Mark C.

(Goes both ways, I get it from men and women. It's uncomfortable for me) yes it does I get creeped out by either sex when they bring it up.

John I have nothing against that movie (I watched that scene recently and only that scene as the move does not interest me)-a few points she did not throw that pot on the wheel-its all a set up and any potter can see that so for me thats a falsehood and thats the premise take away for me. After being a potter for (now nearly 50 years now ) when that film came out that whole scene was told to me so many times I just never wanted to hear about it again. I never liked the entire film yet along the fake scene .Now it been so long ago I only hear about every few years. I have done the on the beach love scene as well as the clay mess love scene in real life with lovers as a youngster so none of this was new to me when the film came out. I'm glad someone actually took a clay class because of it-but let me add you are the 1st person that I have heard that actually happened to. Its the romance that folks recall.

In California around the 3rd to 5th grade elementary school we studied the missions that dot California from Mexico to just north of the Golden gate a piece. Those missionary's spread them out to a days walk between missions. They (white men ) settled the territory 1st in a big way. Working or torturing (believe what you may) the Indians who had always lived here. From that history we made small pinch pots like the Indians did as well as cardboard missions. That pot I still have a white body low fire pieve with cobalt on it. This did not get me thinking ah ceramics thats for me. The next was seeing my older brothers ceramic two foot owl he made in high school . Still have it somewhere? That did not do it for me but later when I got the bug was high school at a place that I could with a friend make pots . We both liked it so much we took private night throwing lessons in Seal beach for some months. That was in 69 if I recall.I bought a Brent wheel from Robert Brent at that time-he was just starting out as well. I went to JC in 1971 and then I already could throw pots (not well) They where building kilns and just starting a new campus so I landed at the right time to build kilns make pots and so on. I built a catenary arch kiln at my rental where I lived and made a throwing studio lean to off the back-soon I need a bigger place.-1st kiln the inspector ever saw-he lit a match looking for leaks (wow even then I thought that was a bit off) I bought a house in 73 with a small loan from my mother and immediately turned a one car shack into a studio and built a kiln.The gas Company ran a 1,000 foot main to house for free -kinder times back then (since then they have made a small fortune selling me gas at commercial rates.) Within a few years I transfered over to Humboldt state-1973-and there some new hires from Alfreds where teaching glaze and clay making. I sponged that up. They had a salt kiln-right time for learning that as well. They where on fire with recent clay learning from the greats at Alfreds.They taught mold making ,low fire ,high fire ,hand building-I soaked it all in and then some. I got a work study job at school pot shop-made glazes-fired kilns -cleaned the place -ground shelves-built kilns. I took it all in 24/7 for 5 years straight . I lived and breathed clay while chasing an art paper degree .After graduation with said Art degree I was making pots at home . I was 22-by then I was selling them anywhere I could find in our county. 12 years slipped by. My mother asked me at age 35 what I was going to be doing with my life in terms of work. I had never thought about it as I was paying the mortgage and eating with pottery money never thought it as a living then.-it just all worked. Never considered much else -like other work-sure i picked up some stray jobs to help along the way but clay was the way as it felt great. Later in life in my 40s I realized I was a potter and that was my path and livelyhood. Along the way I worked as an electrician as my best friend had a electrical contractin g business and needed help on big jobs where I learned on the job-same dael with a plumber friend he tought me and hired me a bit a swell all during my slower winter times with clay .Same with diving and clay I could help out doing commercial dive work with some dive contractor friends but only if it worked with show schedule. Then another 20 years slipped by again with pots. I will say those other skills really helped to make kilns and studio and homes and I suggest all the other skills for any potter these days .Runing gas pipe or wiring kilns -all good stuff to know. All my life I m the guy who wants to know HOW IT WORKS-that worked well for me. So for me I never had an ahah moment clay slowly did its magic on me and really until age 35 when my mother asked I had not considered it a job or the rest of my life. Looking backing I think I was 17 when clay got me. From that moment on it was like breathing air-I never had a chance. Today I feel like clay got me not the other way round. Clay has been very good to me and as a sit here doing exercises on my hand that just had a bone removed in thumb due to overuse clay also has been hard on me. Its a mixed bag really. Killer on the body on the scale I choose to pursue but mind and spirt its been very good indeed.. Need to check my kiln fires now

My workbench (all of them looked like this yesterday-today the kilns are glaze firing). Today benches are empty One and half handed glazing takes time My new temporay cast can take a xxxl rubber glove over it now. Going to rain some it feels like.

EPK is a cheap way to get alumina into your body and that will strenghten it and the clay will not affect . I used 15% in my cast body long ago which the form had a huge hole in side and it slumped. Thast why the 15%. It fixed the issue and was a easy fix. Your mug is not that warped so 5-10% may be enough .

Add 5% EPK (dry mix) to a test before wet mixing and since you are testing do a 10% EPK. This will stiffen the body just a bit. Maybe enough -cast a mug with handle on each test and see if the 5% or 10% works. I assume this is cone 6 as you did not say-just a guess This will stiffen the clay body just a bit and is an easy cheap fix. I have done this with cone 10 porcelain laguna slip dry body myself years ago with great results.

Whats a dreamer? Always been a doer-I think some dreaming skills may help me-lets see drinking my expresso now I'm dreaming of finishing all my work today-only have one hand so work is slow.I am dreaming about this cast coming off-only 5 days left then it a tempory cast for two weeks and rehab on the thumb will start. clay throwing still a long ways out-wait thats a dream. I do dream about being underwater if that counts

I would not do that-we have burr grinder for fresh beans every day-an expresso maker -a half dozen Italiain expresso pots-drip coffee maker-a few steamers-untold drippers, aeropress for travel-a complete travel coffee making outfit for shows and on the road.A turkish brass bean grinder andbrass pots for turkish coffee (this Turkish coffee is how my brother hooked me with coffee in my 30s)-underrate coffee-never I have told my Doc you can take everthing away except coffee

I was 18 when I got hooked-lifetime of woes worse than coffee for sure

Loading pots to close so they cannot (breath). In my reduction fires I pack them as tight as one can-always have. Yes in my salt kiln pots need to breath so salt gets on them but in reduction its a myth for me. I can occasionally throw handle and fire pots same day. Its all about timing and knowing the limits of your materials and work. Washing pots that where bisques -This I do with less than .001% of my studio production. Again only if they have months of dust on them which for me never happens. Pots are like mild around here they get processed and out the door. no need for washing . I did wash a mug the other day as I am one handed for spell I dropped on in the glaze bucket and it need washing off and drying them reglazed and fired-that the .001% this year I do not consider these habits but workflow

I use a water catchment system that takes clay water outside to setteling tubs-then goes to plants I use a whole/studio vacuums system locateded outside for dust control. I never clean up my throwing wheel much (Why bother) I keep the other wheels clean .Use a deacated glaze area which is ready to go always Use 100% advancer shelves in gas kilns

I have working in ceramics full time for over 4 decades-and 1/2 of it was not spent nearly as dust free as the second half -(masks/dust systems/hepa vacumes,etc) Just take precuations and work smart and you will be fine. I get a lung diffusion test now every 10 years so see how elastic my lungs still are as well-the past two where great.Every human is different as to the outcome of this. Its not like you are working in a coal mine.

Been part of a local ceramics guild long ago as it folded up after a 10 year run. I have stayed in touch with my collage clay professors until they passed (one is still around locally) I donated low fire glazes and a ton of magaizes to local schools and art center as well as materials over the dacades. Some of this was from my deceased potter friend who's studio I cleaned out for his widow over the past years. I fired some local elementary schools work for them years ago as well -I gave them the clay and glazed the work myself.

1/6 hp motor is really small motor. I would pass on this wheel and get the s100 (1/4 hp) if space is why you like this wheel.These are smaller size than the classic soldners As one grows into clay its hard to say I'll never make a large pot. 1/4hp is the smallest motor I would buy-thats the same as say a model B Brent wheel motor.

I do have an old creative industries wheel its the 1st ones made-super heavt duty long before the clay boss came along.-I found the perfect use for it next to my Brent wheel CXC throwing wheel I was cleaning my shop after xmas in my year end shop cleanup and here it is well some of it-turns out a potter i knew moved away and gave me this table-no motor or controller or wheel head but a really solid table top and stand. I usually have it 1/2 loaded with bats and its where I put my clay to throw for the session next to me. The thing about the CR wheel and its really an old 1st generation wheel is its been trouble free the whole time no adjustment needed and I cannot hurt it-its got adjustable feet as wheel so you can level it.

Euclids makes and sell everything you need as well from elements to sitter parts

I have had good luck with needle nose pliers hanging on to element side of elements and grinding off the crimp carefully with a 4 inch grinder not grinding the element pigtail than prying it off-cut the wires off 1st and get the boxes away as well. Then forget the crimps and strip back to good clean feeder wire and use these https://euclids.com/collections/connectors-lead-outs/products/element-connector-1-screw-hd I just ordered a bunch of them-make sure the screw hits the wire on top as well when you tighten them down hard.Crimp connectors are just cheap and a pain. This is assuming the elements test good. Mine had a few fires on them and where new.If yours are the original replace them as the 70s was to long ago

heat is good if it can be done safely

I bought another Peter pugger to help with clay body mixing (two bodies mixed together ). I also just had a APL suspensionplasty with biotenodesis screw in left thumb. in laymans terms they cut out my trapezium bone out of thumb and use part of a thumb tendon to suspend the thumb over that hole. My surgeon did 3 techniques on my thumb to strengthen it.this was lastTuesday-i'm off of painkillers now and have a brace for two weeks then a cast for 4 weeks then rehab for 4-5 months . my thumb will have to be taught to work again as its immobile now. the other fingers are sticking out and i have use of them. The restriction of use is no lifing more than a cup of coffee. i choose this coivid time to be down from clay to rehab as we cannot travel and are hiding ot on the property for a long stint.I did make lots of greenware and in few weeks will help my assistant glaze and fire a small kiln load to keep my outlets supplied duri ng this break. one armed now my wife needs the same surgery as soon as i'm healed.

I took my boxes off last year and wire wheeled all the paint off and then treated the metal with ospho deruster then painted with high heat paint you cab do the same with any rusted metal. That kiln need a lid support to hold it open by the way skutt sells them. You only need the flat rod as the rest is there

Oh come on you are clean from a shower (one of my favorites) and you are in very loose comfortable back open gown and get wheeled into a room with a light above you the size of of the starship enterprize and you get to count backwards from 10 -usually make it to 8 and you wake up in a strange place drifting in and out of heavy dream states.. You wife asks you if you are ok and you tell her aboiut some reindeer in Australial and later remember nothing of that talk. .Your surgeon checks on you and gren lights your departure into a wheel chait to the door. Then like a magic carpet you are driven home a long long windy road with lots of curves and huge green trees (about 5 plus hours ) its later that day when vacation is over-its a brief vacation at best

Denice I'm in the exact opposite postion this week _i'm pushing to the max. I have 55 cubic feet of biques wares to glaze and fire this week in 3 glaze loads.Two small kilns and one large kiln load. I need to get stock to wiped out stores and have backstock before hand surgery on the 19th. I am also working the winter pruning and tax prep while my head is clear of painkillers. The workbench is FULL and really thats only part of what needs to get done in the next 7 days soon I will be in a no push situation. Vacation starts 7 am on the 19th on the surgery table.

Back to clay in am-Its a full court press make as much in next 12 days and get it fired. shop is 100% empty of all pottery. Lest see what can be done to fill it up.