Pres

Hi folks, no new question in the pool so I will pose another. Based on my buying my first new kiln in over 30 years, anything over 4k is a big expense, especially for a retired teacher and hobby potter. So I will ask of you: QotW: What is your first and second most expensive equipment expense? This is a pretty easy question for me, as #1 is the new kiln, the L&L e28m-3 , and #2 is my 30 year old Brent CXC potters wheel. Really in the end, considering the years of use. . . these have been really cheap, even though the original sticker shock is daunting! best, Pres

Hi folks, no new questions in the pool. . . but I have been thinking, and doing some reading. Often when working I stand, especially when handbuilding, Standing gives me much more leverage when wedging, rolling out slabs or coils. Later, when assembling I find myself standing over the banding wheel while working and while analyzing and planning the next stages of the piece. I stand when putting handles on thrown mugs and other forms. I stand when decorating with brush work and other forms. For me standing gives me more control over my view of the pot from different angles, up and down. I think much of this comes from standing in front of an easel when working with canvas or stretched watercolor paper. However, when it comes to throwing, I still sit with an adjustable chair that has a tilt leaning me towards the wheel. I often will change the height of the chair when throwing as the pot gets taller or if throwing off the hump. I often will end up standing in final stages of tall pieces so that I can reach with a straight arm down into the form. Everything seems quite natural, and I have not had back problems in many years, so do as I have come to be used to. So I will ask this: QotW: Whether hand building or throwing, assembling or decorating, do you stand or sit? best, Pres

Excellent points @Chilly & @Denice as electronic mediums do seem to be replacing books in hand. I also believe that some of us have become lazy, looking for an answer to a specific question instead of researching material for the answer. When you have a forum, it is easy to go there and post "What does cone mean?" Than to research it. I have often seen questions that I wondered how much the poster thought about it before asking. At the same time, I believe that videos of technique certainly give more information than a description or a series of pictures. One example here is a pulling technique that one of my students has adopted that inverts the right hand on the outside to make the pull. . . I tried it, not for me, but he uses it constantly with good success. I rely on my library, and hope to have all of the books out before Christmas again. best, Pres

Hi folks, I have a new question for you this week, involving reading. QotW: When looking for Ceramics related reading material, do you look for technique\, guided process, aesthetic, or historic related reading? In my earlier days, when learning how to throw, and make pieces, I would often select suck up any reading material I could on technique. Looking for all of the ways to throw, trim, assemble and anything else. I was voracious in my perusal of Ceramics Monthly, and then when Pottery Making came out it was my new favorite. I have always been more about technique, figuring I could figure out the process of how to make something. I got tired of reading someone else's analysis of an artists work early on. To me work speaks for itself. What I see and feel if anything is up to me. However, when it comes to histories I enjoy the progress of an idea through history, and the migration of a process through the parts of the world. It is amazing how much we have learned from other cultures about ceramics, and even how much we have lost from other cultures as we displaced them. Truly fascinating. So once again, I will ask QotW: When looking for Ceramics related reading material, do you look for technique\, guided process, aesthetic, or historic related reading? best, Pres

@Min You are right there, but I thought it was a good question for discussion as we have some out there that make for the load like @Mark C., and others that just load what they make. I believe there are more in the second category than the first, because most do not make for large scale production, but more towards an inventory for shows that they make replacements for when coming back from a show that just renews their inventory. best, Pres

Once again there is no new question in the QotW pool so I will pose one. I have been thinking of statements over the last year by potters who figure the size of their pots to the shelf heights they load. This is much different from me as I guess I throw together all sorts of mixed loads. I may have 20 mugs, 4 plates, some pitchers, or some small bowls and some large bowls in one load. However, some people run 50 mugs and a great number of bowls, or other things, not having the variety of forms or sizes and heights that I run. My question for the Question of the Week is: Does your stacking determine the items in the load, or does your load determine the stacking? best, Pres

When working with ideas rather than forms, often it is a matter of what if, and why today, or how do I feel, not just about the work, but about myself. I imagine that we will have many artistic expressions over the next few years concerning lockdowns, viruses, masks, and so many other aspects of the pandemic and the way it brought many to their knees> best, Pres

I moved this from the "Studio" area because I believed the content is more about feelings, and perception than process. Even though @LeeU's work is in evolution in the process and use of surface it is also as she describes it an evolution of the mood or feelings her pieces represent during the process. All of this seems to be more about the aspect of creativity and art as often referred to as aesthetics. best, Pres

Last bisque looked to have fired to ^04 with a ^06 setting and no cone adjustment. Yes, I agree with the adjustment being excessive, but don't have any other alternatives. I have looked over everything, and believe I am on the right track, but time will tell. best, Pres

Set the cone setting to -20 before the last glaze firing. Cone 7 was down, but less than the previous firing. I believe my next step will be another 20 for -40. I am closing in on the firing, and will start setting up my own schedule as soon as I graph out my present factors and figure in a slow cooling cycle. All in all, getting better, even though I know I am overfiring even though to look at the pieces it is hard to discern anything in the clay or glaze. best, Pres

Bam2015 posted a question in the QotW pool this morning around 9am. She asks: To wedge or not to wedge? Do you wedge clay when it comes straight from a bag or pug mill? If you do wedge, why? Maybe you wedge for the following? a) It's what I was taught and I can't get my instructor's voice out of your head? b) I'm a little OCD, I can't sit down at the wheel until I've repeated my wedging "x" number of times. c) There is scientific proof that one must wedge! d) Nope, don't wedge, waste of time and my pots turn out beautifully! e) Other...please enlighten us. Ha, I suppose I should point out that there is one other possibility here, which is . . . because I have to! All of you by now have heard that I order clay once every few years, and store it under my sea kayaks. This means in central PA that it freezes often for months in the winter. That means that the freezing turns the "mechanical water" or water of plasticity to ice. This causes large rifts in the bagged clay, and as it thaws, the water is to the outside of the clay. Wedging or pugging is the only way to get the outside and inside areas of the clay to become homogeneous again. So I wedge, first by cut and slash (tip here: a wiggle wire works really well if having to add water by spraying) then by cone wedging that I learned in my first Ceramics class in college. Without wedging the clay first as I do not have a deairing pug mill or any pug mill my clay would not throw well at all. So I will ask for @Bam2015, and myself: QotW: To wedge or not to wedge? best, Pres

I understand that I can do things like that. I believe that I will have to see what the present settings do, look at what I see going on, and then set up some sort of custom setting that allows me to fire up, and fire down the way I was used to doing it. I knew that there would be a learning curve, after all it took me 25 years or so to get to where I could fire the old one intuitively. Hopefully this one will not take that long! best, Pres

I guess I am trying to settle my conflict between the firing of the old manual electric and this new beast. I used to fire by a schedule writing everything down for years, then about 10 years ago, just flew by the seat of my pants. Looked in the mirror, saw a color and decided if it was too soon or not soon enough. It was more of art, than science. I hit my target of hard ^6, then dropped to yellow orange quickly to hold for 30 minutes or so, then dropped to red orange to slow down below dull red. then shut off. Took notes when changing elements on resistance, then would check the resistance every 10 firings or so unless something seemed suspicious in a firing. This new thing, seems to be turn me on, let me go. You're not needed. Hmmm best, Pres

So took a quick peek at 230F. ^5 is down, ^6 is probably at 35 degrees, and ^7 is not touched. Looks like on the medium speed that it would have been just about perfect ^6. Don't understand, but will try on the next glaze firing to match. This was a light load in some ways with just 9 patens and shelves in it. I need to get more shelves and furniture. best, Pres

Didn't see one. I have gone through all of the material looking for a separate flier. . not. The section where I found that number says: . . This has changed over time as we have improved the tube and the offsets pre-programmed into the control to reflect the testing that we do in the factory. It is currently +18F. when it leaves the factory. best, Pres

Something else to add to the update on the manual? best, Pres

In my reading, I found that the factory setting is +18F. ??? Why do they do that? best, Pres

Actually @Bill Kielb, after posting the fast, and thinking of the newness, I changed to the medium setting as the preheat was not over. I still used the ^5 target, as I believe the kiln is overfiring by about one cone. or close to 20F. best, Pres

@Bill Kielb Usually do a fast up, slow down, but this was on the old L & L.

Fired a bisque to 08 hoping to drop cone 06. Could not see cone through the peep, so fired blind. When cooling at 200F. opened kiln to check cones, all witness of ^06 were darkened, but not down. Refired kiln to 06, and cones were as if it had hit 04. I figure the extra heat work confused the issue, but ware was fine. Today I loaded a fast fire glaze to ^5, even though I want ^6. Preheat for 4 hrs as they were just glazed and I had undried cone packs of ^5, 6, &7. Will see how this goes. I am hesitant to mess with TC or Cone corrections until I really know that is going on. best, Pres

Chilly, I had really thought until this morning that this strand was a DUD! I was seriously thinking of putting up a new question, but am relieved to know we may get some life out of this. Very interested in @Marcia Selsor reply to this, as she is doing so much experimental low fire with awesome results. The possibility of doing what she does at ^6 would be neat to see. True leader in the art. best, Pres

That sounds really interesting Marcia. Hope you post some results! best, Pres

Hi folks, once again nothing in the pool for QotW questions. . . Hope everyone knows where it is?? At any rate, after the last barrage on electric vs gas firings, I thought why not on firing temps? QotW: Earthenware or mid range Stoneware, What is your preference and why? This has been an interesting question for me over the years. I grew up as most of you remember with my parents painting bisqueware and having it fired. They could do it in the shop where they got the bisqueware and had it fired, or they could as they often did, work on it at home, sanding and glazing. I was never really much involved with it, being more interested in other things at the time. Then after three years of college with a Math/Science emphasis I ended up in a college ceramics class in the summer. This was ^10 gas fired stoneware, and wheel throwing, or handbuilding. I became too involved with the wheel to do much handbuilding. Glazing was simple dip and pour with brushed oxides, simple and direct I loved it! Another Ceramics class confirmed my love of ceramics. Then I went to teach at a large HS in Central PA. They were just ramping up with more art courses, and had added a new teacher the previous year, then me, for a department of 3. The teacher hired before me had started a ceramics class, and was doing cone 06 Earthenware clays form Amaco with Amaco glazes. I worked that year on the 2 speed Amaco wheel with students and over the next few years the program became mine, and I moved it to ^6 immediately as I really did not like the Amaco clay, and had checked out several of the clay bodies from SC, choosing one that I thought looked most like a ^10 body that was also good for handbuilding and throwing, SC 112. I also took several courses at PSU allowing me to explore more in the way of throwing(large) firing salt and regular reduction, and glaze formulation. After we bought a house with a garage, I decided to set up a shop. Bought a motorized kick, and a kiln. . . . I had gotten over ^10 knowing it would never work on main street. Earthenware? I really never liked the feel of it for throwing or otherwise. I always thought of it as being "not as nice", even the ring was false to me, and I know I will get some sour retorts on that statement, but it is IMHO. So once again, QotW: Earthenware or mid range Stoneware, What is your preference and why? So once again

Yeah, throwing this way will wear on you. I still open up large pieces with the pounding method, it takes less energy and makes a really well compressed base. Multiple section pots are tougher on one wheel as you are always shifting the bats. One of the many reasons I miss my old HS classroom! Even though it is quieter and easier to concentrate in the studio, I miss the kids. best, Pres

I inserted (gently) a drill bit approximately the same diameter as the hole on the tubes, Using thumbnail as a stop, top 3/16" as is the bottom, and the center is 1/4". Not anywhere near 3/8". @MinThe peep holes look to be close to 1/2 inch in diameter. I could line up a cone pack as in the old kiln, but would really be tough to see it, or at least to know what cone is down.