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

My goof, I missed that in your original post. best, Pres

@LeeAnets Things are looking really great! When I use magic water, I have one container for the white clay, and one for the hazelnut clay. Reason being that as I use the magic water it becomes slip like. You have taken first steps here, and I hope you continue to challenge yourself and your ideas. Best of luck, with clay it is the journey, not necessarily the end result. best, Pres

If you are working with your own glazes, you may be able to adjust the opacifiers to make the glaze less opaque. Test tiles are the best way to come up with a glaze that allows washes under the glaze to show through. An alternative is to try spraying washes from different angles on the textured piece. This allows 4 different variants down from top, up from bottom, right to left, left to right. The idea is to spray not at the surface but spray by the surface catching the surface with the edge of the spray. best, Pres

I love pottery videos, but I didn't learn from then, and I didn't teach with them. Nothing beats a good coach. . . whether learning a sport, trade, or how to throw! Having someone guide you in the good habits, correcting you from bad ones like poor posture, chicken winging, over pressure, too much or too little water, cleanliness habits when throwing, use of ribs, hand and finger positions, arm bracing and so much more is easier, more effective and efficient with a good coach. From London, AIMHO best, Pres

GOTCHA! :-)

Understood, and take note that most of the questions I ask are to evoke a wide variety of responses. I look on a question with few responses as being a failure, and one that gets discussion and lots of answers a success. Part of the game. best, Pres

@Pyewackette Never said in the lead in discussion before I asked the question that Surface was only about glaze, Surface for me is about texture, pattern, movement, direction, shadow and reflection, color, shape, line and so much more. At the same time Surface and Form are parts of the same entity . . . ceramic object. best, Pres

Hi folks, I was working a workshop this last weekend, talking about tools, when it hit me that I used one particular tool in preference to most of the others. This got me to wondering if others out there have a "go to" tool. A tool that you turn to whenever working with the clay because it seems just so right. My tool is the spoon end of a bamboo spoon from a moderately priced bamboo kitchen tool set. I use it to open up bowls and dishes, either flat or deep bottom forms, to shape/inflate pitchers and vases, large or small. It is almost the entire tool set in many cases. My second most favorite tool is a throwing stick that I use to open up chalice cups and mugs along with the occasional bottle form. QotW: Do you have a favorite tool for throwing or hanbuilding that you can not do without? best, Pres

Been there done that, at some point you have to come to balance with imperfection, perfection and purpose. I have never made a perfect pot. best, Pres

Hi folks, I have been considering aesthetic decisions of late and thought. . . throw it out to the community! When it comes to making your work, are you more concerned with surface or with form? I have often started worked on pots trying to get a great functional form for the pot I am making, and yet in the end much of my effort in the work is about texturing the surface, either through decorating in the wet clay or through layers of glaze and inglaze decoration. I keep remembering an old art adage: reward those who look closer at the small parts of your work. I love surprises in the glazing where one glaze interacts with another to give me something new or how one glaze breaks over a texture to expose a different aspect of another glaze. One of ther reasons for years I worked to fire slow down to form crystals in the glazes. QothW: Which intrigues you and motivates you most when working with or looking at pots: Form or Surface? best, Pres

I have a few glazes that I have not posted the exact amounts of the "color" oxides, or the glaze itself. However, as these glazes are readily available and I give the original source, and since I list the oxides, it is possible for anyone to figure out the glaze. In this case it is a matter of leaving the originator of the glaze credit. best, Pres

@Hulk Placed a question in the QotW pool while I was on vacation at Disneyworld: "Secret" procedure, technique, material, recipe - got any? If so, how has your outlook on sharing with others changed over the years? This came to mind when packing pots for first show/sale I participated in - there will be other potters there, will any ask how I do x,y,z? I'd settled on answering pretty much any question (heh, there haven't been any questions), although I may not share my low expansion liner glaze with just anyone. When I was coaching, several times, other coaches tried to "trick" me into revealing my "secrets" - I didn't have any secrets, always willing to share how I designed and orchestrated training plans, taught techniques, etc. An overarching "secret" is planning and executing said plan is a lot of work. During my mid life (ok, maybe a bit after mid life) return trip through college, I'd read some studies about information and "power," where hoarding secrets/information and therefore retaining power to oneself is on one end of a continuum, and empowering others - sharing - is at the other. I found some truth in the notion, and reflect on it quite often, to this day. @Hulk I have not ever held any secrets, usually share them before being asked. Publish them when I believe they are relevant, and try to suck up every secret everyone else has to pass on to others. I guess being a teacher is deep deep inside, and cannot be separated from the potter, or the man. Pres best, Pres Once again, QotW: Do you have any pottery secrets that you do not share? If so how has your outlook on sharing with others changed over the years? best, Pres

I have also been a big supporter of the beveled undercut on the bottoms of forms. I find that even a flat bottomed form benefits from a 1/4" beveled undercut on the bottom of the pot for several reasons: The bevel at the bottom makes an easier clean up job for glaze when cleaning to fire for glaze firing. The undercut hides the unglazed area of the pot The undercut also separates the pot from the table, an aesthetic thing IMHO easy and quickly done before cutting from the wheel, or when trimming. best, Pres

We had two answers to this question in the Question of the Week Question Pool. Bill Kielb Members 3.9k Location United States - Illinois Posted March 25 · IP (edited) I have become lazy and try and throw everything with minimal trimming. If I can pre-trim most of the excess clay off before removing from the wheel I will. I still like a very well defined foot though; albeit minimal. Not something to grip and glaze with. I actually don’t mind trimming but have gotten into this habit over time. Edited March 25 by Bill Kielb Magnolia Mud Research 1 Quote Magnolia Mud Research Members 1k Location: Texas Posted March 26 · IP ik ook. LT

Last week @Bam2015queried: As I was trimming a pot last week, I started wondering if others trim pots just to clean them up and establish a foot, or is trimming part of the creative process for you? I like when I have extra clay (thicker walls & bottom) and can change the intended look of the pot depending on my mood that day. Following this train of thought I believe is interesting so. . . QotW: Is trimming just a clean-up job for you, or do you use it to enhance the bottom of the pot in some way? I have always used trimming to finish the bottom of forms. Large jars, would often use a little bit of clean up and trimming to remove some bottom thickness used to support the form during excessive shaping. Bowls and plates would have material removed in the same way as the shaping would need a little extra to support the walls that could be trimmed off later. In the last several years though, I have used shaping to make the pots like bowls, and smaller jars and such more dishwasher friendly. Part of this is old school. . a proper pot is footed, part is through an evolution of my thinking about form. Often now, my feet have blended edges on the inside of the foot ring where no water can gather, and often a 3-5 cut outs of the foot ring that allow the form to lift from the table somewhat. It's just an aesthetic thing, but I like it. These things really don't take much longer to do if you are footing anyway, and IMHO make a difference in the final piece. best, Pres

I hope everyone can find something to take away from this, as there are so many options here, and it seems everyone has a different path towards the same thing. best, Pres

Please folks. . . this is an area to pose a question, not to answer them. I use this area to have a collection of questions to be used for the QotW, as it makes my job easier! Please, no more answering posed questions here. Wait until posted new on Sundays. best, Pres

I don't care for the Win photo programs so I download the Gimp. Interface takes a little getting use to, but the tools are pretty decent. best, Pres

Hi folks, A few days after @Hulk posted last weeks QotW, he posed another. This question is one that seems especially relevant this year with the Covid thing becoming more of a dead issue (hopefully) and Spring coming on! Hulk stated: Any plans to visit galleries and/or others' Studios? ...workshops, classes? It's been a while for me; in the last two+ years, I've seen maybe ten displays of others' work, in person, and had an in-person pottery talk with maybe two or three actual potters. The post on upcoming SH workshop got me thinking*! I'm planning to make time to look in on local shops, galleries, studios, and swing by the local JC Ceramic lab as well. I am planning on reaching out to a few galleries, after vetting them to possibly handle some larger mixed pieces, I also hope to visit some out of state and out of country galleries this Summer. I believe I may also be giving a weekend workshop in a neighboring state. I think it is always great to get out and see potters, talk shop and get refreshed and excited about the Summer ahead. I have been helping with a Saturday adult thing in the HS I taught in for the last few weeks, and am doing some slab thrown constructions in that studio, great to get into doing more after the cold of frozen shop in January and Feb. QotW: Any plans to visit galleries and/or others' Studios? A special thanks goes out to Hulk for contributing to the community. . .makes my job easier! best, Pres

I don't have a fan, in the shop, only an electric heater that has a blower. This takes care of keeping the shop warm when I am working in there, but I shut it off unless expecting a hard freeze. All in all, the garage is tough to clean completely as there is much storage in upper shelving and lots of tools not ceramics related. Cleaning floors, wheel, and other tools is the extent of my cleaning, and I do try to keep up on that. best, Pres

Hi Folks. . . Wow!!! Someone has posted two possible questions in the QotW pool!! @Hulkasked: QoTW: How much air movement do you have in your studio, do you use fans, is cleaning to reduce blown dust part of your process? Hulk actually goes on to describe much of his process here: The winds here typically ramp up over the course of the day, peaking late afternoon 15-25 mph from the Northwest* in the dry season, somewhat less in the wet season. There are variations, particularly the hot/dry winds from the east/southeast, and wet/rainy from the south/southwest. With the doors closed, the air in my Studio is rather static. Any road, when a breeze whips through the Studio, it will pick up dust! Hence, I'll pop on the P100 afore opening the doors, if it's breezy out, run the mop and sponge, then hang the P100 back up on its hook once it's aired out a bit. I don't use fans in the Studio. Cleaning up - so that what is on the floor, working surfaces, storage surfaces, etc. doesn't get blown about - it is part of my process. *capitalized on account o' the NW wind is the boss here on the Central Coast! My thanks to Hulk for making this weeks job easier as I am in the midst of taxes! best, Pres

Thanks for the advice on the foot pedal. Will do!