Min

@preeta brought something up that I've been pondering for years. In this thread she asks "i wonder are potters now going to treat cobalt blue like blood diamonds? Whole ‘nother Subject." I realize as potters there's a strong probability that the cobalt we use is from the DRC and child labour plus health and safety concerns is a very valid concern in the mining practices there. We are not the reason for the mining, battery market seems to be the big driver now, but how do we feel about using cobalt or for that matter do we look into the mining practices of any of the materials we use? Cadmium inclusion stains to my knowledge are only being made in China and India, now why is that? (rhetorical question)

It is! I like that none of them match, well not intentionally. Opposite of how I usually work.

Some of 75 assorted mini vases for wedding favours, 60 done, 15 more to do.

I bought one in January for my workroom. I like that it is voice controlled but would really recommend syncing a bluetooth speaker to it. The Echo speaker is okay for listening to the news or talk radio etc but for music I find the sound quality is pretty bad, worse when you crank up the volume. @Hulk, I don't think my wheel is ever that clean!

I use pretty much the same basic tools as others but also a section of a metric tape measure. I make all same type pots with lids have a standard size lid, I set the callipers to the measurement for that particular type pot or just use the tape measure. (I find metric is so much easier to measure with than imperial)

I lost some of the orange peel, what did go was the gray colour. (wasn't a nice gray, more of an insipid dead fish colour in parts) Like they say re-fires are a crap shoot but nothing to loose with these as I had to fix the blemishes inside.

Couple soda jar re-fires, there were some wadding bits from the lids that fell inside the jars that needed to be dremelled out. Touched up the glaze in the bottoms and fired them to ^6 in electric kiln. Lost a bit of the flashing colour but came out okay.

One of the skills I'ld like to have training in is decorative brushwork, sumi-e type work. Not necessarily black like traditional sumi-e paintings and calligraphy but I'ld love to have the skill (no small ask there!) and instruction to make fluid graceful brushwork with underglazes, stains, slips etc. edit: I realized I only answered half the question with my first reply. I would call it a trait not a skill but I can be very determined, relentless, persistent when it comes to trying to figure things out. I think this helps with sorting out the never ending ceramics related issues that arise.

Wish I had my own soda kiln but no,, I have the opportunity to have some pots fired in a soda kiln once in awhile.

This is a finished one of the oil bottles I posted a greenware photo of a few pages back, flashing slips, cone 10 soda.

For me it was my mixer pugmill. It was a big chunk of money and in my mind I couldn't justify buying one for many years. Then I tore off the long head of my bicep in my right arm (turns out you shouldn't try and outdo your niece while tubing) and I fully realized how much wear and tear making pots for years can do on your body. My shoulder and arm healed up, bicep is as strong as ever but having a machine to do some of the grunt work is something I wish I'ld been able to buy much earlier on.

Oval oil bottle prototype (to use with silicone and stainless pouring spouts).

It's always an odd feeling when you see one of your pots at a 2nd hand store. What is really funny is I once found one that they were selling for more than I originally sold it for Can't say that I've ever bought one back to trash. Maybe another way of looking at Mark's question is how many pots did you make before you no longer felt like you wanted to take a hammer to them after a few years more of making pots.

Hi Wcrowe and welcome to the forum! Lt-3K will be the model of the kiln sitter on the kiln, not of the kiln itself. Manuals for Duncan kilns about 1/3 the way down this from Paragon, it should have the height info in the manual. The kiln will have a faceplate on it with the kiln model number etc, you can see the model numbers in the link.

I've seen them made like this but for my style the simple ones I make suit my aesthetic more. (plus they are relatively fast with no joining) Thanks though!

Thanks Liam! Good idea Mark, I've got a round cookie cutter, I'll try that out next time.

Trimming the openings in salt pigs. Think it takes me longer to try and get the holes cut more or less evenly and round than it takes to throw them.

Depends on the structure of the claybody, have to measure the porosity, which is different than absorption. It's my understanding that if the clay has a somewhat open pore structure, that is to say there are little tunnels (for lack of a better description) in the body then when absorbed water is frozen it has somewhere to go when it expands. So, either zero absorption and porosity like a porcelain body or a body with absorption and porosity but within a specific range. I have the info regarding procedure and figures somewhere, if you want me to dig it out @Denice let me know and you can run your own tests on whatever body you are thinking of using.

@High Bridge Pottery, part of the duties of a moderator is to give warnings when unsafe practices are being posted. Our roles are not outlined in the Terms of Use but we have an additional private set of Moderator Guidelines we are asked to adhere to.

On another thread Mea brought up the fact that working in clay is not inexpensive. I started thinking about how much I've spent over the years on equipment, glaze lab materials, building modifications etc. My question would be how much do you think you spent setting up your own studio?

@shawnhar, if the clay is isn't too dry you can use a straw to cut the holes with. Snip the end of the straw at an angle, the clay you are removing stays in the straw which you can cut off after you've finished punching holes. (milkshake straws are a good size or for bigger holes bubble tea straws)

Sad news, one of the greats, Warren MacKenzie, passed away on December 31. Truly a big loss. http://www.startribune.com/world-famous-minnesota-potter-warren-mackenzie-dies-at-94/503729332/

Hi Tom, sure..... ^10 - flashing slips - soda - front / back

100% agree, it gets downright creepy sometimes. No, I don't want to be checked out after telling someone what I do for a living and they make the Ghost comment. Creepy creepy creepy!!!!!