Pres

Hi folks, I have been thinking about a few strands here on the forum that concern shortages. Most of the shortages are due to the Covid situation which has made some major changes in the supply chain. Thinking about this made me wonder. . . what would it take for a potter, either a full timer or a hobbyist, to give up on pottery? In my own situation, I usually make pots when I feel like it, which is not in the cold, but otherwise whenever I can get the time in the studio. I love to throw, and at times handbuild. Working with the clay is therapeutic and satisfying, just as opening a kiln for me is like Christmas still. I imagine that if things stayed cold all year round, I would probably find a better way to heat the shop, and keep on keeping on. If for some reason I became disabled, I believe I would still deal with things to some degree working with the clay as so many others on the forum have. Shortage of electric, I would probably change clays and go to pit firing, and bring the kick wheel out of the basement to work that way, or buy a treadle wheel. I know that I am getting older, and that I take longer to throw a bat of mugs, but they are better mugs and more creative than the ones before, so time is not an issue. The only thing I can think of stopping me from making pots is the shortage of clay. . . Heaven forbid! I could probably turn Pioneer Potter, and dig/process the clay on my own, but then by the time I was done, too much time and energy has been exhausted leaving me the same! QotW: What sort of shortage would make you "give up the ghost" ? best, Pres

@graybeard, I keep tools in a metal anodized silver ware rack. . one section has a sponge where needle tools are kept to protect me from the same. I used to use the pipe insulation, but it would often interfere with large bats and pulling plate/platter rims. best, Pres

Yes it is a coloring oxide. . yellow iron oxide. It is cheap, and weak. It appears yellow, but fires red by itself. I use it in Richard's Nutmeg, a recipe I think I got from the Van Gilder book. best, Pres

Safe travels, @oldlady! best, Pres

Still stand by my previous above, and it is good to have one to educate others about chemistry. Did I ever mention here that I used to be a Chemistry major in the early college years, working as a lab assistant for all of the compounds needed for experiments the prof assigned. Left me with a healthy respect for chemicals, and an extreme dislike for equations! best, Pres

Getting more varied answers than I had figured, as my question was about coloring oxides, but what the heck, I'm tolerant, and and answer is an answer! I'm way past test grading days! best, Pres

No new questions in the pool, folks! QotW: All things considered, What coloring oxide would you not be able to work without? My favorite oxide over the years has been the most simple. . . iron oxide. I like so many other oxides and their uses, but nearly everything I do has some bit of iron in it. It softens so many other oxides, and works well in washes over and under glazes, and I find it versatile in so many ways that I can not imagine being without it. best, Pres

Late this week, or early next week folks, but no new questions in the QotW pool, so I will pose another question. When I started glazing in college, I had usually about 8 different cone 9-10 glazes to choose from in a studio that had a gas burning kiln that I believe may have been around 30 cu ft. The glazing was done with dipping, pouring and brushing with some splattering, but not much else. I continued much with this form of glazing while teaching, but added some atomizers to the work especially when working with ^6 in the HS I taught at. I still used the other techiques at PSU when doing grad school work. Then when I started my own studio at home with the purchase of a kiln and a motorized kick wheel I did much more glazing with the atomizer over a base matt white glaze and finished with calligraphic brush work. These pieces were one offs, and worked well with a few base glazes, and underglazes used as inglaze. However I changed direction as the glaze I used for a base proved to be unstable in my firings, and I found the zinc often dulled much of the color. I moved to a glaze with tin as an opacifier, and played with tin/chromium flashing for a while. Somewhere along the way I lost the feel for the previous work, as the glossy glazes moved too much and the colors were not the same. Of late I have been moving towards more texture in the piece allowing the glaze to break the thin and thicken as it breaks over the clay textured surface. I still am not happy with the results, but everything is a work in progress. The atomizer has been replaced by a spray gun, the inglaze replaced by glaze colors over the base glaze that is buttery white with the addition of 1-3% rutile. All of my firing for the last 30 years have been electric oxidation at ^6. QothW: What is your favorite technique of glazing and decorating? Does texture of the piece play into your choice of glazing and decorating? What atmosphere and cone do you fire to? best, Pres

@Hulk, I cut my hands up pretty bad in the very early days, when practice throwing. Took a pug @3# off of the Walker output, slapped it on the table a few times then started centering it. Big mistake, someone had thrown a metal rib into the slop bucket evidently. Went through the pugmill, and came out in pieces. I had several cuts that made throwing the next few weeks very painful, but I learned a good lesson. . . .wedge well to remove any gifts from prior clay use and abuse by myself or others. Sounds like you have had a good time organizing things to your liking! best, Pres

Hi folks, no new topics for the QotW in the pool, so I will pose one once again. I have been renovating the family farmhouse with my sisters and their families. Right now I have a car full of tools that will need to be stored away, but with the rain last night and this morning I am reluctant to get started. However, it got me to thinking about the way I organize tools. I usually have boxes/bags for tools. Small electrical tools go in a red box with a latch, circular saw is in a bag with blades, wrenches, sockets screw drivers in a trifold box, drills, bits, and impact drivers in a bag and so on. This got me to thinking about how I store my ceramic tools. I have cups for brushes, my wheel has a silverware wire basket with dividers where everything is arranged from needle tools in a sponge to ribs in slot, and other tools in slots. This allows me to take all of the tools out and spray them out while still in the container. . cutting down on dust. I also have magnetic strips I use for trimming tools when trimming mounted on the side of my trim splash pan. I used to hang tools with silhouettes painted where the tool went below the hooks. Some handles had to be drilled for that, but most of the wire end tools or the ribbon end tools would just hang easily. Now I have a cabinet of multiple drawers where the ceramics tools, stamps, and others are stored until use. QotW: How do you organize/hang/store your ceramic tools in the shop when using them or storing them? best, Pres

Hi folks, realize that this is quite late, but I was stumped! However, a recent revival of a post in another category came up, and got me to thinking, I know the smell must be terrible with all these old circuits burning up! Anyway, Q0tW: QotW: Have you ever had a formal, or informal coach, assist you with your throwing skills? How about with anything that you do, sport wise, cooking, any skill? I have never had a coach for throwing, but having taught numerous others and acted as a coach for many adults, I have found that I have been my own coach. I constantly watch for "chicken winging" poor posture, not bracing, matching my hand motions to wheel speed, correct form when pulling, and proper pressure throughout the process. I have had teachers, and the difference between a teacher and a coach is not as slight as you would think. A teacher teaches a process, helps you with the fundamentals, safety, hand positions and other mechanics, and often lets you learn the fine nuances on your own. A coach takes what you have learned and helps you apply the fundamentals in such a way as to succeed in doing the process in the most efficient manner possible. A coach works with what you have, where as a teacher provides all with the basics. I once helped another undergrad student with throwing. She was one handed from birth. She was all frustrated with throwing because she saw throwing as needing two hands. She was very successful at other tasks, having learned to cope with only one hand to do many things. I got her to realize that the one handless arm could open deeply and narrowly, and that the tip of the arm could be angled to use as a pressure point. We jacked her chair higher, got her posture position angled to allow the handless arm to work with the shoulder high while the other hand worked outside to pull with that shoulder low. About week afterward she was centering and pulling using the arm on the one hand and the hand of the other to center. Pulling happened two weeks after wards and she never looked back. Have often wondered about her. I have had informal coaches when bowling, playing tennis, racket ball and other sports. Dad would act as my coach i much of this in the beginning, then other team mates. Some would make suggestions, others would ask questions. Seems many did not want to intrude, as they would think I would be insulted if they tried to help?!! However they would realize in the end, that I was just as apt to take suggestions as give them. best, Pres

Took Me a while to figure that out, @oldlady! Duh! Got me, but I understand now best, Pres

I haven't done an actual show in years, but I have had some sales from various outlets. If I were guessing. . . Fillers: thrown boxes, small dishes, spoon rests, scramble egg bowls, and mugs; Mids: berry bowls with drain dish, honey jars (my way), small pitchers, serving bowls, batter bowls, Communion sets, and larger thrown boxes; Top: Larger pitchers, teapots, vases, casseroles/dutch oven style and large bowls; High end: Floor vases, and finally experiments. best, Pres

Hi folks, this last week @JohnnyK sent me a message with a request for a QotW. At first I was inclined to water the request a bit, so as to try and illicit more responses. However, the more I thought about it, the more I came to be interested in showing the full intent behind the request as stated by JohnnyK. Here is the original message sent to me: Many, if not most, of the participants in this forum have been selling their pottery for years and I would guess that you have best selling items whether they be spoon rests, sponge holders, mugs bowls, or whatever. As an inspiration for those of us who are just getting started in marketing our materials. I would like to suggest that you pros show us photos of what you sell so that we may emulate you and your success assuming that we are not selling in your market and not competing. QotW: What are your best sellers? Please include photos. best. {res

I forgot to re-mention one of my other ways of learning: Teaching others! Over the years my own skills have been honed so much by the observation and correction of bad habits with others. It has made me aware of my bad habits and correct them, and able to analyze what I am doing wrong when having a bad day. best. Pres

@Hulk, Fantastic, Ceramics Bro! best, Pres

Hi folks, sorry about the problems with the ICAN website roll out, and I have been thinking a lot about the loss of things like the CLAYflicks, and what it means to people. Over the years, my best source of information involving almost anything was a good book. I recently finished rewiring a circuit in an old house, and used a book to help me solve some stupid problems that took more smarts than I. An old magazine that I had saved had the answers to adding a ground, making certain all circuits in the line worked, even if one burned out, and surface mount wiring solutions. When it comes to ceramics, I have a very extensive library that soon will all be unpacked into a new library. However, lately more and more of what I have been doing when working on pottery or other things has come from a video or two before hand. Helped my son put new brakes on his car with the help of a video, leaned about some more decorating techniques in pottery on CLAYflicks, and used a video to help put in a floating floor in our house. I still peruse my books nearly everyday finding pictures that I have missed, and tips that I have forgotten, and don't get me started on the books of recipes for glazes! All of this makes me wonder if the shift for all learning has moved to video and Youtube or is there still a place for good how to books and magazines? Therefore, QotW: Do you find that your learning about ceramics has moved toward more video use like Youtube or CLAYflicks or do you still find a good book viable as a means of learning? best, Pres

Go to my blog site, as I have posted the CM article that I co-authored with Madeleine Coomey there , February 18, 2019. It makes minor changes to a Ryobi battery powered caulking gun by using available plumbing pieces. best, Pres

Hi folks, once again no questions in the pool. All of you know that I have been firing a manual only kiln for over 35 years. Firing by cones and temperature color has been a learning curve, but the new kiln has made me jump into a whole new world of programmable firing. I have been using the fast bisque, and the fast glaze for my firings, but now that I have calibrated the cone offset to -40F. I yearn for a bit more depth in my color as I had achieved with the manual firings. The reading is interesting, and I am considering my own schedule. This brings me to wonder if others just use the available programs for firing or do they write their own. QotW: When using your programmable kiln, do you use preset schedules or set your own custom schedules? best, Pres

Hi folks, I recently noticed a strand in one of the other areas, and thought it to be a good fit for here as it seems to be mentioned in several strands. As I have said before, I did some long awaited shopping in the Standard Ceramics store in Pittsburgh. My wife and I took the two hour drive down to pick up some kiln shelves for the new kiln, and to get glaze chemicals. I also picked up some tools as I am a tool junkie! I was able to fill my list easily with the chemicals, and pick up tools. The one item on the list that surprised me was the large 1/2 shelves for the kiln; they had none. Back orders were listed, and there were no ETA for stock supply. QotW: What effects have the Covid, and the Supply chain failures had on your production and delivery of your pottery? Have you had to make any substitutions in materials, or failed to be able to get essential tools, equipment or materials? best, Pres

Hi folks, time for another topic, and don't forget you may post new ideas for QotW in the pool here: Of late I have considered some changes in the decorative process, I have often been interested in surface decoration and texture. I have probably done the gambit of Impressing, incising, piercing, added on clay or sprigging. In my earlier years I did mostly glaze dipping over bare surfaces, then spraying glazes through lace, and silk flower/leaves, along with calligraphic brushwork to bring out or add details. The last 20 years have been more about texture in the piece; first was faceting, then incising the unshaped cylinder. Then I started stamping, and forcing more into the clay to the point I often had to repair the piece when leather hard. Glazing was completed by spraying from different angles to highlight the surfaces. Lately I have considered returning to the smooth surfaces for large areas, with other areas of texture applied before the shaping. I would then decorate the smooth areas as mentioned before with stencils and inglaze work. QotW: What is your predominant method of decorating the greenware, and how do you deal with this decoration in your glazing? best, Pres

Welcome to the forum @Angelique! We usually start out with small amounts of a lot of glazes, and then narrow them down as we start making our own, and making larger batches. Many of us use glazes that work magic when over top of or underneath other glazes. Makes one recognize the characteristics of their glazes, and encourages experimentation with different types of application techniques, layering and other possibilities. best, Pres

Hi folks, I was driving north the last few days and looking for fall color to start in. However, I found mostly green, here in PA, recent rains have attributed to very lush green landscape without the usual browns found this time of year. At the same time my mind wanders when driving, and one of the subjects was whether I should add a new color of glaze. I have often considered working with some Iron reds when I go back to the hazelnut brown. May even test tile on the SC 630. I have not changed my glaze palette in quite a while, so I am getting a little antsy about it, and at the same time am wondering what the iron reds will do over the newer style textured pots. QotW: Are you planning to add any new glaze colors to your palette of colors? best, Pres

Oh yeah, I use a hand held power extruder for handles and other small pieces. Have used glaze calc software for years, as I really hated doing the paper work in college. Also have a recipe spread sheet to automatically figure batch weights. best, Pres