Bam2015

WOW! I haven't finished reading your blog yet, but what a wealth of information. It is very generous of you to share so much of your knowledge and experience with others. 
Betty

I use low fire clay so that it's porous, but any bisque-fired clay would work. I make them somewhat thick, like 1/2" so they can soak up a lot of water, and put little rubber or cork bumpers on the bottom to protect the table from scratches. A full cork pad would also work. I've never had one soak through. The problem with non-porous coasters is that in a humid environment like the midwest where I live, the cup will sweat and leave a big puddle on the coaster, which will then either drip all over when you pick up the cup, or cause the coaster to stick the cup and then fall off at some point when you lift the cup.

Thank you Kswan and Callie! I am not going to take any chances. I did not put underglazes on the bottoms and won't stack. I will however do some testing and can report back on this thread. 
Betty

Good for you! Sounds like you are off to a great start. I think that your numbers are quite impressive.
Betty

As a consumer, I am insulted when I am charged an additional fee for using my credit card. Credit cards are not a novelty, so sellers should expect that the majority of their customers will be paying with cc.  I feel that the establishment should build this into their expenses. I know what to expect in terms of sales taxes, but I don't want to arrive at the cash register with my credit card out and then be told that I need to pay more, which to me feels like a penalty for using my credit card.
My two cents, which I'll be paying by credit card please.  
Betty
P.S. it use to be that credit card companies prohibited the seller from penalizing the customer and could take away charing privileges, is this no longer true? 

I hate rehydrating glaze or reclaiming dried clay. If I catch it early before it accumulates, I'm OK with doing it in small doses--but once the dried glaze/clay began to pile up, I donated it to a ceramics student & a hobby potter who don't mind doing the work to bring it back to life.  I lost the money but considered it a small donation for a good cause and then bought fresh. 

I so agree with you @LeeU.
Time is money too, and hours spent re-hydrating is time I could be doing much more interesting things.  Problem is, I have some discontinued glazes that I love !

Interesting question!
For me it is surface rather than form. I admire a well made pot, and while one should not try to cover up a poorly made pot with glazes or underglazes, I think the true personality of the potter and the pot is seen in the surface details. 
Betty

Interesting question!
For me it is surface rather than form. I admire a well made pot, and while one should not try to cover up a poorly made pot with glazes or underglazes, I think the true personality of the potter and the pot is seen in the surface details. 
Betty

Stunning work!
Betty

As a consumer, I am insulted when I am charged an additional fee for using my credit card. Credit cards are not a novelty, so sellers should expect that the majority of their customers will be paying with cc.  I feel that the establishment should build this into their expenses. I know what to expect in terms of sales taxes, but I don't want to arrive at the cash register with my credit card out and then be told that I need to pay more, which to me feels like a penalty for using my credit card.
My two cents, which I'll be paying by credit card please.  
Betty
P.S. it use to be that credit card companies prohibited the seller from penalizing the customer and could take away charing privileges, is this no longer true? 

As a consumer, I am insulted when I am charged an additional fee for using my credit card. Credit cards are not a novelty, so sellers should expect that the majority of their customers will be paying with cc.  I feel that the establishment should build this into their expenses. I know what to expect in terms of sales taxes, but I don't want to arrive at the cash register with my credit card out and then be told that I need to pay more, which to me feels like a penalty for using my credit card.
My two cents, which I'll be paying by credit card please.  
Betty
P.S. it use to be that credit card companies prohibited the seller from penalizing the customer and could take away charing privileges, is this no longer true? 

Hello Pres,
As I was trimming a pot last week, I started wondering if others trim pots just to clean them up and establish a foot, or is trimming part of the creative process for you?  I like when I have extra clay (thicker walls & bottom) and can change the intended look of the pot depending on my mood that day. 
Betty
 

Yes, that's it Hulk. I was hoping that someone on here has one. I am going to give Diamond a call tomorrow.
Betty

Kinda like the "What's on your kitchen table". What's it look like out your studio window?  Here's mine, fresh snow coming down.

Interesting question Pres. I drive about 50 minutes to get to Portland Pottery's Braintree, MA store. I am grateful to have a place nearby. They sell Laguna and Standard clays. I can easily pick up clay and materials.
One day I am going to take the 3 hour trip to Sheffield Pottery, Sheffield, MA.  And I am about 3.5-4 hours from Bailey Pottery. 
Betty

Interesting question Pres. I drive about 50 minutes to get to Portland Pottery's Braintree, MA store. I am grateful to have a place nearby. They sell Laguna and Standard clays. I can easily pick up clay and materials.
One day I am going to take the 3 hour trip to Sheffield Pottery, Sheffield, MA.  And I am about 3.5-4 hours from Bailey Pottery. 
Betty

I prefer slabs and like making make plates and small platters. I am very interested in surface decoration, and these types of objects are easier to embellish and layer with various underglazes and techniques.

I prefer slabs and like making make plates and small platters. I am very interested in surface decoration, and these types of objects are easier to embellish and layer with various underglazes and techniques.

if i could figure that out, i would make more of them.

My Giffin Grip loosens, I've learned that I need to tighten it every so often. I have a Shimpo VL Whisper Wheel and someone said that the Giffin Grip can be a problem with this wheel. Personally, I would rather stop & tighten it than trim without it.
I know that my response didn't help to solve your problem...sorry, but unless someone has a solution, it might just a be a matter of recognizing that you have to stop and tighten it every once in awhile. 

Hello Pres,
I have a question for you, or for our viewers. If this topic has been discussed ad nauseam then I understand if you skip it, but it's something I think about.
Question: To wedge or not to wedge? Do you wedge clay when it comes straight from a bag or pug mill? If you do wedge, why?
Maybe you wedge for the following?
a) It's what I was taught and I can't get my instructor's voice out of your head?
b) I'm a little OCD, I can't sit down at the wheel until I've repeated my wedging "x" number of times.
c) There is scientific proof that one must wedge! 
d) Nope, don't wedge, waste of time and my pots turn out beautifully!
e) Other...please enlighten us.

I have a long-standing, very entrenched, habit of not making glaze notes (oh-so-sure I'll remember what went over what or under which, or what all 5 glazes I used were, or which was the low fire fired mid fire that completely washed out-who knows? -not me).  The deeper habit is that I don't care. I lose opportunities to duplicate something that came out really terrific, because I can't remember what I used, but I just fold that into my "serendipity" mindset and move on.  It's not something I want to "fix", but it is a terrible habit and I would warn others not to do it. 

Hi @cstovin! I work for Giffin Grip. We're sorry you're having these issues. It sounds like something that can be remedied though. A couple of thoughts I have right off the bat (pun intended!):
1) The Wheel Whisper has posed a problem since it entered the market. The original GG was not designed for wheels that stopped so quickly. When you stop the Wheel Whisper, it stops immediately. This can slightly backtrack/loosen the GG hands, which tighten on centrifugal force. We're working on a fix for this, but for now we recommend that potters simply let off the pedal slightly slower. This will be a better habit for throwing, too, as the Wheel Whisper can actually throw pots out of round when they're west because of this.
2) The rods/hands could be assembled incorrectly. The new rubber hands have an extra "step" to secure them on the rod: when you put them together, were you able to feel a second "pop" when seating the rubber hands? Double check all of them, because if even one of them isn't seated all the way down, it'll throw off the centering. Frustrating, but a simple fix!
3) The bottom brackets could be loose or damaged. If this is the case, we will absolutely replace them! Check that the black bottom brackets are snug but not too tight — if you've had to bang your GG down on the wheel head to get it to secure, they're too tight. This could cause the plastic to stretch out over time, loosening the hold and throwing the GG off center.
If none of these are helpful, we will still figure this out! Please email info@giffingrip.com and put CUSTOMER SERVICE in the subject line. We want happy customers and will work with you to make sure the GG is up to par! :)
Aly

See, that's the difference between a shared environment and a personal one.  As a teacher/instructor, you're in the position to require procedures that might or might not not have a direct translation to a personal environment.  When I began setting up my studio 25+ years ago, the GG was probably the first purchase after the wheel.   It's just a skill that I don't care to invest the time in.  I didn't learn basics in a structured environment with a director that required anything.  They didn't have GG either.  He probably demoed it.
I have tools that have earned their keep and ones that haven't.  GG is definitely a keeper.