Pres

The two grooves on the sides of the hole may confirm the fact that it is a baffle as it would allow the cover to he removed with tongs or some other device. The grooves will also allow a small amount of air flow. best, Pres

Years ago when I produced much more than now, I used an old refrigerator outside as a wet cabinet. Had to have a lock on it in order to use it that way it worked. The freezer compartment was especially nice for longer term small pieces. best, Pres

Google searches on Japanese pottery throwing methods do bring up quite a bit of information. You may find some Utube videos that will help you also. Years ago, I was having problems with S cracks in the bottom of small vessels off of the hump. . a utube video showed me to make a pancake on the hump and then bring up the sides and then pull the walls. This was a Japanese method. best, Pres

@Kaylahamyng Welcome to the forum, and may your experiences here be enlightening and enjoyable. best, Pres

The damp sponge would soften too much of the bottom of the pieces. The board separates the wetness, but keeps the atmosphere damp enough for storage. I usually take the pieces out earlier than I trim/assemble so they can stiffen a bit. best, Pres

Hi folks, I am getting ready to get back to work in the shop and I was thinking of things I need to get ready for the work I will be doing. I have decided to do some more teapots, and chalices myself and for orders. Much of what I do is in batches, where I may throw 15 stems for chalices, and then throw 15-16 bowls. Teapots, I usually throw 6 bodies, and then the lids, and spouts. This requires storage for the pieces until the bodies are trimmed. Same happens with the chalices. My best way of storing large amounts of pieces is to have a rubbermaid type container with a damp sponge across the bottom and a board over the the sponge. The stems are usually stored in a round container with a plate over top of the damp sponge. I know that several of you have talked about plaster in the same type of containers, but these work for me. Larger slab/wheel constructions I store under a plastic bag. QotW: What is your preferred method of storage for work in Progress?

I also use about 5 glazes. These are glazes I had in the HS studio where I had learned which glazes played well with others. One of the advantages of teaching in a HS studio was that the students always wanted this color or that, never happy with just 5. We had I think around 20 -30 glazes. Some in small containers (qt) some in 5 gallon buckets. I make all of mine up in 5 gallon buckets as I use them for dipping and layering with spraying. I figure larger amount is OK, as they do not pancake and when Spring comes I mix what is in the buckets and double strain through an 80 mesh screen. Periodically I screen to remove any bisque or other residue. best, Pres

I am still jealous of your milder weather @Mark C.. best, Pres

February is almost hear, and after some time where the shop has been frozen, I have to start planning for the coming months of getting started in the shop. February will start with a little more clean up and organization from the November effort. However my one of my first tasks once that is done is to get a glaze load of pottery in that I held off on purpose. I had made urns for my sister in law, and my 97 yr old Dad. The inner lids for both of those have to be fired so that the folks ashes can be sealed in for internment. I now know the dates of death that go on the top of the inside lid. Got me to thinking about what you will be doing in the shop in February, or March ceramic wise. QotW: What are your plans ceramic wise for February and March? best, Pres

The original recipe for Magic Water by Lana Wilson is: 1 gallon water 3 Tablespoons liquid sodium silicate 1 1/2 teaspoon soda ash -OR- 1 gallon water 9.5 grams sodium silicate 3 grams soda ash You will find many variations of this on the web if you do a search. I use the one listed above. best, Pres

When I was teaching HS, in the Summers I ran classes for younger children in Ceramics. I had morning sessions of 2-3 hrs. We would handbuild, and I would have the kids pots in the kiln that afternoon for the bisque firing! No big secret, as I had what was known as a downdraft table (2) in the room. As soon as the students finished their constructions we would put them on the table which would be running. In about 1/2 and hour the pieces would be cheese hard, then 15 minutes later leather hard. This depending on the size of the pieces. These tables are often used in wood working shops and industry to keep dust and fibres out of the air. If you can find one or build one they are awesome for quick work. Otherwise set up an area with lots of fans and place the pots in it upside down. best, Pres

When working with students in the early years I had quite a bit of trouble with students not getting tight joins in slab construction, coil or when joining handles. At the time we were using slip as I did not know anything else for a proper join. I was teaching about compression to make certain the pieces stayed together, but still had problems with the joins students made. In the late 80's I came across reference to "magic water" in a Ceramics Monthly. It took me a while to decide to try it, but when I did I found that overnight my problems with joins in the student pots dropped dramatically. I also found that the joins were cleaner, and overall there were fewer gaps in all of the constructions. If you are not using it. . . I would recommend it. best, Pres

Hi folks, yesterday, @Minposted in the Question of the Week pool. . . .a suggestion for QOTW would be what other creative things are you involved with? This in response to a posting by @Hyn Patty where she says I have a million other things I do. QOTW What other creative things are you involved with? Myself, being retired, I have quite a bit more time on my hands than many of you. Because of this my regular activities changed and expanded. Where I used to bowl 1 night a week, now I bowl 3-4 afternoons a week depending on what week it is. I also exercise quite a bit, kayak when the weather is good, paint, draw, and other artistic venues. I often work in the HS Ceramics studio in the Winter aiding the Art teacher with the adult Ceramics class I started when I was teaching. We travel, next trip a cruise at ports in Japan with excursions, and then one later in the year to Greece. Yeah, I stay busy. best, Pres

Well I guess this weeks question is a complete bust! best, Pres

Peep holes of newer kilns are smaller, However I still check color from time to time using a mirror on a stick with a flex arm. This allows me to get the right angle to see inside especially if looking for a cone. In truth though this is not needed on my new kiln as I find it fires SPOT ON! best, Pres

When I was just starting out in the Art Ed department of a small state college, I had few resources to fall back on when exploring Ceramics. There was the text book Ceramics, Nelson. There was also the library that had maybe 75 to 100 books on Ceramics. There were also the Art History books that had sections on Ceramics. Occasionally I would find a Ceramics Monthly, but not much in the way of magazines. Thinking about this makes me really happy that the internet has given us much in the way of good, with some evil. Forgetting the last part I find that it is so easy to look up a potter, and technique, or explore all sorts of directions dealing with Ceramics. Often general searches though will bring me right back to the forum or some other branch of the ICA'N and Ceramic Arts Network. So just wondering. . . QotW: What resources do you find yourself of ICAN origin when searching for information about Ceramics? Please be specific. best, Pres

@Kelly in AK, I used to be the same, thinner was the mantra, especially in front of students. However, my old self would have gasped at the weight of the floor vases I have made for my wife and some others, but they do not tip over very easily and support long strands and branches without a problem. best, Pres

@JEM I edited your post to get more traffic. The title will also make searches by others easier in the future. best, Pres

A long time ago I used to do a demonstration of the the 3 thrown forms, Cylinder, bowl, and plate using a set amount of clay that I would divide into 3 pieces to do the demonstration. Usually this was 4# making it easy to make a small bowl, a mug and a saucer. Larger amounts allowed for larger pots. The whole idea was to get the students to understand that those were the forms that were the basis for all other forms. I know that most of you throwers and some of you handbuilders are pretty meticulous about working with weights of clay. Give us some examples of weights for a coffee mug, or beer mug or a cereal bowl or other bowl. Pictures would be cool also. QotW: What can you do with ___ pounds of clay? best, Pres

My wedging table is covered with heavy canvas purchased years ago for that purpose. However I now have a plywood top that fits over the canvas that I wedge on. . . less dust, just as easy to wedge on once you get used to it. best, Pres

Looking at your pictures I agree with others that the form was thrown too thick, and needed more aggressive thinning to make up for the difference. I Love throwing large bowls, and other forms for the kitchen, and these require a major amount of wedging of the clay, Mastering the clay on the wheel(coning up and down), and aggressive pressure from the base up into the cylinder walls. Throwing a bowl starts with a rounded interior when opening up, and most of the pressure during pulling is from the outside with more of a flat fingers on the interior keeping the curve of the base into the cylinder then when sufficient pulls have thinned the base the walls are shaped from the inside. My favorite tool for this is a large wooden spoon with the handle cut off and the edges rounded out where the handle had been attached. Whether a dish(flat interior bottom) or bowl (rounded interior bottom) the trimming is important to make certain there are no areas in the base that are thicker than normal fo any thrown piece. All this IMHO, meant to be helpful, not critical. best, Pres

Maria, could you edit the title of your topic to something like. . . . Availability of Poppy decals, or Retailers for poppy decals. this will get more traffic to the topic, and would ensure future searches by the search engine will snag the content. best, Pres

Hi folks, sorry things are late for this weeks QotW, but I have been self quarantined for much of the Christmas holiday, things are negative now. I know that some of you out there make your own tools, and some feel it is time consuming using the time saved with purchased items to make more pots. However, there are some of you that make your own tools, whether it be ribs, throwing sticks, dies or other things. I do wonder though how many of you make your own brushes? In the past (college days) I had access to deer hair, and some other animal hairs as I hunted and knew folks that trapped and had some other types of hair. I began experimenting with rolling the ends in paraffin, and wiring to a stick. Simple brushes, but interesting how course hair and fine hair would give me different effects, They were fun for in-glaze brush work with accents of dark stains or glazes. Their biggest attraction was the uncontrollability as compared to a commercial brush. Yet after a while, it seemed there was little time to make new, and they did not hold up well especially when dealing with some course glazes or stains. QotW: Have you ever experimented with making you own brushes? Please elaborate on how you did it. best, Pres

Brown lung is nothing to sneeze about, but most of us will not have a problem. You may notice drops in ox levels over the years, but most of this is age. Discuss with your dr your concerns, take precautions, and really . . . don't worry. Be proactive, clean up, keep scraps wet, cover containers, Fill containers from bags in well ventilated areas, use sponges and wet mops whenever possible. best, Pres

Try staining the emblem, wiping off high area. . . . . do not wipe off the rest of the pot, but make certain has been dampened before the staining and wipe. Then glaze. The additional water in the emblem should cut the absorption of the glaze to some degree allowing the stain to show through revealing the emblem. best, Pres