Hulk

Happy with the decision, yep. Time at the wheel! I'd wanted to learn to throw for a long time. Oh, there's plenty of room for improvement... There weren't any public studios in our town, early 70s*, and no ceramic lab in Junior High. In high school, other choices nudged wheel prerequisite, hand building, off the list. Junior college, I got the prerequisite in, aah, Wheel I was full, full, full... ...decades later, I began researching equipment for a home Studio within a week of my first Wheel I session. I miss looking over all the work twice a week, meeting and visiting with other potters, the vibe when folks settle into making... The dust, travel time, limited space for ware and gear, dice roll on the clays (maybe good, maybe not), the various fragrances**, nah. I was well into trying clays and mixing test batches of glaze before the last day of Wheel I - and getting more hours at the wheel at home than in class. *I'd seen a throwing demonstration in person, Fall 1970 - oh, I wanted to learn about that! **some products - hair spray/jell, cologne, perfume, dryer sheet residue, body spray, et cetera - "ruins my day"

Cutting, heating, bending, and sharpening hack saw blades, I've seen several potters do something similar. After some time, and many touch-ups with a file, the short leg and the curved part get too narrow. The last one (from several years ago) got too narrow and flexy, so, time for a new one. I'd forgotten that the portion to be bent has to be red hot, and hence, three hands are required, heh; I found the machine vise - that leaves best hand for the torch* and second hand for the pliers. This time I just ground the teeth dull, hence preserving more width. The cutting portion is ground down a bit more to make an edge, however, there's a little sawtooth left, which I don't mind, for I go over the trimmed part with a metal rib. Where the teeth were is harder metal - a file won't touch it, aha. That's what prompted me to post. The end and the backside of the blade file easily. They also dull faster. The tooth edge stays sharp longer, but resharpening takes more doing. Making the bend so the more used edge is the toothy one, 50/50 chance? I'll be keeping my eyes out for cutting blades to repurpose as trimmers. This hacksaw blade was brand new. Once useful trimming life has been ground/filed away -> a new chattering tool, where every tool and presentation variable can yield a different pattern. Try a narrow edge, eighth to three sixteenth inches wide, sharp. *One must be careful with heat.

You might enjoy mixing up glazes from raw ingredients as well. The potter I bought my first kiln from said, "This is what can happen when you get interested in glazes..." whilst gesturing toward several shelves of glaze containers, then toward bins and containers of powders. May they rest in peace. Their attitude and outlook, setup, wares, and accumulated stuff is still an inspiration. I was already on that track, having seen what premixed glazes co$t. Heh, it might take a while yet to come out "even" and start saving, for I'd bought some of the common staples in fifty pound bags - kaolin, silica, gerstley borate, talc... One has the option to "tweak" their own glazes, for the recipe is known. When designing and setting up your air handling, consider positioning an/the intake such that it can double as a dust removal for your glaze mixing station. Added: One can start with a glaze or two, particularly if a) a Studio you've worked in will share recipes and b) you like the clays the glazes were used on and can get them - then you've a good chance.

"I believe different bodies have different functional ranges." Agreed. The two white stoneware clays I've used (and liked), and the red stoneware I'm using now can take more heat work. Several other stoneware clays I'd found to be much more sensitive to heat work.

Aye, many potters have electric kilns indoors. I found my seven cubic foot kiln overwhelmed my previous Studio, a single car garage with open/vaulted ceiling. With the powered kiln vent on (exhausting outside), the rollup and person door (opposite walls) open, the heat was still "a lot" and there were some fumes that escaped. The kiln vent did really help with the fumes but did not eliminate them. When I added an overhead hood with 400 cfm fan (exhausting outside), I could be in the space with the rollup door up half a foot, a window open and the person door open; the heat was much more bearable, and the fumes greatly reduced to almost imperceptible. And earbuds in with hearing protection over them. ...that big fan - loud. There aren't any ceramic supply type stores nearby where we are, however, that some of the closer ones (just a few hours) are dealers did influence my decision for a new kiln. I like the sectional arrangement; for starters, I could move it from the pallet in the driveway to its spot by myself, piece by piece. Down the line, should it ever need to be moved, it will be easy, and, then maintenance perhaps easier as well. New kiln, oh, how I do love it! It has numeric control, three zones (my first kiln, an ancient Skutt, was manual with a kiln sitter). Clickety-click go the relays. I like the element upgrade - there's more element, a lot more. The heating seems much more even. A thought occurred (while working, err, playing in the Studio this afternoon). The size of the ware is certainly limited* by the kiln size. The amount of work in each cycle is too. I wanted to fill my countertop, leaving enough room for a glaze bucket, some tools, and some "splash" zone - that's how much glazing practice I wanted to do at once. At first, a kiln load was daunting. Now it seems just right! How much throwing it takes to make a load, I like as well. The trimming, eeeh, I'm working on it. How much throwing, trimming, glazing, etc. would you wish to do for each glaze fire? *Unless you spend for thin and light shelves, figure losing 1.5" or so for the bottom shelf, just up off the floor, right off the bat. From there, another inch or so for each level, and allow some space for oops.

Does the temperature matter? Cone 5/6 (my glaze target) is rather brighter than cone 04 (my bisque target). Perhaps that's somewhat to do with the range in recommendations? I'm seeing shade 3-5 for glasswork. Seeing Cones - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community Kiln glasses to fit over prescription eyeglasses? Or face shield? - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community

Hi Picassowhat, Welcome to the Forum! The models are near 3 or 4 cubic feet. I'd hesitate on putting either into enclosed space - fumes and heat. A powered kiln vent* would definitely help with the fumes, however, an overhead exhaust, else some serious ventilation of the space would be in order, imo. I'll circle back with more... You might consider L&L as well? *draws a tiny stream of superheated kiln atmosphere, mixes it with ambient air, and then exhausts outside, which helps: keep fumes out of the space, the elements last longer, make nice glaze colors.

Good question. Was the glaze applied thickly to the test tile? Which stain did you use? I'm seeing Mason 6088, 6021, unspecified... Was the tile fired oxidation? To what cone? The clay, looks like a speckled buff. I'd expect that glaze's look to vary, depending on the clay. The glowing red image, that's over porcelain, cone 6 oxidation? I've been using a tin chrome red, cone 5/6, the "Chrome Red" in Britt's book (I got the recipe from the Junior College ceramic lab notebook {with permission, o' course}). Check back for input from other Forum members...

I've no experience with slip trail decoration. Perhaps someone with experience will "pipe" in? How wet/damp are the wares when you are slipping them? A potter in Los Osos (where we used to live) pipes dots, lines, drops on almost everything; looks like the slip they use is damp enough to settle a bit as it goes on.

Hi uptomyelbowsinclay, Welcome to the Forum! The oil should burn off. I haven't tried that, however, the several wax emulsion/resist products I've tried seemed to burn off ok. Sometimes there's a faint mark in my liner glaze where the wax edge was, but I don't mind it. Test! Ideas, I mist (with a spray bottle) and cover to retard or arrest drying. A light mist on the ware and a shot in the container will slow/arrest drying. I use rigid containers*. From there, how often, depends on the weather (how warm, how humid) and what the pot is sitting on (absorption); wares can be kept moist indefinitely**. *I've a collection, from two quart planters (with the holes taped over) up to five gallon buckets. Many potters place wares together in a "damp box" to keep them damp... **watch for mold!

Hi Asnat, Welcome to the Forum! The glazes should perform the same, given the heat work* is equivalent. Appearance, however, could be very different, due to the atmosphere - the gas kiln may be throttled for "reduction", where carbon monoxide influences the glaze color. *pyrometric cones reflect "heat work" - time and temperature See second entry: Heat work and electric firing - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community Calculating and comparing Heatwork - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community Pyrometric Cone (digitalfire.com)

I'm seeing 1.7 to 5, and some higher yet. Emphasizes that all (100%) of UV and IR are screened, also that the PPE is rated for IR: In the Studio: Eye Health for Potters (ceramicartsnetwork.org) IR Infrared UV Ultraviolet Added: and absolutely must withstand impact

Good question. For the clays that require more time for "burn out," an abbreviated bisque could make a difference, especially where the wares are thickest, and particularly if it is time above about 1500°F that is being curtailed (per my experience). I cut back my bisque schedule in order to finish before "peak" rates (4 p.m.) one time last Fall; there were more faults in the red clay (at thickest sections, per my notes). I'm running a bisque load right now, with a full hour at 1500°F, half on the way up, half on the way down, and a slow climb over the last 200°F to target/peak.

Six and one half years ago I sat at a potter's wheel for the first time - first step in fulfilling a long-time ambition: try to learn to throw. Since then, my appreciation of what goes into making has evolved. Now, when looking at (handling is always better than just looking) wares, I've a better idea of the skill involved, the techniques employed, and the choices made. That said, the Frankenstein effect* (although it may not occur as often and/or dramatically as during those first few years) still happens, and likely always will. *A ware is brought to life, that is, Glazed! Oh! It's beautiful, so! ...some time later, what have I done? It's a monster!! It happens, well, it happens to me.

Good question! Ingredients that absorb water (and hence swell up) could cause the glaze slurry to thicken. However, my guess, the overall volume would stay about the same... Post the recipes? Typically, I'll mix the glaze, sieve it, adjust specific gravity (per my recipe notes), then check thixotropy the next day and adjust as necessary.