Pres

Gabby, They are for Savannah Bee, a honey company that is now selling my honey jars, mugs, and soon teapots. Nice catch on the decoration. I stamp them before shaping, that makes the images larger where they get expanded. The lids are stamped after trimming. best, Pres

LeeU Advanced Member Members 520 1,014 posts LocationNew Hampshire Report post (IP: 65.175.181.4) Posted 11 minutes ago I've been thinking a while about those of us who have spoken about various limitations, challenges, health impairments, disabilities, and so forth. Some folks have had to leave the Forums and reduce their work because of certain conditions of body and/or mind (tho I believe they are integrated, not two separate issues). There is no Forum particulary suited or appropriate for discussion about one's aches and pains, or serious impediments that affect our ability to work in, and enjoy working in, clay, or work-arounds that help make it easier to function and hang in there. So, my question is: Either generally or specifically, what do you think, feel, and/or do when confronted with moderate to serious/severe limitations of some aspect of health that alters how you work in clay?

So the pool does not have any recent contributions so I will ask:Do you use cloth towels, paper towels or other when in the shop to dry your hands, and clean things off? I have a tendency of using cloth towels in the shop, mostly the size of hand towels. I use an apron with clips on the front to hang the towel to. I used to use towels over my legs when throwing, but then when I got the new apron. . . this works much better. Cleaning hands etc, I usually clean off in throwing bucket first and then in a clean bucket of water to finish and then dry off with a towel. Dirty towels go into a 5gal. bucket of water to soak, then another to rinse a few days later. Then laundry. How do you handle cleaning hands, especially when pulling and making handles and applying them. I am always wiping my hands when working that way. best, Pres

Mark, That is what I call production. Heck I don't even have the space in my back yard for that much! Keep potting on! best, Pres

Working in the brick garage in Summer is an advantage as it stays cooler. This is yesterdays completion, as more were thrown. still need to rub off nubbies. best, Pres

As there were no new questions in the pool, and as I have been going through a bit of change of late. . . I will ask: When/How do you decide to take the next big jump, and change things around about your work? I have gone through about 5 variations in my work that I would call major. First when I started out, I was doing cone 10 redux, and using college glazes . When I started teaching, we were using ^06 glazes, and white clay from Amaco. A year later I took over the class and moved to ^6 with commercial glazes. A little after this, I started working at home as I had finished my 36 credits for permanent certification in PA. I bought a kiln (L&L) a used Amaco motorized kick and started firing ^6 with my own white glaze that was a dipped Bristol, with atomized textures from stains over top, brush strokes, and sgraffito. This lasted for a few years until I realized a couple of things, first in my area, I did not have enough pots doing part time to do good shows, and bad shows were not worth the time. At the same time I got a Summer two week job as an Interim Professor at a local college, said job paid me more than I could make at Penn State after 5 months of hard work after school and weekends. Lately however, my main concern was integrity vs sales. Finding that in most cases one begets the other. If you make good pots, and no one else has the same, you can sell well. However, as I am now 68 nearly 69 I really don't want to do the show route anymore, and neither does my wife. . . .big no there! Now my changes have been about form and style, actual texture has become major, and durability of glazes certainly has improved. I have gotten rid of the atomizer mostly in favor of a spray gun, I dip another white much more durable than the Bristol, and work with glazes I have mixed from research formulas or Insight, over the white sprayed on as in In-glaze. Change has come slowly at times, and in other cases very quickly. My new direction may last a few years, but then part of the fun is getting there. . . . wherever that may be. best, Pres

I have moved/merged the posts dealing with Lusters to Working with Lusters. I will leave it in the Studio Operations and Making Work area. best, Pres

Nancylee, we have discussed this in some other threads. I have had trouble having fingerprints made. Such a pain. Imagine the difficulty of id ing a body if little else is found. Now that we have dna testing not so much a problem. best, Pres

Callie, it was easy, I had my wife take the picture of my hands! Of course she had to ask the weird questions! best, Pres

Working hands, Mea! best, Pres

Yeah the older we get the more the bruising seems to happen. . . not even knowing how! best, Pres

Yeah, for the hands, I have most look like a lot less for wear than mine. As to the fingerprinting, I found that out a long time ago when I had to get printed for something. Couldn't get them, seemed there were two reasons, now swirls and did not seem to hold the ink well! Wonder why? At any rate folks, lets see those hands! best, Pres

I usually don't cut them much as when working they just wear short. I have not been in the shop for a few days, but back into it today. More orders. best, Pres

Yappystudent recently asked in the Question Pool for the QotW: Show of hands, pictures of potters hands. Really isn't a question, just a request so I made it into a question. . . What do your hands look like? So here are my hands, older, yet still in use!

Ohhh am I jealous of your system, now where to hang that chart!!! best, Pres

Callie Beller Diesel asked a question about organization a while back: I'm sitting here trying to organize some new things into my schedule, I am wondering how other full time clay folks organize their clay time vs office time? Do you dedicate certain whole days to one task or group of related tasks, or do you do some office work and some clay work every day? How does it change throughout the year, and how has it changed over time? Anyone with insights from other industries? When you were transitioning from more structured jobs to full time clay, how did you handle having to organize yourself? For those who aren't doing this full time, how do you organize your clay time into your schedule? What challenges do you have, and how do you problem solve? I am retired, and over the years have had a ton of paper work to do, and of late, I have to admit, I usually am last to do it. I keep the records for our family LLC up to date, and am still trying to determine how to keep them for the pottery. I keep receipts, billings, and other things, but have not organized them of late. For years I had counted off the pottery on taxes, but last year was the last of that according to my tax accountants, I didn't really make enough for it to matter. Maybe 1K a year. Here it is only June though and I have much more than that with the wholesale I am doing. Thankfully, I do not have to worry about sales tax. Did that in the 90's and it was always a bit of a hassle. As far as getting into the shop. I have a listing of orders I need to get done, have it prioritized, and have started on making again. I try to get at least 3 days a week in, and try not to do too much on Sunday, and save Thursday afternoon for bowling. I have funeral urns for two dogs to make, 20 communion sets, more mugs and honey jars, some more teapots and Christmas gifts for family. I am also waiting to hear about some more wholesale orders that have been mentioned. Presently I am trying to better organize as the one car garage has gotten really small as late. I am thinking of a wheeled platform for the heavier glaze materials, and glazes to wheel them out for use from under a large heavy shelving unit. I will move the bottom shelf up and use all of the shelving with much more order. That will probably mean moving some things out to a small shed in the unused driveway. I also want to move this shelving unit that stores all my glaze materials so that I can insulate the metal garage door. Then put it back, seal up windows and such. Lastly to figure out the best heat situation for the small brick garage/studio. best, Pres

Wedding Jar, the one posted earlier after glazing.

Lee U recently stated: sparked by my intention to make a clay toy for an event, how about a question about making clay toys? And for those who have made them, pics please and some comments about their construction. I don't know as I have ever made anything that would be considered to be a clay toy, but then I have to think about it a bit, because I actually have made a few things that would be considered toys while I was teaching. The first of these was small musical instruments, whistles, ocarinas and flutes. I started doing the whistles for my Ceramics classes as a smaller pinch pot project. I used a paper back book that described the process, and taught myself until I was able to not fail. I made 20 sets of tools to make them from chop sticks(first time I had used them for pottery tools), and started it as a project with my Ceramics 1's. Then I showed them to a Music teacher that taught Theory and Harmony(very tough music writing course). She thought her students would enjoy it at the end of the year, and there after every year we made them, experimenting over the years with decorated whistles, ocarinas and flutes. Had fun. Earlier, than this though, I had a student that brought in an old antique top point. The top had been made of ceramic, and had a metal point. Over the years the top had worn and cracked. The student wondered if we could make one to replace it. I cheated, as we used the wheel like lathe with the clay forming the outside, then digging out the inside when leather hard with the top held in a rubber sleeve on the GG. Fired, glazed, glaze fired, and then epoxy puttied the metal point into the top. Kid through it on the composite floor in the hallway, after wrapping the string. Did fine. I saw him 10 years later, and he said his grandpa could still use it, and they would throw it at times when they got together. The kid was a Lt in the army at the time. best, Pres

Sad to hear that, they were good wheels.

I believe you may find as Neil says that many of the parts are standard. If I remember correctly, the HP and MP wheel that I had at the HS used auto V belts. The HP wheel was built quite well, as was the MP even if under powered for me. Not much should wear out on them. best, Pres

Crunch time! best of luck, I can remember when Penn State was a few weeks away and 14hr days were the norm! best, Pres

I keep business cards with the pieces I have collected when I have one. I am looking into putting together either a database, or spread sheet of the artwork in the house now/ much of it does not need a card as much of it is mine from pottery to watercolor to acrylic paintings. I also have several prints of my own and of old students. Of the pottery Cynthia Bringle, Mea Rea, Tom Roberts, John Glick, Glenn Woods/Keith Herbrand and a few others are represented. I also have a hanging weaving of Jean Giddings, and three prints by Giovanni Bonazzon that are nicely framed. Many of these are because of travels, friendships, or chances to purchase work I really admire. best, Pres

Last week, Yappystudent posted the following question in the Question pool for the QotW: Do you collect pottery and ceramics? Not an unusual question to be asking fellow potters, but I don't remember anyone asking before. My answer to this is yes, I have collected a few pots here and there of late, to remember some excellent potters, and good times. I decided I needed to do more of this a few years ago when I visited Dwight Hollands home outside of Asheboro, NC while attending the NC Potters Conference. Dwight's home was a potters haven, and home to hundred if not thousands of pots. We were invited in for a quiet party, and Dwight told us all to handle the pots, enjoy them and have fun. I was nearly dizzy most of the night as I was touching pots and seeing actual pieces by people that I had only read about in books and magazines. I decided as much as possible I would begin purchasing pieces that would remind me of and experience, or a person for later years. So I have spent a very small amount collecting a few pieces that I treasure. My first ones had been at the conference, and others later, I also have some that were given to me as gifts, and have given others mine as gifts, humble as they are. I enjoy seeing them, and remembering a great demonstration, or a talk over coffee, or even a winning smile from them when first met. Memories. best, Pres

DHPotter had a studio question a few weeks ago: Do you back fill handles at the attachment point? If so, is it for aesthetic or structural reasons? I think that is a good process question, and as I have been having handle problems of late, I will address this. I used to add a pulled handle to mugs and pitchers that had a few knobs above, one large with two smaller on each side. At the bottom I did not back fill as in never seemed necessary. This was for years with the work, as I would arch the top handle up a bit, and reinforce above the handle with the 3 knobs that were worked into the handle. . center knob with a thumb imprint, other two with a rounded rib I made for the purpose. I have been looking at the dog bone handles that are pulled with round body, and thicker on top and bottom, and they seemed to be complete looking on some pots. . .just not for me. Nowadays, I cannot make the pulled ribbon handle I used to make, and have started doing extruder handles as my thumb has very little movement in the joint just below the thumb nail, and the thumb has a super wide joint. The extruder handles are working better, especially after I have made major changes in the dies with a dremel tool. However, as it seems to take a little less time, I have started to back fill in the bottom joint, smoothing it with a small rounded rib. They look good, but sometimes I forget to do it, so have seen them both ways. . don't know as there is a whole lot of difference if the handle is added on well, and finished well. I guess it is a personal decision, aesthetic at best, certainly not needed for strength. best Pres

I found that energy begets energy occurs in the classroom also. The more energy I put into demonstrating, getting around to the kids, excitement on my part about projects was returned to me and bounced back and forth by the students. If I was in a slump for some reason, they were too. In the end I found that even if I had a fever, cold and chills that pushing that energy out there made my day. . . and theirs. Of course I slept well at night!