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Mark C.

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  6. Work Surface

    in Studio Operations and Making Work

    Posted · Edited by Mark C.

    Sunbrella is what I have on my boats covers ,also on my Tee Top. Its extra heavy and waterproof (I spray it every few years) to keep it that way.

     

    In terms of work surface for clay slabs it depends on what they are used for-if its going say into a baking dish plaster form I rough cut them on the slab roller paper  (slab Matt) with a plastic tool (so its gental on slab matt)

    if say I am cutting the details of a wall fish I drop the semi dried slab on a paper covered plywood piece to cut with a sharp clay cutter as I do not care about the paper or wood to cut on

    I wedge clay on a 4 inch thick plaster table that is built into shop since 1973 but never cut on it. That table weighs to much to move and its part of the built in stuff in shop.

  11. Tungsten Trimming Tools

    in Studio Operations and Making Work

    Posted

    As a tungsten carbide user for deacdes now I'll give this a try.

    Yes the green wheel will do the outside and a diamand  Dremel  could do the inside.

    That said I never have never sharpened one as I only use the smaller size (like a R-2 Kemper )I like a squre end and a smaller rounder end on same tool for trimming

    I wear them out over time and there is no reason to sharpen team as they hold the edge until worn out. Sharping one just wears them out sooner

    I have used a few kinds Bison custom ($$$)  as well as the XEIM which dropped they line (they had replaceable tips)

  12. Cast pipe battery without draft

    in Mold Making and Slip Casting

    Posted

    Jeff

    (They fired it, however, in a nitrogen fueled "kiln" and fired them to 3000 degrees) this is how recrystallized silicone carbide is made in a Nitrogen rich oxyegen free environment .Often electric arc furnace. All my kiln shelves are made from this process (advancers or Baileys).

    I have a pile of soap bricks (like a while brick cut in half the long ways) made from same material.

    Its the stongest material at high temp and never warps at say 2400 (cone 11 ) and keeps warm a long time and glaze will not stick to the surface as its smooth and not porous.

    You can look it up say on Alibaba and see some interesting forms made in China same way.

    By the way that nitrogen rich 3,000 degree furnace costs an arm and leg to fire and maintain . There are very few of them around. the globe. Saint Gobain headquatered in France is one of the older doing this (they make Advancers)  the  Bailey clay ones come from Germany and now China has a few plants as well.

    This is the feild of industrial ceramic engineering. Way above my pay grade.I have a funny story about one of these guys-maybe another time-they made electric arc furance lids for the tops of crucibles. 

     

  15. Slowing down in the pottery business, one less thing

    in Business, Marketing, and Accounting

    Posted · Edited by Mark C.

     

     

    This time last year I decided to pack in my 44 years of Christmas sales at a small shopping center in a small town close to me.  I had made a special locking booth for just this location and the spot was very cost effective. I picked the dates I wanted to be open in December and paid a flat fee of $200. 

    Now when I started back in 1979 selling here I was in front of a very busy drug store. I think it was called Value Giant-then it became Payless Drugs for many years and I dealt with the same manager for 17 years. Back then I paid 10% of sales on a trust basis. That store became Rite Aid then CVS. I went thru many a manager and cut it down to a one-time booth fee-if I recall it was 400-600$ for my 18-20 day run in December.

    The local Safeway manager at one point asked if I could set up outside his store so that year and for about 5-6 years as was next to the  store exit. This was a busy location and for the 1st time I got some late day sun into the booth as it faces west. The business was always good. Safeway went thru lots of managers and I decided that I had enough as they were always changing the contact. This location was 600$ flat fee but one manager wanted me to move away from the exit to a dead zone. That year I moved over to the local owner’s pet store and I have been in front there for at least 15 years. I cut a deal with the shopping center manager direct and offered $200 flat fee to whatever dates I wanted in December. The pet store does zero advertising and is a local favorite (small town local store) I have 7 signs that advertise my sale on private property around town. The signs  are in key spots around town and also advertise in local paper so the pet store gets my customers and I get theirs it’s a win win. 

     

    Last year a few days before xmas I was taking to my sales help and we both decided it was time to pack it in. I told the manager I was done but had another potter in mind to take it over. 

    I called him before new year’s about 1 year ago today about taking over the booth and made him a deal he could not refuse. I would teach him how to set the booth up and take it down as long as he takes it all away next year from me to store at his place  (it’s an install that takes a few hours) and it connected to building and I use the power from Pet store for lighting.

    I said the booth and racks are all free and that my insurance is paid up for 2023 but in 2024 he would have to get his own. All I asked for was the $200 for booth fee. 

    The one big thing was he got long covid in February 2020 and it nearly killed him (he is young guy) Since then he has not sold or made pot and it’s been a long slow recovery.

    He works in high fire  reduction fired Porcelain (Dave’s same as me) and he has great work.

     

    That all said I gave him a year’s notice. 

    Well we just packed up his booth xmas eve as I always have the past 44 years and I did show him how to build it and helped him with details and have showed him the ropes. His 1st sale  at this location was good for him and he’s on his way to making a storage area to get the booth and racks from me this year to keep at his place. 

    I was only going to do this teaching once as I have no other person in our area to give this to.

    I feel I’m paying it forward and hope he continues on a path to success as I have had at this location. I had built a huge Christmas season of sales and now it’s one less thing for me to do at xmas. 

    Now it’s just keeping my 7 outlets supplied at the holiday season and no more retail myself at xmas. 

    All part of the slow down plan

    Here’s a few photos of His work in new to him booth this past few weeks.

    IMG_7536 2.jpeg

    IMG_7538 2.jpeg

    IMG_7535 2.jpeg

    IMG_7537 2.jpeg

    IMG_7539.jpeg

  16. QotW: Have you ever experimented with making you own brushes?

    in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits

    Posted · Edited by Mark C.

    Mea's details are spot on

    I use JB weld epoxy and  a  fine nylon line for hair wraps and heavier line to make my hang loops but its really just minor details-I also drill a hole thru center of bamboo to pull  string with the hairs up and make a loop to hang brush then glue the holes shut.

    I have about 4-5 kinds of bamboo (I tend to harvet black bamboo for handles) The timber bamboo in photo gets 30+ high and gets water from sink clay  settling tubs then on to bamboo.

    Here's a bunch hanging next to sink waiting for glaze day-I do tend to make them larger than hers -larger handles and more skunk hairs

    My glazing is lots of loose brush work under glazes like rutile so these brushes get a workout nearly every week or two.

    Thanks Mea for posting the you tube. I never had  a mentor on making these just winged it but that process is the same. I really got into it in the  late 80s and 90s. These where made then.

     

    IMG_7555.jpeg

    IMG_7556.jpeg

  17. Identify Old Gas Kiln?

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted · Edited by Mark C.

    This looks very simalair to one West Coast Brand  single burner I had for 30 years and sold last year without ever firing.

    My west coast had a loose lid with two handles for removing. It was really uneven firing avcording to previoius owner.

    Its not a West Coast but similar.  The more burners the better for evenness.

  19. QotW: Have you ever experimented with making you own brushes?

    in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits

    Posted · Edited by Mark C.

    Yes I have made my own over 30 +years-I have deer  hair (and have some elk to try) but most are made from skunk tails. These are cut off road kills and aired out for a year outside hanging. Then I use bamboo from our property-which is cut and dried in the right lengths. I wrap the hairs tight with a string around them and the end is covered in waterproof epoxy and the string is put thru the center and forms a loop on top to hang brush. I have also just expoxeyed the hairs in without the thru string and still use a string loop in small hole glued in tio for hanging as they dry best hanging. I have shown thse in photos before here. These brushes have lasted many decades of heavy use. The skunk hair is course and very durable. Deer hair is finer. I use them on glaze days -at least 6 of them for underglazing.

  20. Older Paragon 30 amp kiln

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    52 minutes ago, Bill Kielb said:

    Yeah - I would caution not to lose track that the current breaker is undersized and likely the wire. Getting a new kiln and just rewiring may make more sense than just upsizing this to 40 amps and the appropriate wire. Whatever kiln you get, look up the manufactures wiring requirements and give to your electrician. Electricians and kilns often not so great. 

    I get that the 30 amp is undersized-my point is the whole outbuilding undersized as well or just the kiln? 30 amps to a kiln building is way to small so I'm saying up size the supply to kiln shed 

    The whole shed cannot just be on a 30 amp #10 wire? if so have the whole shed rewired back to main breaker

  21. Older Paragon 30 amp kiln

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted · Edited by Mark C.

    Its a non issue-all an electrician has to do is pull the old wire to the cute kiln house and install a larger new # 6 wire-. The 30 amp breaker comes out a new 60 amp  doublke breaker goes in.

    That will work easy if that conduit is 1 inch under the cement if its 3/4 its still possiable but a much harder pull and smaller ground wire . You need the newer smaller copper Number #6 wire either way.

    It looks like a sub panel juction box is inside shed as well-That needs to be looked at.

    whats not klnow to me is what other lights outelet in shed and how thay are powered? 

    What is the size breaker for whole kin shed 40-50 or 60 amps?  its a key question

    Worse case a new run on the surface in conduit

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