kristinanoel

I had the same problem - I the sliders, not the arms, and I've started using cotton pads in between the mug and the slider to protect the ware. Works great, and size/thickness is uniform so I don't have to worry about things getting out of alignment.

Great job and congrats! And your booth looks fantastic! Question for Shawn and the more experienced - what rate do you pay yourself for time on site? Minimum wage? $15/hr? $0/hr? At my first show I was super excited to sell about $600 for a 7 hour event...until I realized that the time required for two people pricing, packing, setup, actual show time, breakdown, travel and unpacking was roughly 26 man hours (hey - it was my first show!). Because there was no show fee, I essentially "earned" enough to cover clay and glaze, but not the labor and overhead for producing anything. (Note that this realization did not dim my joy by a single iota). I'm curious about how others mentally approach this factor.

Oh, that vertical stacking is JUST what I needed to see! I'm planning a piece with some flat slabs that are longer than my kiln is wide, but perhaps i could stack vertically... Were those single fired? I'm not glazing the slabs, so I'd like to do one and done if possible. Did you have any problems with clay-to-clay sticking together in a single firing? And I saw one comment on your photo: " Flat plate or two, flat tile or 7 raise them off the shelf so the heat at top level doesn't crack 'em" - what does that mean? Any tips? Thanks!

Take a look at this FANTASTIC video about adjusting glazes from NCECA 2017, Steve Loucks dropping knowledge. I've watched it multiple times and it's fascinating and incredibly helpful.

I've wondered about this too - what are the possible risks a dishwasher poses? I'm guessing: breaking due to thermal shock if the dishwasher uses a 180 degree sanitation rinse breaking due to hard spray of water or bumping other dishes, if the ware is delicate like porcelain Is it possible that dishwasher solvents would have any impact on the clay or glaze? I wouldn't think so, in a commercially developed glaze, but maybe? What else can happen?

I was in the same boat - although I had a triple beam, so I started out using that, and then got a digital scale. I suspect it's a matter of preference, but I'll never go back to the triple beam - it's not that I doubt the accuracy of the manual balance but the digital scale is SUCH a time saver, it's simply no contest. (Not to mention that the triple beams are much more expensive than digital.) I got two different digital scales from amazon, one for very tiny increments for making test batches, and one that can take more weight for mixing up big batches. Love em. I'd say just read reviews to make sure you're getting something good, and go for it.

Honestly not sure - I'm going to run a few tests between the new and old one and see what could have been the issue. I'll try some comparisons with each of the sliders (I usually use the narrow ones). Both old and new are set to identical numbers, so maybe the old one has some kind of manufacturing defect? If I can identify the problem I'll post!

Just wanted to post an update - the folks at giffin grip did in fact send me a new one in the mail, I've set it up and so far, so good - no off-centering! Cheers!

Update: Giffin Grip customer service is ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I wrote yesterday to ask if my off-centering grip is a known issue and whether there was a fix, and they responded this morning, asking for my address so they could send out a replacement. WOW - you don't see that kind of support every day. Now I love the tool AND the company!

Honestly, I'm not sure how it happens, but when I feel like it's off I'll put a round plastic jar with lid on it and use a pencil to test, and sure enough, it'll be way off. The sliders do have a little bit of a give as the move equally to center, wonder if that's the cause? Since you've never had the issue, I wonder if I have a dud? I'm probably past warranty, but for the price, I'll give them a call to see if this is a known issue.

Yes! I love my giffin grip. Next to the wheel itself, it's probably my favorite tool. I find that it saves an incredible amount of time and clay (the clay you use to hold a pot with lugs dries out quickly, then has to be recycled) and I wouldn't want to face trimming without it. Makes it incredibly easy to pick up a piece and check your trimming. It works beautifully for my process, but of course ymmv, and since it is kind of pricey see if you can borrow one to try before you buy. I will say that it doesn't help me for small pieces, like ring dishes, or flat things like plates, but otherwise, it's a fantastic tool. The other issue I have is that it does get 'out of center' every 7-10 pieces, I solve this by rotating the grips to a different location. Does anyone else that uses and likes the giffin grip have this issue? How do you solve it?

Hi NancyLee - I feel you! I started taking classes at my local community college two years ago, and had a devil of a time learning to center (it sucks that you can't really do anything on the wheel without that skill, and it's the hardest thing to learn!). It was especially fun being around all these college kids saying it took them SO LONG (3 days) to learn to center when I was on 5 months and counting. I too, had a wheel at home and was super frustrated with making the same mistakes, more time didn't seem to help because i didn't know what to do to make my practice progressively more effective. I ended up paying for a couple of coaching lessons - I found a local for profit studio, the kind that offers 4-6 week courses and 'sip and throw' nights (a glass of wine and a lesson) and got two 1-1 sessions with someone working directly with me, helping me figure out how to move forward. I ended up learning an alternative way of holding my hands, figured out that I was much more successful with the wheel spinning clockwise (went from 1-2 out of 10 successes to 7-8 out of 10 success), and was able to make significant progress in developing a means of practicing. In retropsect it makes so much sense, people have coaches for sports or music or acting, of course you need someone to adapt the one-size-fits-all resources available to your specific circumstances and help you find modifications that work for you. For any experienced potters or teachers out there looking for a way to 'give back' - consider offering coaching lessons! We beginners need you!

Hi all, As I dive into the beauty of repetition, I find myself in need of a better way to quickly and accurately measure various dimensions while throwing and trimming. The only two tools I'm aware of are the single (or multi arm) throwing gauge and the tombo sticks, and I'm looking for your pro/con experiences with either of those, a source for purchase, or any other recommendations you might have. Thanks, Kristina

Min - thank you so much for those links! Time and again I am reminded that you really need to go back to the data and how/where it was collected before making a determination about things. For example, I've never quite understood the relative risk of using manganese dioxide in a glaze, and this paragraph from the longer version is quite illuminating: An example of ceramic glaze (and body) folklore are the reports surrounding the use of manganese (Mn) and its link to Parkinson’s Disease. Mn in a soluble form is a neurotoxin, but this data was generated from the steel industry and the conditions of exposure are dramatically different due to the vaporization of Mn during steel production (and the use of a furnace open to the local environment, that is, without a stack). Inhalation of these vapors creates a readily available reactive species for adverse interactions with the body (and internally through the lungs and mucus membranes). Even small amounts can be readily absorbed into the bloodstream. The oxides of manganese, MnO and MnO2, are both insoluble in water and do not pose a threat. The Mn is not soluble and therefore not available, cannot be absorbed through the skin or even an open cut, and even if ingested, cannot dissolve into the blood stream. Mn obtained from a salt (chloride, nitrate, or sulfate) is soluble, so if the source of Mn is a salt, exercise appropriate care.

Follow up question for the experts on this - my understanding is that one of the trickiest parts of making bakeware is the clay selection and potential for cracking during use due to thermal shock (taking your pan from room temp to a hot oven and back again in under an hour). My professor has told stories of complete casserole wreckage followed by a very messy clean up. Is that just an unwarranted scare-mongering?