Mark C.

B mix is notorious for uneven drying-hence cracking (B mix is white stoneware)
I produce tons of handled mugs in  C 10 porcelain (Daves-from Laguna ) with very little cracking-about 100 a week currently
I make my slip from my throwing slop off my hands and splash pan add a very small amount of vinegar now and then
I score the join with a serraeted tool and add the slip -join-then cover the 5o mugs with plastic for the night. Uncover them next day and dry.
if I have any small cracks I just rub it out when dry with a sharp wood tool.
now cone 5 clays are very diffent  I suspect and I have never used them. More fluxs are used and I'm unclear about that in the drying stages
I used to throw large B mix pitchers and always used daves porcelain for the handles with zero issues . The porcelain dries more evenly
B mix drys unevenly-the rim is dry and the bottom of pot is damp. I like porcelain as its all quick drying not uneven
I would call the Laguna clay tec and see whats going on-they may help and may not-no harm with more info

go slow like a bisque  and you will be fine

The mold needs to be very dry. The slip needs to be the right mosture content .Solid casting takes extra dry time as slip casting is usually hollow. The plaster mold can only absorb so much water for it to release the clay. Extra sodium silicate is not needed.

Well my gut was right and the load was beautiful.
Here are the results
Now if only the predicted rain this weekend on our local show will go away

Well it happened
I was at near cone 10 when I looked in for the first look at my cones (cone 10/11) about 2290 on my digital pyro. This is my 35 cubic foot car kiln-I had just turned off my smaller 12 cubic foot glaze fire in updraft (i'm doing both kilns same day  gklaze fires all this year )
The cone pad had fallen over-nosed dived down sometine during fire.Never had this happen-I made the pads so its all in my court
Now in the past I have blown up cones and discoverd it at red heat and been able to slip with a small anglke iron a new set of cones  in the 4 inch diameter spy plug extremly slowing without blowing them up.
But this at near end point is way different as the time temp has already gone by. so no way to put another cone set in that will be accurate So I look to my log book and see that the end point I shoot for is a soft cone 11 which has about a 40 degree spread in past 6 glaze fires. I pick a middle zone and fire to that and by my gut feeling .
So tonight I'm eating fresh albacore I caught on Monday and beans and squash from our garden wondering about how this kiln load will look in am. I usually am not to concerned about it but this seat of the pants fire is way out of the box. Time will tell. I resisted looking in with a flashlight-I'll take my lumps in am all at one time-underfired or overfired we shall see.
If this was easy everyone would be doing it.

Well my gut was right and the load was beautiful.
Here are the results
Now if only the predicted rain this weekend on our local show will go away

Well it happened
I was at near cone 10 when I looked in for the first look at my cones (cone 10/11) about 2290 on my digital pyro. This is my 35 cubic foot car kiln-I had just turned off my smaller 12 cubic foot glaze fire in updraft (i'm doing both kilns same day  gklaze fires all this year )
The cone pad had fallen over-nosed dived down sometine during fire.Never had this happen-I made the pads so its all in my court
Now in the past I have blown up cones and discoverd it at red heat and been able to slip with a small anglke iron a new set of cones  in the 4 inch diameter spy plug extremly slowing without blowing them up.
But this at near end point is way different as the time temp has already gone by. so no way to put another cone set in that will be accurate So I look to my log book and see that the end point I shoot for is a soft cone 11 which has about a 40 degree spread in past 6 glaze fires. I pick a middle zone and fire to that and by my gut feeling .
So tonight I'm eating fresh albacore I caught on Monday and beans and squash from our garden wondering about how this kiln load will look in am. I usually am not to concerned about it but this seat of the pants fire is way out of the box. Time will tell. I resisted looking in with a flashlight-I'll take my lumps in am all at one time-underfired or overfired we shall see.
If this was easy everyone would be doing it.

Well my gut was right and the load was beautiful.
Here are the results
Now if only the predicted rain this weekend on our local show will go away

Well my gut was right and the load was beautiful.
Here are the results
Now if only the predicted rain this weekend on our local show will go away

Well my gut was right and the load was beautiful.
Here are the results
Now if only the predicted rain this weekend on our local show will go away

Well my gut was right and the load was beautiful.
Here are the results
Now if only the predicted rain this weekend on our local show will go away

The dryer the better as it will shrink less

80 mesh screen always fixes any chunk issue
 

I'm a bit different as a wholesale  distributor and most of my dealings are with Laguna clay in larger amounts. They are 13 hours to my south one way. trucking is getting costly and harder.They have gone thru many supply chain issues and of late (past year) have been out of lots of clays and my last custom order took 6 weeks and missed my truck pick upo date. Our local supply shop has a new owner coming in and is  young and its up in the air how this will shake out in the long run. My assistant works there as well so I know more than I'm saying.
Since I'm a professional and I deal with professional suppliers it been fine. Supply chain issues have been an issue in all regards

Pres My ceramic collage teacher (mentor) was posted at Hickham field on Dec 7th 1941-He gave me a 50mm cartriage holder for a rapid fire gun from those times. He had great stories from that day.

Pres My family made surfboards in the 50s before foam boards (balsa and redwood stringers) so of course I have the ventures etc in that mix-also saw Hendrix back in the day, light his guitar on fire so yes have some of him as well, The diversity is huge in my mixes of cds-as I have more than the 2 x400 cd players can hold. I also have a huge mix goin g with pandora thru the iPod as well pumped into our stereo system in house with 7 sets of speakers around like a pair in kitchen,living room ,office ,salt kiln area, studio ,Kiln loading area,BBQ backyard area.
I like music when working so I wired it in in the 80s everywhere. My friends family owned Cerwin Vega speaker Company so all my speakers are Cerwin Vega's
Music is a big part of life around here.

Claer shiny glazes show it off best
As mentioned it will wear off and should not be put in a dishwasher
I think of lusters as not food safe but they are  to some degree-they just wear off easy-think gold lines on china that wear thin fast with use. They are a top coat just barely fluxed
I have some gold on a flask that wore off in my 20s pretty fast.

I'm a very deversified listener but rock is the main theme-I'm not a country fan usually Guy Clark to Jackson Brown

@NancyE Do you have any potter friends in your area that could go in on buying a full ton? The shipping cost would be much lower per pound, and you'd get the ton rate on the clay itself.

two 400 cd changers on shuffle mixed in with some pandora mixes

I have had arthritis in my hands beyond memory at this point. Using your hands is whay I consider a key element to life and hands. My guess is you are not a professional with clay so you will not be using.8- 10 tons a year which. puts a hurt on the hands . I would  not worry about clay and your hands. Mild Artritis is in all us old timers who use our hands in life. 
I am 100% a believer that clay can help  strengthen and exercise the muscles . As you age no matter what your artritis will continue
Clay has kept my hands strong . They do not like cold but thats also an aging issue.Heck I do not like cold-never have liked heat either-I like it just right.

Claer shiny glazes show it off best
As mentioned it will wear off and should not be put in a dishwasher
I think of lusters as not food safe but they are  to some degree-they just wear off easy-think gold lines on china that wear thin fast with use. They are a top coat just barely fluxed
I have some gold on a flask that wore off in my 20s pretty fast.

Its a opalescent luster sometimes called mother of pearl-and yes its still out there as an overglaze on a shiny glaze fires to cone 017

Stamp the circle with whatever your image is. Make your own stamp or you can buy one.
I have been around a zillion mugs with stuff on the sides either mine  or others back in the day-My studio assistant made women bike mugs for years-I think a few photos are in my album if you look.
We use a small needle bulb to apply the glaze (thes ecomes with a few micro tips) or colorant into just the indentations and spong off any extra (usually not needed). Then wax over it to freeze it or glaze it and wax it whatever system you are looking for in the outcome
I have a power sponger if you are doing say 50 of them. My guess is thats what Deneen does as well
Once you get it down its easy-just takes time lots. of time. I had a potter who supplied the local natiuona and state parks with logos of redwood trees with park name on each mug as I said seen a zillion of this type of work. You can order your stamp in metal ,wood or make your own in clay
 

Sure long ago (the 70s)
mixed it in a tub added my slop -dryed it in huge plaster tubs-ran it thru my vertical Alpine pug mill (before most of your times-these maching stood 5 feet tall)
came out rough -had air in it and was short-agged it for a few years still short.I was in my 20s and in the middle of the schooling of hard knocks  which I got a degree in about 10 years after my art collage degree. You try every thing until it kills you-listen to know one except a bad back and sore body-I went for the advnaced hard knocks degree
Gave up the whole darn deal. Never looked back-My time has always had value
Nowday I have two peter pugges and still would not make clay . The only reason for me would be to make a body I could not buy one. Maybe a self throwing body if Glazenerd can devise one for me as that is the only body I cannot buy as of now.You would weigh the balls drop them on the wheel and step away as it throws itself.