Pres

@Wilts I have been throwing since the early 70's, mostly as a Art teacher in a HS with course load mostly of Ceramics. I began having problems with arthritis around 2000. It has gotten worse over the years even though I am now mainly a hobby potter. I have found though that working with the clay does alleviate some of my pain, and keeps things nimble. I also use a hand exerciser daily as it seems to help. I limit my time now on the wheel, by throwing for a while, doing other things then go back to throwing. Getting older with Ceramics can be challenging, but I would not want to be without. I add this to comments from others, especially Johnny and Mark as they have great hands on experience with hand problems. I had surgery on my RT thumb about 12 years ago and had to make adjustments to my throwing style as a few years later the joint died, but I still throw well enough. Hope you can make your way back to the clay somehow. best, Pres

I was away in May folks and missed this so I moved it here as it seems to be a repair issue. best, Pres

@shawnhar, Well done, great to see another success story, especially with Covid and the resulting downturns. best, Pres

Yes Min I use the same type of dial scale for clay. I find always weighing and noting sizes for new pots helps to replicate. However, much of my work is off the hump and ball sizes are more important there. best, Pres

Hi folks, not much new in the pool for QotW so I will pose one. Most of you can tell that I am basically an oldy, not used to a whole lot of later technologies. I still like my camera, use hand made tools, fix things when needed, build my own contraptions when needed. I however, fired my kiln by hand for years until it finally bit the dust and I replaced it with a digitally controlled L&L kiln. . .love it! When it comes to working with glaze materials I still use scoops and spoons to parse out the goodies. I also use a triple beam balance with a large fitted plastic pan for the materials with additional weights for large amounts. I have often looked at the digital scales, but figured what I have works, why change at this late date. However, I am curious. . . how many of you have opted for digital scales, or anything digital of late because of the convenience or because you grew up with digital? QotW: Have you have opted for digital scales, or anything digital of late because of the convenience or because you grew up with digital? best, Pres

I would think I should move this to In the Studio.?? best, Pres

For me it has been band saw blades. I used to have a source of overstock blades when I taught HS. Cutting them to length 2-6" long would make great scoring tools and worked well to flatten the bottoms of forms when trimming. I used a belt sander to clean up burrs and round corners. Take it a little further with a torch to soften the blade, then use a vise and hammer to bend to a desired angle for a trimming tool, Sharpen on a grinding wheel. They last a long time, and will work well for classrooms. best, Pres

Hi folks, nothing new in the pool of late, so I will pose a question for you. I notice that there are a wide range of personalities and posting styles out there, and thought about myself and my tendency to be ADHD, and wanting to be a nice guy. When it comes to looking for answers, I look for quick answers with a background just enough to get me to figure things out my way. I notice that I tend to have the same posting style, offering a solution and my reasoning/ supportive information afterward. To cut the long short: QotW: When reading the posts on forums do you have a tendency to like detailed information in long form or quick fix with supporting information? best, Pres

I do patens for communion sets, and have had some of the same problems. However my new kiln is 29" in diameter, and I can fit 3 of my plates to a layer. Occasionally I use a broken shelf to raise the 3 plate a little so that the rim even though overlapping the another plate has plenty of room to not stick together in the firing. I am presently lookin to buy two more 1/2 shelves to be able to fire more patens at a time. I would like to get 17-18 to a firing with the patens to the top. Another trick to try is to add a 1" stilt onto your regular height for one 1/2 shelf, and then you would be able to add an overlap as I described before. Get creative! best, Pres

I owned a J230 for over 30 years. It had 4 sections, and I fired it without a setter. If it has a setter and is in good condition, great to pick it up! I kept mine going with frequent maintenance and regular element replacement. Loved that kiln, bu replaced it with a new L&L e28m-3 with quad elements and a genesis controller best, Pres

I don't use the foam to turn the pots onto as I believe that causes the area to dry differently than the rest of the pot. I let them set on the rim, thus drying the outside enough to stiffen them, and then trim. I like to trim most forms as soon as I can. best, Pres

It has worked for me in the past with plaster. I would think that it should also work with the clay situation. You may have to dampen the clay to help with the adherence as the dust from the clay is what keeps the material from joining. The dowels should help also. My only other solution/s would be to cut the neck off completely at above the deterioration, and then mount it on a riser of some sort above the box, or build a piece that matches out of another material to extend the neck area, wrap casting gauze around the seem smooth and paint. bst, Pres

Take some of the unfired clay and mix it with white glue to a thin paste. Drill some anchor holes in the areas to be joined if possible and then add some nails with the heads cut off, or short wooden joiner dowels to the holes with the paste to join the sections together. Then use more paste to finish filling cracks, sand as spray paint. best, Pres

I am curios about the thickness of the glaze as compared to the thickness of the pot on a plate such as this. I would also wonder about the thickness of the rim as compared to the thickness of the bottom of the pot. Rereading passages in "Hamer" that are attached to an illustration of a crack similar to yours talks about compression of the base vs the thickness of the glaze surface. If your glaze surface in the bottom of this shallow bowl is thicker than the base of the bowl "the fluxing action of the glaze on the thin base makes the base almost vitrified and hence brittle. In cooling, if the body contracts more than the glaze, even by a small amount, it is too brittle and week to compress the glaze. The body ruptures and the crack probably continues up the side to the rim. . ."The Potters Dictionary, Frank and Janet Hamer. I hope this helps you out. I have made several low bowls over the years, and find a few things helpful. These steps also are helpful for plates and platters. Never let any moisture sit in the bottom of a freshly thrown bowl As soon as possible without warping invert the bowl to set it on its rim for stiffening before trimming When trimming, make certain to be careful of the area around the inner and outer edges of the foot ring to make certain these areas are not too much thicker/thinner than the rest of the bowl When firing, as often as possible box the forms as in stacking them rim to rim in the kiln. When glazing, thoroughly wash the bowl with water without soaking the bottoms more than the rest of the bowl Pour or dip the bowl quickly, working for an even coat inside and out, without puddling the glaze in the bottom of the bowl. best, Pres

@Dani dowling, is there any glaze on the shelves around the pieces? best, Pres

I have been making chalices, and later patens for over 40 years now. I started selling them to a single customer that first required chalices for ceremonies, and then decided to order Communion sets for an award to honor one of their deceased members. This order has been a standing order now for over 25 years. It is basically the only order I do any more, as I have stepped back from much of what I used to do. I was wondering, have any of you had a long standing order for a particular customer? QoTW: Do you have any long standing orders that you fill every year for several years? best, Pres

I would think that the best placement for test tiles is all over the kiln. At the same time you might want to put witness cones in the same areas to really get an idea of exactly what is happening at various temps. . . we all know there are hot and cold spots in any kiln. This way you would be able to determine the limits of the clay vs. temp. Hope I am making sense?? Of course all IMHO! best, Pres

Years ago, when I was teaching throwing to beginners, my mantra was Move the Clay, don't let it Move You! I don't know how many times I told the kids that. Little did I know that all of that moving the clay was also moving me. I find now that many fingers have become bent to fit the way I pull. Both hands have. . . .adjustments.... fingers permanently bent to fit other fingers, on the left for inside pulling, and fingers on the left made to reinforce the pointer when pulling. Weird what repetitive positions do to the body. best, Pres

Whoosh! I was so shocked this last summer when I made my way to SC in Pittsburgh. I had not bought materials in years except for an oxide here or there shipped to the house. This time I was way down on all sorts of glaze materials. What a shock... . . I was also really disappointed in what they had on hand in the way of equipment, kiln furniture and other items. Looking to visit my sister in NY, and maybe swing by Baileys on the way home. best, Pres

@AlexMBThis is what the unit looks like. It could be used on any kiln. You would have to drill some holes in the floor of the kiln, but not very big or many. https://www.baileypottery.com/c-250-vent.html best, Pres

For years I fired a kiln with not venting system in my garage. Garage is brick with concrete floor, aluminum garage door, and metal entry door about 20X10. I fired the kiln through out the year. Temps in the garage would rise to about 110F at times. Last kiln died after 30+ years. New kiln smaller total square feet, but larger diameter has a floor vent system that has a flex hose attached to a fans system at the end. I have mounted this into a piece of plywood that I put in the open window to vent outside. The system works great and the garage stays cooler. The new kiln has a genesis controller that allows me to monitor the kiln on my computer or my phone. The firings seem to be a little brighter in color with the vent on, and the controller is spot on now that I have it calibrated. IMHO, if looking for a used or new kiln I would go with this sort of system. At least a kiln setter and downdraft vent system. Over the years at a HS I have found that over head hoods get in the way. best, Pres

@PeterH, don't bring back memories on me. . . my post in reply to that strand was in 2013!! Miss John B a lot here. the idea behind the pancake is to align the particles and by moving the side walls upwards the particles would stay aligned around the transition from floor to side wall. This organization cuts down on all sorts of cracking problems when throwing off the hump. I constantly use if for throwing chalice cups, but not so much for stems as stems have a center hole for air release when joined to the cup. Larger pots works really well for also, especially when throwing several serving bowls etc. best, Pres

Over the years, I have done custom work or taken on a commission that I might not have been suited for. Like @JohnnyKI find myself often intrigued by the solution to a problem. I once took a commission for 2000 vessels about twice a shot glass size. I have 6 months of lead time on the job and figured throw them off the hump. . . . not easily done as they had S cracks galore in the first load. Research lead to the use of a pancake opening up style that I still use today. I solved a problem, and learned a great lesson towards throwing off the hump. I have over the years taken a job for the problem solving and turned down others because there was not challenge. best, Pres

Hi Lindsay, welcome to the forum. I understand your interest here, as I was a HS teacher who taught mostly Ceramics classes. However, in the mid 80's a music colleague of mine and I wrote a grant to put in a computer studio for the arts in the school. I started teaching computer graphics courses with an emphasis on animation, 2D and 3D. Retired in 2009, I still fiddle with Corel Draw, Blender and several other graphics programs. Natural transition for me as they(ceramics, and CGI) are often the same beast. . . 3D. As to a studio, you are on the right track, if you are interested in throwing, but you may want to get yourself a solid work area to try some handbuilding on. best, Pres

I purchased a new kiln last year with the furniture kit, knowing that I would want to add more shelves in the future. I have always used cordierite shelves when teaching, and in the old kiln. I have not had issues with warping at cone 6, yet I have seen problems with other teachers that did not understand how to best place stilts. I have always used 3 stilts to support a shelf as this seems to give the most balanced support for the work and health for the shelf. I also make certain to keep fresh kiln wash on the shelves to limit the amount of pucks from glaze drips. . . best way to eliminate them is to clean bottoms well, use bevel undercuts, and catch lips on pots that will allow glaze run. even an engraved line on a foot area is often enough to stop a glaze run. best, Pres