Pres
-
Posts
5,626 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Posts posted by Pres
-
-
Hi folks, this last week @Pyewackette posted a question in the pool. Even though I think we have covered this sometime this year, it never hurts to approach from a different angle.
@Pyewackette posted:
QoW: What clay body or bodies do you work with and what do you like about it/them? What is the impetus for working with one or multiple clay bodies? Corollary: do you make your own clay, and why
My thoughts on this are pretty simple. I use two clays for the last several years, a white clay SC630 that is quite nice to throw and takes my glazes that have used for years quite well. I also use a SC Hazelnut Brown to give me a different set of colors when working. No change in glazes as they look different but darker on the Hazelnut. As far as mixing my own clay. . . not enough space, too much dust, too much mess, more equipment, and too much work! i'll order mine premixed and ready to go!
best,
Pres
- Hulk and Pyewackette
-
2
-
@GeniumI added a prefix to your post title. If you would edit the post and change the title to something other than your name, you would get more traffic on the post, and the search engines would be able to pick up the post when someone in the future needs help with the same topic.
Welcome to the forum, hope you find your answers!
best,
Pres
-
I pour outside, finger swipe, spray through stencils. . . weeds, found objects. . . .lace, artificial branches etc, all over textured surfaces that break the glaze even more.
best,
Pres
-
3 hours ago, Min said:
We do our own kiln repair but there is something that came to our attention regarding installing kilns. When we were shopping around for a new home insurance policy quite a number of years ago most home insurance providers wouldn't insure me unless I could prove a licensed electrician did the direct wiring for the kilns.
@Min I also had an electrician put in my kiln line as there is a gray area in the local code about 220 line installation. When we set up the garage to be separate from the house kiln line was put in as part of the job. I also had the line for the heat put in by an electrician. However all of the repairs on the old kiln including replacement of coils, insulators, switches etc had been done by me. The new kiln, who knows if I get to the point of repairing it.
best,
Pres
-
@Mark C.Amen to "Potter for me means the whole of an all-arounder. " and everything else you said.
best,
Pres
-
Hi folks, I have seen a LOT of kilns having problems of late on the forum. Many folks asking for help/advice on whether a kiln is worth fixing, or if they should buy a certain questionable kiln. Makes me wonder how many people know enough about kilns to repair them by their self or if they will hire a tech for their problems. I can remember back when I first started firing an old Amaco kiln that there were all sorts of problems with the coils falling down, and bricks breaking because I jammed a shelf against it. Then we got a new kiln, and had an electrician come in to wire it to the wall, and set it up. He knew wiring, but didn't know much about kilns. . . relied on me, which by then I had gotten a little more savvy about what I fired. When the first element burned out a few years later, I reported it, and waited and waited, ordered new ones, and waited. Then I had an afternoon where there was a pep rally and teachers were in-servicing. I asked for the time, and an hour after everyone left I had replaced the elements. Next week the electrician arrived checking on the kiln came to me asking what was wrong. I explained everything and asked him to check over the work. He pulled the box checked the leads ran a few tests with a multimeter, came back and said it was all good. Said there was a kiln up at the Jr high that was having problems and asked if I would go up and look at it with him. . .said sure!
SOooooo ! QotW: Do you repair your kiln, or hire an electrician/specialist to do the job?
best,
Pres
-
Yes, 2024 in Richmond VA.
best,
Pres
-
I slice and slam my bags of recycle often with part of a freshly opened bag. I use a wiggle wire to do this, and spray water between layers. After cutting through the blocks once to combine I slam and re-block to cut from another direction until all sides have been cut and slammed. Then the clay gets wedged using the cone method. I started doing the same as her putting the point down when I found that large plates would seem to survive better in that manner. My biggest complaint of the video. . . as much as she explains the process and demonstrates it well, her wedging table is very inefficient! The table should be lower so that the wedging motion uses more of the shoulder and body to move the clay. When I wedge, the motion of the wedging lifts the shoulders and stretches the spine. . . that is why I have said so often that I wedging relieves the pain in my back. The rocking and stretching helps a lot, especially on days when the weather change causes those old aches from old injuries to flair up.
IMHO
best,
Pres
-
I believe that you could set up a live feed with most any older camcorder or a recent digital using ports in the TV connected to the USB post in the camera. Does the TV have a model make and model # where you could look up the manual online if you don't have it?
best,
Pres
- PeterH and Pyewackette
-
2
-
@April Lemadter, sorry to hear that. I used the 112 for years at the HS where I taught. Always had good luck with it and the kids seemed to think well of it. We often would have recycled batches at the beginning of the year and when they were done the new stuff. Maybe the sitting in the warm room helped with the shortness as SC makes a lot of clay in the Summer for new school years. I recycled everything at the close of the school year mostly kept the clay in 50gal. buckets with wet towels over top and tight lids.
best,
Pres
-
Nice pictorial, great way to make a strap handle that matches the surfaces/fluidity of a casserole or other piece.
best,
Pres
-
I just finished up reservations for NCECA this year and was wondering if anyone else is going. I do know of a friend of mine that I have watched her work for years, worked on committees, and attended a few NCECA's when she was there. She will be there this year. I hope to see her. Anyone else going? If so I hope you get your paper work in now as things are filling up.
QotW: Is anyone going to NCECA this year?
best,
Pres
-
I would thin that any sort of vinyl flooring over concrete would act as a moisture barrier of sorts, Interesting, as I set over an underground river.
best,
Pres
-
Looks like there is something goofy going on with the 3rd row of elements. . . as the elements are not setting in the bottom channel, or there is no front wall to the bottom channel of the bricks under the lid hinge area. Also the area where the lid hinge is will need to be completely replaced.
All IMHO of course!
best,
Pres
-
Several years ago, I built a deck attached to the garage and house. 2 layers, no help building the framing at all. Used one corded hammer drill and two different cordless drills. Charged over night batteries lasted all day. Dad helped me put on composite decking. Don't know how I would have done it using corded drills with cords all over the place.
The only electric putty gun out there was by Ryobi at the time. Easy to make a fake putty tube out of cvc pipe. used regular pipe fittings to finish up. Had to modify the plunger head to fit the cvc inside diameter. Great idea suggested by @Minthat has been used for handles ever since.
best,
Pres
-
I have had some success with firing vitrified pieces in a glaze firing. 1) Heat up the piece 2) Dip or pour quickly as there will be more thick drips if too slow. Fire as normally.
The pieces I have fired in this manner do not look like the rest of my ware, but are more transparent in glaze, have color but also more of the color of the clay. stain decoration over top is excellent, but again it does not look like my work at all.
best,
Pres
-
Before I transitioned to mixing my own from scratch, I used to order ART and Minnesota Clay glazes in 25# bags. This allowed me to mix what I needed from year to year, and not have problems with the glazes drying out or getting had in the bottom of a jar. This was long before Amaco came out with their Potters Choice line of glazes. I noticed that they offer these premixed and bulk bags also. If I were still using premixed glazes they would be a good option.
best,
Pres
-
Yesterday I was at a local apple orchard, that is a neat place in our area. It has a great weekend luncheon menu, with a great apple chicken salad, and quiche which my wife loves. It also has a variety of food items nick knacks and other things along with the work of a potter. Looking at her work, I got to thinking about how many of us pour, dip, spray, splatter, or squirt bottle our glazes on as opposed to the brushing on of glazes either in large strokes or intricate patterns. I love to dip glazes now, over top of stained textures with overlapping sloppy drips that I spray multiple layers of other glazes over to build up the surface. My parents were hobby folks in the day, and would painstakingly brush each hand, sleeve, and smile of the Santa Mugs, or the pitchers and vases that they hand decorated. Of course they were cast bisqueware, and it was relaxing and gratifying when they came out looking exactly how they expected. For me, that amount of hours for one piece is tiresome and boring, but we still have and treasure those pieces they made so many years ago at Hickam AFB.
QotW: Are you Dipper, Pourer, Sprayer, sponger, squirter, or Brusher? Please elaborate, include pictures if you can.
best,
Pres
-
-
Another thought here of help is to become friends with the folks in the Federal Programs offices. I had several of these taking the adult ceramics classes over the years including the director. Also had an assistant principal take the class, along with secretaries of upper administrators. When someone experiences ceramics on a learning level, and learns how to work with the potters wheel, glazes, helps to load a kiln and unload it. .. things become real and relevant.
best,
Pres
- Min and Callie Beller Diesel
-
2
-
I use something similar to the "squirrel mixer" it mixes well, and works the stuff off the bottom. I don't have any glazes that hard pan.
best,
Pres
- Pyewackette and Rae Reich
-
2
-
Over the years as a teacher, I have noticed several benefits to a wide range of students. There are those that take ceramics to fill a schedule, yet find that they are seduced by the feel of the clay in their hands, or the ability to visualize and create in 3 dimensions with a material that is lasting and quite durable. There are students with poor health or debilitating diseases that are unable to write for long or do other things, but the simple manipulation of the clay, and the drive to create something with such a malleable material strengthens the muscles in the hands and the arms allowing the student to write longer without tiring, and to do other things never done before. Then there are students that fill the schedule with something they underestimate, and end up finding connections to architecture and engineering, chemistry and physics, or even sculpture and fine arts or even the study of history and civilization as influenced by ceramics. Long gone are the days of the ugly ash tray, or the misshapen mug as new art teachers have backgrounds that cover the years of the revivals in the 60's through the nineties.
However, getting an administrator to spring money for a kiln is difficult. I started with an old box shaped kiln and ended up in the end with two large L& L's with setters. Start small, work out a proposal, write up the unit for ceramics or even a proposal for a whole class. Check with NCECA for resources on classes and curriculum ideas. Peruse the internet for examples of exemplary practices in grade school ceramics. Don't give up, keep diligent. Over time you can win them over, but it takes constant harping to do it, Not every day , but at least once or twice a year.
best,
Pres
-
Hi folks, last week was pretty specific about floor covering to assist in alleviating pain, and trying to stay healthy. This got me to thinking of the discussions that involved working on the wheel, and even working in the shop on various projects. I am one of those that still sit to throw, using a chair designed for throwing (Speedball) yet, I have a stool in the studio that is of variable height that I use often when doing detail work at the wedging table, or when glazing or other sorts of table work. I especially like the stool when doing slab assembly and detailed incising in clay slabs. This stool is heavily padded with an easily cleanable surface and also has a foot ring for when the stool is set higher.
QotW: Sit or Stand, and on what type of Surface/Furniture?
best,
Pres
-
There has been quite a bit of discussion lately among the mods and others about aches and pains. Specifically back pains of late. This got me to thinking about the things we as potters can do to alleviate back pain or to prevent it. . .So I will start the discussion off with:
QotW: What type of floor or floor coverings do you have in the shop?
Myself, I have concrete a floor that is over an underground river. This floor in the winter is Ice cold, and in the Summer often damp from moisture below. I have covered much of the wedging area with puzzle locking foam, as it is relatively firm, and yet shock absorbing. It also separates the floor area around the wedging table and work areas from track areas or the areas where wheeled dollies will roll. I believe it does help when wedging rather than on the bare floor.
best,
Pres
New L & L kiln -- first glaze load very overfired
in Equipment Use and Repair
Posted
@NanS, I had the same problem as you a few years ago when firing my new L&L. I followed Neil's instructions after some back and forth and now my firings are consistent at ^6. Not hard to do, and as I came from an all manual kiln. . . .I get more sleep at night!
best,
Pres