Mark C.

I always just add wateer to thin it.. Once you fine the right specific gravity (I write that # on side of bucket)

I always just add wateer to thin it.. Once you fine the right specific gravity (I write that # on side of bucket)

There is a learning lesson ready to happen.I think the devil in you says give it a try. 
PS wear glasses for protection

There is a learning lesson ready to happen.I think the devil in you says give it a try. 
PS wear glasses for protection

use a  few towels over your legs and less water
or cut a clay box in 1/2 and make it a splash pan untill it gets soaked (they last a long really)

There is a learning lesson ready to happen.I think the devil in you says give it a try. 
PS wear glasses for protection

There is a learning lesson ready to happen.I think the devil in you says give it a try. 
PS wear glasses for protection

I would use 1.5 #s of clay or just a bit less.In porcelain . My 24-26 oz mugs are 1.5#s of clay

I would use 1.5 #s of clay or just a bit less.In porcelain . My 24-26 oz mugs are 1.5#s of clay

Not worth it 
It will mess with the details as well before firing
fire really slowly after a good lomng drying time and you should be fine

I myself cannot stand the smells/scents in most items and have learned to avoid them all. I'm hyper sensitive to them. You find alternatives to them all (dryer sheets for example are not needed same with all perfumes and sented deturgents)
yes the same with (chemicals, perfumes, dryer sheets exhaust) ,that said I have 50 years in with clay and do not feel that those apply at all to clay and pottery. Yes the burn off has some smell so I avoid it especailly wax. Clay can mold buts it never been an issue. More dry skin issues with in and out of clay and water. Now there is an issue. Now working with clay wedging and carring 10 tons 12 times a year for decades ,well that a bit different on the body
I think clay is not for everyone.
If you read the fine print on your credit card statement (if you have one) you will see thats its also not what you thought . A bit like the warning on a box of clay which has about 10,000  less words

Well it gotten very quiet past week pottery wise. Just what I was hoping for. Great for doing the tax prep paperwork during the rain and flooding down on the lowlands.
Boy have we had some wind the past week- at least 4 power outages one for 2.5 days (We are so lucky I put in that natural gas standby generator 15 years ago)
 The local Mad river is way up (not flood stage yet) and the wind howls about every night lately.
Since  we are on a well we always like more rain. Let it rain thay say let it rain.

Well it gotten very quiet past week pottery wise. Just what I was hoping for. Great for doing the tax prep paperwork during the rain and flooding down on the lowlands.
Boy have we had some wind the past week- at least 4 power outages one for 2.5 days (We are so lucky I put in that natural gas standby generator 15 years ago)
 The local Mad river is way up (not flood stage yet) and the wind howls about every night lately.
Since  we are on a well we always like more rain. Let it rain thay say let it rain.

I also should mention my family back then was 4 kids and we all where incuraged in the arts at a young age. My mother was a high school teacher and a junior collage teacher, My older sister taught  3-5 grades for 35 years. My oldest brother was a proffesor of  art at UCSB for 25 years teaching  lithography . My suicide brother was a good artist  and did some work in clay before his life ended. Clay got me at the right time. Never wanted to teach but I have done a little over the past 50 years all for free .Mainly I have cut my own path and lived the consequences . I would not have it any other way.

Every Year I push hard at Xmas season all  of November and the 24 days of Dec keeping the galleries and stores stocked and selling at my own booth full of wares as well. I stop sending any mail order out before thanksgiving. Then I pack it up and take at least 6 weeks off from Xmas day to mid to early Feb. Tax prep and tree pruning, clean studio etc.
The start of the new new sales year for me is Dec 26th really that’s when it can either stay sleepy or pick up with mail orders via email
Every year its different. I like the sleepy years-a Hundred-dollar minimum slowed orders a lot 2021 which was the idea.
They seem to always show a theme-from sleepy to busy and now this year-space cadets
So, this year I have had 4 emails asking about pottery in past week and only one follow thru
It’s what I call the new space cadets. I broke a fish plate can I get another as asap. Yes, I have some but you will have to come out to studio, ok no problem, so I send him a photo of 7 choices of what he wants-and 3 days later no response. Packed them up and moved on today. The next two where a bit like the 1st one. It’s the new  world order of I want it but not really .
Wholesale is a bit more work but no space cadets. I'm starting to like the separation from the cadets
Today’s order is looking solid ,4 huge mugs to Ma. I do not want to count these chickens before they hatch
Wens update  Mugs got paid  for and shipped today of to MD
I hope this ends the space cadet run

Some basic rules apply here-wood will burn out at bisques temps. No matter what . Air ii clay does not explode its the moisture in the clay blowing up.from going up to fast in temp. The cure is to dry it more and fire it slower. That will always fixs blowing up and most cracking issues.
glaze time sounds fun 
nice looking work

If they are clean flipping will be fine. Just wash the other side. They will slowly warp the other way now.
 

I also should mention my family back then was 4 kids and we all where incuraged in the arts at a young age. My mother was a high school teacher and a junior collage teacher, My older sister taught  3-5 grades for 35 years. My oldest brother was a proffesor of  art at UCSB for 25 years teaching  lithography . My suicide brother was a good artist  and did some work in clay before his life ended. Clay got me at the right time. Never wanted to teach but I have done a little over the past 50 years all for free .Mainly I have cut my own path and lived the consequences . I would not have it any other way.

I was exposed to clay as a 4-or 5 grader making pinch pots learning about Pueblo Indians . That exposure did nothing for me then. Still have that pot somewhere?
Later as a 17-18 year teenager I was exposed to clay in school and with a friend we decided to take private  throwing lessons as well. The rest is history
I should add at that time life was about as far from centered as a bent hula hoop in many regards-just lost my brother from suicide and was taking flying lessons  to get my glider pilots license -at that time you needed power plane license 1st. It was the late 60s  and was experimenting with ---(need I say more?). Clay slowly took hold . I gave up after solo on the lessons deciding that a license would only be good to take friends on joy rides. I spent my money ona power wheel for home use and to take to collage with me. I never once had a thought about clay other than it slowly seducing me and creating a need to learn every aspect of it while having fun with it and making a few $s along the way. 5o years later I still am learning. I do think its in my DNA as it was also in one of my brothers (who took his own life at an early age)
It was a slow organic process  for me. I never thought about as a job until later in my 40s.
I got the art degree ,but really its was all about ceramics for me whether or not I knew it or not. I was hooked like a drug-still am. It coffee and clay and ocean as they all have a grip on me these days
I will add the ocean also has had the same effect on me and I am most happy underwater since a small kid before clay.

I was exposed to clay as a 4-or 5 grader making pinch pots learning about Pueblo Indians . That exposure did nothing for me then. Still have that pot somewhere?
Later as a 17-18 year teenager I was exposed to clay in school and with a friend we decided to take private  throwing lessons as well. The rest is history
I should add at that time life was about as far from centered as a bent hula hoop in many regards-just lost my brother from suicide and was taking flying lessons  to get my glider pilots license -at that time you needed power plane license 1st. It was the late 60s  and was experimenting with ---(need I say more?). Clay slowly took hold . I gave up after solo on the lessons deciding that a license would only be good to take friends on joy rides. I spent my money ona power wheel for home use and to take to collage with me. I never once had a thought about clay other than it slowly seducing me and creating a need to learn every aspect of it while having fun with it and making a few $s along the way. 5o years later I still am learning. I do think its in my DNA as it was also in one of my brothers (who took his own life at an early age)
It was a slow organic process  for me. I never thought about as a job until later in my 40s.
I got the art degree ,but really its was all about ceramics for me whether or not I knew it or not. I was hooked like a drug-still am. It coffee and clay and ocean as they all have a grip on me these days
I will add the ocean also has had the same effect on me and I am most happy underwater since a small kid before clay.

The covers have to come off. Its ( agota come off)  as they say in Italian

I have a set of rules that apply to any contact-They always inculde pricing shipping pick up  and how to pay and the like 1st off return email to weed out the tire kickersand shorten the back and forth.
The fish plate guy made it thru all that with flying colors
Photos are always 3 or 4 options down the line
I did a post years back on email pots taking an average of 7 contacts back and forth usually before the credit card call comes thru and its over..I could throw lots of pots in that time frame.
My business model  that works very well is not depending on web/email sales. Thank my lucky stars on that.
 

Are they real wood or flake board (composite) . Ware boards usually are pretty dry so your must be getting them wet. Describe your use-are you keeping wet clay on them?

As long as the original labels are on the jars I think you are fine. I would tape the lids down to be safe.and put them in a plastic bage for each as well

Every Year I push hard at Xmas season all  of November and the 24 days of Dec keeping the galleries and stores stocked and selling at my own booth full of wares as well. I stop sending any mail order out before thanksgiving. Then I pack it up and take at least 6 weeks off from Xmas day to mid to early Feb. Tax prep and tree pruning, clean studio etc.
The start of the new new sales year for me is Dec 26th really that’s when it can either stay sleepy or pick up with mail orders via email
Every year its different. I like the sleepy years-a Hundred-dollar minimum slowed orders a lot 2021 which was the idea.
They seem to always show a theme-from sleepy to busy and now this year-space cadets
So, this year I have had 4 emails asking about pottery in past week and only one follow thru
It’s what I call the new space cadets. I broke a fish plate can I get another as asap. Yes, I have some but you will have to come out to studio, ok no problem, so I send him a photo of 7 choices of what he wants-and 3 days later no response. Packed them up and moved on today. The next two where a bit like the 1st one. It’s the new  world order of I want it but not really .
Wholesale is a bit more work but no space cadets. I'm starting to like the separation from the cadets
Today’s order is looking solid ,4 huge mugs to Ma. I do not want to count these chickens before they hatch
Wens update  Mugs got paid  for and shipped today of to MD
I hope this ends the space cadet run