Pres

Folks, lets give credit where credit is due. I am only a facilitator on the this Qotw thing, as I try to choose questions from the question bank that is in the ICAN forum section. LeeU posted this question just last week, and so here it is. . . thank her.
Thank you LeeU!
best,
Pres

Yeah, I am on medicare, and have T2 diabetes. I would not want to be looking for insurance at this point as the premiums for T2 are through the roof. I am controlled, and don't have to take meds, but anyone that knows me knows that I am very strict on my diet. I don't test, unless feeling ill, but have had an A1C below 6 since 2010. Diagnosed in 2009 just 3 months before retirement. 
Yappy, sorry to hear of your condition, but you seem to be handling things well, and still learning.  . . thats a good thing. Keep on keeping on as much as you can. Loved the Oregon coast, lived in Seattle for 7 years. great times.
 
 
best,
Pres

It sounds like you are handling a difficult situation brilliantly. I am not ill but a young one I love beyond measure is seriously, permanently ill, and I am glad for medicaid.

As I mentioned before somewhere I have leukemia. When I was diagnosed I promised myself a few things. One, I would do what I wanted the way I wanted as much as possible from then on with the time I have left. Working with clay to some extent gives me a focus and relieves my depression to a large extent, helps me to handle my fear, and though I don't really believe in 'legacies' it's sort of nice to know that a few things I made will be around a long time after I'm gone. Right now I actually feel physically pretty good and thought I was doing well in remission. A visit about a week ago with my oncologist cleared my hopes up when he said it's time for me to get in line for a bone marrow transplant. Hm, yes, well.
Anyway, on the bright side I got to quit my job (after not being able to finish a shift at work due to having pain from a swollen spleen, a health care provider with no health care, thanks to the heartless health care system in the US) three years ago when I finally walked into an ER and got diagnosed. I'd been managing and working through horrible symptoms undiagnosed for at least two years not knowing what I had. The ER doc suddenly got excited saying my white cell counts were off the scale and I was rushed over to another hospital in the middle of the night, put into all sorts of contraptions, IV's inserted, etc. The oncologist assured me I didn't have long if it was one type, about 25 yrs if another. My only thought was "Christ I can finally quit my job!" -that's how much I hated it. After recovering and getting social security and medicaid worked out, I sold my wee house in Idaho, (also hated Idaho, I'm from CA originally, seriously a fish out of water) and used the money to move to a place I love on the Oregon coast. Anyway I'm cramming as much of what I want, that I can afford on next to nothing, into what's left. Not everyone gets the news they better get their affairs in order and have such and such time left to do it. Most of the time, I'm grateful, not always. 

Pres,
Recipe for wadding box:
Start with a big C-clamp, or 
a  big Double Anvil C-Clamp, or 
something like IRWIN QUICK-GRIP 0.75-in Clamp, 
some scraps of 1x4 and 1x6 planks,
some nails, glue, etc., 
your own creativity, and 
you can make one of those wadding boxes your self.  
LT
 
 

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? 
 

Mark is the first ridge on your bowl for catching any running glazes?   Denice

Yes many of my glazes run and a good foot ring catches them.Its also my signature style of foot. A solid strong foot is something most pots need.
learning to make a  good strong solid  non chip foot is a key deal. I spent a year working with a mentee on her foot style.Most just ignore the foot or half -a--one or do not have one.Good feet are part of good pots.All that said I have a few forms that I do not have feet on. I used to 40 years ago foot everything .
In my temp range of cone 11 porcelain many glazes are moving and they fill that foot space above the foot.
My pie plates for example are flat bottomed but still have the side edge foot that catches glazes.
If you are working in cone 06 runny glazes will not be an issue but a good foot on a pot will always look better.

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

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

Well lets see the past two days has been high production-These pots which I'm sponging on the white table and in the far distance (not the ones that need handles or trimming on plaster bats) where loaded today at noon and are now at 8pm about 1200 degrees. I sponged them today in sun dried them a few hours -still wet and slow fired them about 10 hours in gas car kiln today/night
That load was about 150 spoon rests and 60 sponge holders and a lot of mugs and bowls some where serving size.
Glaze day is friday
 

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
 

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
 

Wedding Jar, the one posted earlier after glazing.

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
 

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
 

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
 

Wedding Jar, the one posted earlier after glazing.

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

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!

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

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!

I'm not a big spend time in the office guy. As it is I have to bookkeep more than I would like and I try to limit this to winter hours as much as I can. I try to spend time outside more in outside season and less office time. If the weather is crappy then its office time.
Also now that I'm only doing 6 shows and more wholesale /and some consignment then planning is less hard. 
I have always done the same shows so I do not have to think much about when as they are always about the same times yearly.
I used to calendar up as Mea does now but it no longer like that for me. I used to work backward from the show to calculate the fires and times.
But now for example I have a show next week on the 4th of July-I packed 95% of van last week. All the pots are in that load. There is some what I call loose ends left to add but its not pottery.
I'm working towards my Big summer show in Anacortes Wa and most of that work is also done and just needs to be unloaded from two kilns priced and packed. I still need to make some wall fish art and some more spoon rests (just threw 200 in last two days)
I tend to glaze on Mondays or Fridays-Glaze fire on Saturdays or Tuesdays. Throw Heavy on Tuesdays and Wednesdays -deliver pots on Thursdays to markets-Unload and price on Fridays-this is General schedule not fixed in stone and it varies.Things like fishing diving or shows change this basic schedule
At a certain point you just know what needs doing without much thought and an office/computer is not needed.
I make a list at the show of whats needed to fill in the stock and work from this list-same with general Market stock(wholesale and consignment)
I also make another list of that shows Best sellers-I alway pull this list out at least a month before show and make sure that all those items I'm well stocked in. They seem to always be about the same with some yearly variances.On this list It may say bring 350 spooniest or two boxed of sponge holders or one plates sold well,or 8 boxes of mugs.
I try to never run out of stock and get ahead as much as I can so I can do what I want when the weather/Ocean cooperates -especially in summer.
I know come late December I will spend days accounting in the office-right now the sun is out and pots are drying and need trimming or handling.

Wedding Jar, the one posted earlier after glazing.