plastic, two of which are the size of a neck scarf and one of which is a double width neck scarf LOL!  Now I have no idea where he even came up with the wherewithal for even making the comment to start with. If it weren't for the donated grocery bags he was dissing, we wouldn't have ANYTHING to cover our stuff with LOL!

@Gonepotty - You can get it at any big box store:
Home Depot HardieBacker 1/4" = 1/4" for real
Home Depot HardieBacker 1/2" = 0.42"
You score and snap it with this tool unless you are crazy like me, have a big drill, and use the hardiebacker all the time, then you use THESE shears which you run off your big powerful drill that you already have.  The version with its own motor is over $200.
I've been using 1/2" for everything because that's what I have but I'll be switching to 1/4" for everything but the worktable-wedging table and/or reclaim.  I don't have a ware board longer than 2' because I simply can't carry a ware board longer than that full of ware.  Not sure I SHOULD be carrying one that long, time will tell.  And I'll use it for my shelf liner.  1/4" is plenty for that.
This stuff never warps, I've never seen it mold, it dries fast, it helps what's on it dry properly.  I have lots of individual piece sized "ware boards" and if I want something to dry slower, I just dip the Hardiebacker in a bucket of water, put a piece of newspaper on it, and set the piece on that and cover it.  It provides moisture at an even pace while its wrapped - not too fast, not too slow.  Adjust for local humidity by how you wrap your piece.  I've used it in humid NC and here in dry Tejas.  Love the stuff.  
Especially for a worktop.  NO CANVAS!  If I have some sloppy stuff I want to work up I can slam it onto the hardiebacker and the slop doesn't get all stuck onto the canvas. The hardiebacker will pull excess moisture out and I can work it up lickety-split.  If the board is a little dry a quick spritz with a spray bottle will give me a good worksurface.  Its just way more flexible than canvas or plaster, and longer lived.

I just want to add, if its not been said already, that its not just drying fast you should be concerned with.  More, drying EVENLY.  Its worth it to take an extra day or two for something to dry to make sure it dries evenly.  Hardiebacker ware boards help me a lot with that - I can wet them down to slow drying down or leave them dry when that's not necessary.  I like to spritz the hardiebacker ware boards a little even so, so it doesn't immediately suck all the moisture out of my base. 
I still use bags when drying so I can control the drying process.  Yes it slows it down - but it guarantees that I don't get something drying too fast or on one side faster than the other.  I'm working in a studio in dry Tejas that has fans going all the time in the room where things sit to dry.  NOT covering something that is nearly leather hard is a great way to mess your stuff up at the very last minute.
One way to handle the impatience is to simply work on something else all the time, so you have a continuous stream of stuff that is drying and stuff that is new and stuff that is ready to move to the greenware area awaiting the next kiln load.

Hey Pyewackette,  I reuse   plastic bags from the vegetable aisle, and I find they're great - softer and easier to manipulate than grocery bags but not as flimsy as dry cleaner bags.  When one gets a hole I put a piece of tape on it.  I also cut them open to use flat.    Be sure however that they're not the  compostable bags like Trader Joe's uses.  Those do break down great in the compost pile  I use them with a little newspaper in the bottom for my compostable stuff.   But clay dries out quickly in them.    I'm sure they'd be useful in some ways but not for very slow clay drying.  Good luck!

People may respond well to the "hand made", but the "crappy imperfections" aspect of the craftmanship is not likely what they are attracted to. The nature of successfully working with clay includes an awareness that it takes time, requires patience, can be expensive to do it right,  and, at a minimum, a good basic ceramics class is worth the investment of time and money. I too am impatient and I had to become willing and delibertive in learning about clay/glaze/equiptment, testing clay/glaze chemistry, becoming familar with my own kiln, and a bit about ethics and integrity when passing on my work to others, whether as gifts or for money. "Flaws" can be intentionally and creatively used in a visually stylistic manner, but they still must be structurally sound. 

I’ve used dry cleaner plastic for years and had no problems with it. I don’t like the marks that shopping bags leave. But I think it’s just a matter of personal preference. They’re both plastic. They both work.

I see you’re in Brooklyn. Philadelphia was where I learned how mold grows in crazed glazes on earthenware. When I say learned I mean saw. My dishes. If it’s porous and holds moisture it will mold. Of course mold needs something to eat, maybe your boards are particularly tasty. 
Clean the boards with HOT water, put them in a place with good ventilation stacked separately so all sides can dry. If it were me I’d douse them liberally with hydrogen peroxide. Bleach is a nuclear option, but it’s harsh and it stinks. “Dry” means dry through and through, not just the surface. Cycle through boards so they have a chance to dry out.
 I use Hardiebacker cement board for ware boards. Stays flat, haven’t had any problems with mold. 

I took the clay and glaze chemistry classes from Phil Bernberg at Hood College before he retired. Those were some of the best ceramics classes I ever took. He was helpful, patient, and explained the chemistry at a level that was both thorough and easy to understand. He drew diagrams and showed physical examples of everything. 

phil never said a word about being ill.  wash st is just around the corner from my house.  a lot closer as the crow flies.   he started the round table discussions as soon as they opened.  he showed examples of awful results of glaze firing and i contributed one of my spectacularly bad ones.   it got added to the box to show the next group.
he told me that not having a chemistry based education meant i was walking on a razor blade and would fall off sometime.   the next time he saw me he said he liked my work.  
the memorial was stuffed with people who knew him.   when bill van gilder walked in, he was covered in clay.  we all agreed it was a tribute to phil that he would appreciate.  lovely man, always generous with his time and advice.

Well registration for Sue McCleod's class opens tomorrow so ... I'm on it. 

I took a 3 day workshop from Matt Katz in May.  It was great and I left wishing for more more more.  A big plus was coming away with a bare bones working knowledge of glazy.org.  That was very helpful.  I may sign up for one of his classes later, I just knew I didn't have the time right now to do so.  I have enjoyed John Britt's book also.  And because I now know how to analyze the UMF and other info on glazy.org, I can take some of the recipes in John's book and look at them on Glazy with fresh eye.  I have heard of Sue and it seems like any of the sources would be helpful.

There are some really good videos by the  late Phil Berneburg, geologist and ceramics engineer, from Washington Street Studios. Berneburg covered many aspects of ceramics extremely well, among them Glaze Chemistry, might be a good place to start and the videos are free. First of the chemistry ones linked below. If you are interested in more topics go to the Washington Street Studios YouTube site to find them there. 
 
 

@PyewacketteSue’s $127 class is intended for people who don’t remember/never understood molar weight from high school chemistry. Which is a valid thing! Not everyone needs it in their daily. Her intro course is meant for someone who has never before mixed a glaze in their life, and really only covers the actual mixing of a glaze, how to read the recipe, and why we sieve things. From things you’ve said on the forum over the last bit, that one is NOT for you. She made that course because on facebook, there’s a lot of folks who start off using commercial glazes, or working in a studio where someone else does that, and they now want to start expanding their knowledge.
From watching their assorted lives/listening to podcasts, I personally prefer Sue’s teaching style to Matt’s. They both love the material, but Sue is more patient and instructive, while Matt is more bombastic*. Sue’s teaching people how to formulate glazes for studio use, and Matt and Rose are doing a lot of work to incorporate colourants into UMF calculation softwares in addition to teaching people about glaze formulation. Sue’s class has lifetime access to her course, while the Katz’s give you 4 months to get through the course, and then you have to pay $20/month to their Patreon to retain access. I don’t know if you can turn the access on and off.
You would come out of either class knowing how to make a durable glaze suitable for food use, how to use glaze calculation software, and how the materials all work together to do what they do. By extension, you could then expand your own knowledge in a self directed way. And if you can make a glaze, you can break it to do more exciting things.
 
 

@Callie Beller Diesel They're actually the same cost (virtually) - $400 for the Katz class, $397 for Sue McCloud's.  Also Sue recommends taking a class specifically about mixing glazes first for an additional $127.  I'm pretty sure past experience making solutions for med labs puts me ahead on that score (and perhaps my experience as a fairly serious baker, to a lesser extent maybe, but still ...)
As far as I can tell the only difference between the $400 and $600 Katz classes is biweekly zooms where that seems to be built into Sue's class so ... maybe not QUITE identical on that point.
I'm not setting up as a production potter but I do plan on involving myself in some fairly esoteric experimentation once the move is over.  It always seems like I'll be next year in the holy land.  Sure hoping this is the LAST move.
I'm angling for a volunteer situation at the studio here and when I last talked to the studio manager about it he mentioned wanting help in the glaze room so ... could mesh well with a class as a "lab" experience.

Passingly familiar with both classes. 
Both teachers share the same philosophy, and I believe Sue has worked with the Katz’s as well. They did a presentation together at NCECA a few years ago.
It depends on what level of glaze understanding you need to have in your work. If you’re starting up a production pottery and planning to make a living at it, the Ceramic Materials Workshop is the place to go. It’s $$$, but it’s excellent information. It is literally the advanced class.
Sue’s course that you’ve linked to is still a few hundred dollars, but it’s more affordable. It’s also not as involved, although it will give even intermediate glaze mixers a solid foundation in how to incorporate the chemistry and math in their own work. She also has a really nice intro course if you’ve never mixed a glaze in your life.
In terms of approachability, Sue is very available for technical help, and she does have a moderated facebook page where folks can go to ask questions and get reliable help. You’d get a similar level of assistance here, but from some different faces. 

Influential glaze resources
This Forum
https://digitalfire.com
Susan Peterson's The Craft and Art of Clay 

Sue McCloud:  https://suemcleodceramics.com/theartofglazechemistry/
Or 
Matt Katz:  https://www.ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/our-comprehensive-glaze-class.html
Decisions, decisions ...  I doubt anybody's taken both but maybe folks who have taken either course can talk about their experience?
Thanks

My vote: Katz class is great, and he is a derivative of Alfred University. Sue is a derivative of Katz, really like her as well and she has always provided a good deal of free content that I have followed  for quite a bit. It’s hard not to support her, and she has taken the Katz model and added studio components to it.  I believe Jessica Putnam Phillips still has a Zillion videos on you tube, participates in Clayshare and has developed some very ornate pieces, always pleasant to watch. She may have paid classes these days. John Britt still has a great online presence. Digital fire is still a great free resource. Old knowledge is still valid such  books: Cullen Parmelee, Hasselberth and Roy, John Britt …….. all are valuable learning tools IMO.
The Katz class in clay and glaze chemistry definitely is good to get early, it tends to help in perspective in my view as there are many many theories that run through the clay community. 

@Callie Beller Diesel I'm afraid I have the same mindsight - its not enough for me to know something works.  I want to know WHY it works that way, and why it doesn't work when it fails.  Apparently that's not the norm. But I feel like without the background of the whys and wherefores, it's just stumbling around in a dark room with a blindfold on and your ears plugged. 
I seriously do need to get a notebook and start taking notes like I'm in class.  I have so many things bookmarked that I can't easily find something I already read, nor adequately associate related information.  
Just right this second I think I'll just take a nap.  I have a long drive there and back again tomorrow, nap again Sunday, and start fresh Monday.  Plans!  I love 'em!

Yes the Model A and T had carburetors but ………. No fuel pump! To go up a steep hill folks would often do it in reverse to keep the gas tank level above the level of the carburetor. Incidentally those were vapor carburetors, run your car on gas vapors only.
Miss my 1932 Oakland. Those were the days.

I don't see how they can be separated.  Also - surface doesn't HAVE to mean glaze.

I cannot choose.    It's the whole thing for me.
r.

If it's a small engine, it might be in a small car. Just depends on how old the car is!

@Pyewackette Bartlett control schedules below. Most kilns use their control and rebrand it. All the cone fire glaze schedules have segments faster than 275 degrees per hour. Honestly though I have used the knock offs and advancers in the gas kilns and always had segments as high as 550 degrees per hour during mid fire.. Never had a thermal shock issue from simply firing, also never crash cooled the kiln or opened it early though.
BTW I used to store the shelves neatly in a vertical rack and no issue. They did rest on wood slats though not directly on the floor