Pres

Went to a orthopedic surgeon last week. My biggest concern was some cysts that have appeared on the lt wrist, and the rt second finger knuckle. X-rays of both hands have revealed areas of arthritis on second joints of fingers. In the end the Dr. asked about my pain, I answered that there was discomfort, not pain, and that I would work in the clay when things got sore and it would go away. He said that when it got bad to let him know and he could fix it. How I asked? "fuse the joints causing the pain. I said Why would I do that, as I got up to leave! best, Pres

@JohnnyKThat is not a little pat on your back, take a bow! Major applause! best, Pres

Hi folks, there has not been a new question occuring in the QotW pool so I will bring forth a new one. I have been getting back into the shop of late as I have started bowling again and time is limited. However, I was assembling chalices, both pouring and regular, for communion sets, and found them going together very well, with the use of the a slight change in plumbing chuck on the GG. My original chuck had a taller rise of @10". I decided I did not need that height for the stem to fit into when trimming them, so I cut off 4" to make the pipe section 6" tall. Much more stable, and easier to use. Still have longer 8" section if needed. Big improvement with a little tweaking has made trimming the stems easier, and thus the whole assembly process is easier. My pat on the back! So what have you done of late, small or large that you can say "Well Done" or as a QotW: What have you done of late that makes you think "Done well" or pat yourself on the back? best, Pres

@Callie Beller Dieselrecently queried in the QotW pool: I think we need a thread on all the intrepid studio pets out there! How many dogs out there are eating dried trimmings? Any cats insisting on “collaborating” while the clay is wet, or on photo day? I really haven't had any pets in the shop, so I can't attest to the animals getting into the shop. Ohh wait, there was one incident several years ago. We have a garage that I have claimed as my shop. It is brick, and had an old door, that sometimes in the weather would blow open. I had it happen one winter, and did not notice it, probably for a few days. I did hear something one night late, sounded outside, but didn't see anything from the front bedroom window, sounded like quite a cat fight. I did notice the open garage door, later, and closed it. As winter is pretty well too cold for the brick garage, it was Spring before I was in there again. Shop had an odd sickly sweet odor that I recognized from previous experience. . . searched for a while to find the source. . . a large dead rat that look like it had been pretty much torn apart by more than one cat, but I don't know how many were involved. Yep only animal situation in the shop, took a while to clean it all out, but no more rats since. so once again, How many dogs out there are eating dried trimmings? Any cats insisting on “collaborating” while the clay is wet, or on photo day? best, Pres

Of course if it is battery votive, no problem. best, Pres

@Callie Beller Diesel, Years ago, probably in the early 80's, I bought a set of cookie cutters themed on the 12 days of Christmas. They were high quality vinyl/plastic and had ribbed decoration to decorate details in the cookies. A little alteration in them made them perfect for slab Christmas ornaments. We only stained them, and added a nice red or green bow to them and gave them to the support staff at the HS for all their service as Christmas gifts. Much appreciated, and I still hang some on our tree. Wish I could find the set, as it got lost in moving years back. best, Pres

Great video source, best, Pres

Hi folks, no new questions in the question pool, so I will pose one for you hand builders. QotW: When slab building, do you use a form , work from a template, or from scratch? I used to teach all ages of children during my career, either HS when in the regular year, or middle school and elementary in Summers and after regular school hours. During this time I taught using slump molds, hump molds, rock forms, and other ways of creating pottery over a form with a slab. I also taught my HS students to do front, side and top projections to base measurements on to create geometric forms like fairy houses and other things. I never taught my favorite way of constructing with slabs which was to do a planning sketch of what I wanted to build and then roll out a few slabs and start working to create the sketch. These usually ended up quite detailed, and at the same time took hours, but as a side project when teaching the kids, it got them to be a little more innovative in their own forms. Once again, I will ask When slab building, do you use a form , work from a template, or from scratch? best, Pres

The amount of alterations needed to the electric putty gun are very minimal, just a matter of sanding down the inside pieces on the plunger and getting a piece of tubing and end piece from the hardware store. best, Pres

Yup, Dr.s involved with all of my decisions, but I am proactive about my health going in with questions for answers. Have had to since there have been some mistakes in the past. Just had xrays for hands, and will see what is recommended, and what I will be willing to risk. No one told us that the Golden Years were tarnished! best, Pres

There is this. . . https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/clay-tools/making-clay-tools/diy-clay-tools-video-contest-finalist-2/ and my own version is on my blog site that shows using an electric putty gun for a hand held extruder. best, Pres

Tough decisions as we get older @Dottie. Most o f this is personal decision, but I will let you know what I have been doing. Retired 2009, do part time pottery mostly in the non Winter months. I have had cysts, with bone spurs, one operated on, and it killed the joint on the rt thumb. I recycle all my clay with wedging, and throw most of my pieces. I used to pull handles with my rt hand, but now use an extruder to make handles for mugs and other pieces that require handles. I used to take NSAID for pain, mostly just before bowling, as I am an avid bowler at 3 times a week. I have found that the pain of the hands goes away when I am using them. The more I use them the longer the pain seems to stay away. However. as I used to teach most handbuilding techniques in HS, I know how much the pinch pot forms can affect the hands, especially as you get older. Maybe you could resort to a hybrid form with coils, or extruded forms working on the sculptural pieces that way. I think if you love what you do you will find ways to adapt. best, Pres

@Sorcery, 8#s? best, Pres

@LeeUrecently posted: I read something on one of the threads about formulating an oil/wax/clay material to use for making forms for slipcasting. I'd like to see some discussion regarding the slipcasting that Forum members do/have done. Process & product, w/a few pics, ideally! I usually make have some sort of personal reference for these questions, but alas not much here. My only experience with slip casting is that my parents did some casting and glazing at the local rec centers on bases. They enjoyed doing it for many years, and then on one move no longer had access to the craft. QotW:What sort of forms do you use when doing slipcasting? best, Pres

Min, are you throwing these in one piece, or in two pieces? I would think that a single thrown piece would work, with a bit of trimming at the base of the cone, and some trimming in the plate for the double foot rims. Other alternative would be to texture a slab, then create the cone and join to the thrown base. best, Pres

Ah silly, yeah, disastrous, could be. Considering the cone 10 to ^6 difference, my best bet that you sculpture could fall apart, possibly affecting other pieces in the kiln. I will depend on where the joins are, how the piece will be set in the kiln, and whether it will get the full effects of the kiln atmosphere. Personally, I would build another. However, if you don't have the time, I would make certain that the powers that be, kiln loaders and firers know exactly what you have done. best, Pres

Hi folks, no new questions in the pool, so I will pose one. I was recently watching a youtube video posted from House Beautiful about Heath Ceramics in S.F.. The video shows some interesting things including the use of a Griffin Grip! This production pottery also shows quite a bit of trimming, some throwing and ware on the storeroom walls. I was enthralled with the amount of trimming done with the GG, and how much trimming was done. I had always been taught to trim only the base, and make my throwing thin enough to not need trimming, and to use ribs when in need of smooth surfaces. Quite different story here in the video. This makes me reevaluate my values in the way of time, expediency, and even aesthetics. I have on occasion believed a piece was too heavy, and would trim some weight off up the sides, but very infrequently, Not being judgemental, as a teacher I would always encourage/require my students to get the most out the clay walls even testing them on height/weight throwing. Now I wonder if I was imposing my own learned biases on my students. So it brings to mind the question for my own justification or approval/disapproval. .. . QotW: How much do you trim? best, Pres

I use a piece of plastic, cut from a bag, soaked in water over the wheel pins and head, place the wooden bats on top and away we go. Wrote this up as an article in the studio tips for CM. best, Pres

Hi folks, once again no new questions in the question pool so. . . . . I have been thinking about some of the devices that people have mentioned of late that have changed the way they work or made some tasks easier. I, as all of you well know by now, rely on the Griffin Grip, but at this point, that is old news and old technology having asserted itself to many as a useful tool. I have heard others mention the digital scales for mixing up glazes, but I still use a triple beam balance to do my measuring. Extruders have been a big deal in the last 30 years, so they are not really new. All of that said, I believe my new favorite piece of equipment in the shop is the battery operated hand held putty gun that I converted to an extruder. The dies cannot be very big, but big enough for handles, and feet, gallery rims on hand made or altered thrown pieces or even thin coils for under pieces being fired. I find it has especially made my handles much more shapely as the old pulled handles no longer looked craftsmanly. A definite solution to the problem. I will ask of you to think about your levels of technology and answer: QotW: What is your latest favorite piece of equipment, either mechanical or electronic?

Learning to say "no" is a hard lesson to learn. One I still haven't mastered when it comes to family. best, Pres

I loved my college years with gas kilns, the large kilns at PSU were great for the large pieces I made, and the glazing was easy with a large combination of dipping, pouring or splattering glazes with some brush work. However, how was a poor art teacher to have a gas kiln living in the middle of town? Thus 10 years after graduation I started a small pottery with ^6 electric. Easy transition as I was already teaching ^6 at the HS. I will say that the glazing at the college was easier to get moderate results. However, to even get moderate results at ^6 takes much more awareness of glaze interaction and application. Things I never did in college, like spraying or atomizing, dipping thin over thick, use of multiple transparencies or other things seem to be the only way to get what I want out of glazing. However, with the movement toward more texture in the making process while throwing, I yearn for the ^10 glaze process to some degree or even wood firing. best, Pres

QotW: Have you ever been forced to go to the darks side? Yeah, did I get your attention? My question of the week is more about being forced to move into less familiar territory for a project using techniques of materials that you are not as familiar with. A little analogy here. . . years ago in my grad years, I took a course in experimental drawing. . .? The course entailed design principles, grounds, and media, not in the common realm of working for most artists. It force those in the class to reassess their skills and work with a shift in their concepts of what art was. I did several pieces that turned out surprisingly well, even though I struggled through the unmapped territory of producing them. Of late, I have been working with wooden forms, and slabs to create some butter dishes. I am predominantly a thrower, but like to combine slabs and thrown components into larger sculptural forms. However, the butter dish thing has made me work with a technique I have never tried before, and so it is kind of dark territory. I will be going back to the drawing board, as much of the pieces I recently glaze fired DO NOT FIT! Loss of time and effort, but not to be overcome, I will be adapting some new ideas to make this work. So I will present the question again, QotW: Have you ever been forced to go to the darks side? best, Pres

@Callie Beller Diesel no I haven't, will check them out. I finished the Seventh Realm series and the sequel lately, if you like fantasy, good read. best, Pres