Hulk

Good question! I'd be tempted to widen the definition of "tools" to include track shelving* and a rolling cart. Then a few more buckets. The Studio needs (aah, I need!) the wall put up and mini-split installed; so, so hot! I'm good for tools right now, looking forward to setting up and firing the new kiln when it arrives! There's some open space in the Studio now, but still lots of organizing, demo and remodeling to do. I'm getting lots of miles out of relatively inexpensive (it's $26 on ah maze on right now) US Balance "US-Benchtop-Pro" scale; it performs consistently and well. Its max is 2000 grams, hence, for larger glaze batches, there are more steps. If choosing again, I might go with the 3000 or 5000g models, maybe; the 3000g model can be had for less than $40 ... *I like the metal tracks that screw to the wall; shelf support brackets snap into the track. Higher up and on the end there, for glazes, glaze materials and some other stuff that's nice to have handy but aren't used every day; at "wheelhouse" level, green and bisque ware queue-up space.

Callie moved the topic to Studio Operations and Making Work - where it is now! I'm not finding the topic's original location...

Tough question! Parian* is generally defined as a "self-glazing porcelain" which appears to have nearly zero absorption. How are you using Parian? Do your finished wares absorb water, at all? *Composing a Workable Parian Clay Body (ceramicartsnetwork.org)

Hi Laura, Welcome to the Forum! If you're painting over where the holes are*, a vinyl spackle might do; the initial application typically shrinks, hence a second application may be required. Check back for more responses... *I'd be concerned that the paint sticks to the glaze. Perhaps a light sand/scuff, then prime and finally paint. Test first!

There are many clay choices that mature at cone 5/6 with very low absorption.

Looks like Cobalt Carbonate price has dropped recently! Petalite price hasn't...

LED lighting might be worth a look - long lasting bulbs, high efficiency wins back the initial cost, and then more from there. We used LED fluorescent tube look-alike replacements at the last house, particularly in the garage and Studio. The round ones ("canless" recessed) that go into the ceiling are very reasonable now; we used them in our Son's bathroom remodels last summer. The light "temperature" is even adjustable! Our new house has them in the garage. On the Studio side, I plan to chain in several more.

Hi BlueSky, Welcome to the Forum! I like that clay*. If you pluck a bit of kiln wash, it does come off fairly easily. I'm not seeing the IMCO Red Velvet Classic pluck any more that the other clays I use. I smooth and polish pot feet with round diamond pad that I have glued to a bat - wet the bat, work the pot around flat, then tip up to round off the edge a bit, voilà, done! Before getting the diamond pad, I used fine sandpaper - the "wet" kind - taped down to a board, same principle, more work (the spinning bat helps!). Wet, to control dust. For a big chunk, I'll dremel it off to get close to flush/flat, then finish with the diamond pad or sanding board. Four hundred grit is likely fine enough, yet still works fairly fast. Dremel makes dust, so I'll head outside and put the respirator mask on... Hope that helps! Check back for more responses in a day or so. *I really like IMCO Red Velvet Classic; it's plastic, dries well (better than other reds I've tried), has a nice color. I also like the DC 3-5 (white-ish stoneware) My experience with red stonewares - they can be sensitive to over firing, even firing right at the high end of the range - with fizzing/bubbling, turning purple-ish, and sticking/plucking. The Classic seems to tolerate a cone 6 ok; I haven't pushed it higher yet...

I'm using Weebly/Square, where I'm posting some "about" my work, images of current and historical work, blog entries, contact info... It's not perfect, but it is fairly easy to use and maintain.

Penetrating oil, liquids that dissolve corrosion/rust (e.g. LiquidWrench) can be helpful, again, depending. Judiciously applied heat can be helpful, again, it depends!

Hi Kennedy, Welcome to the Forum! Are you glazing the insides (liner glaze)? A good liner glaze should melt well; not craze (crack); come out be smooth and shiny (easy to clean); not cutlery mark (again, smooth and shiny); stand up to wear, tear, acids and alkalis; and not leach colorants. Typically, advice for functional ware includes choosing a clay that has very low absorption when fired to its target cone, around one percent absorption or less. Still, a sound liner glaze, no cracks, no pits or holes, should hold water! Hope that helps. If you are glazing the outside only, then expect water to soak into the clay, saturating the entire piece! The exceptions would include clays that are fully "vitrified" - that do not absorb any water. Can you post images of the liner glaze and the recipe/formula as well? liner glaze Liner glazes (digitalfire.com) Functional glaze Functional (digitalfire.com) See the links to vitrification and maturity at the bottom of the article.

Under "Recipes" are several articles*, which make for some interesting and informative reading. In my own search for a clear liner glaze formulation, I found a re-start... *Ceramic Glaze/Body Recipes (digitalfire.com) ...having abandoned a clear liner that crazed (a lot). From there, I adjusted the recipe several times, using glaze software (GlazeMaster) and with assistance/advice/encouragement from members of this Forum.

Testing/proofing on test tiles, small slabs, et cetera, time permitting ...afore committing a large piece. How many words are you looking to depict? A phrase, a stanza, the entire lyric?

Hi Karen, Welcome to the Forum! I'm not finding any electrical or assembly diagrams, no part lists. Vevor's website does have a Contact/Support page. There are many Vevor wheel models! Perhaps you can find someone with a working knowledge of electrics that could do some basic troubleshooting? Check back for more ideas - the Forum is slow today, will likely pick up with the new week.

My guesses are: a) the port wide open during early bisque, then open enough throughout such that there's a small stream of outside air displacing kiln atmosphere, and b) about the same for glaze fire - open early, allow a small stream throughout, but maybe close when the kiln is shut off, if it is cooling too quickly, or there's a cool spot due to air flow. My kiln was fitted with a fan powered downdraft exhaust. The fan system pulled a small stream of kiln atmosphere through small holes (two .25 inch holes, if I remember)* in the bottom of the kiln. I ran the fan throughout bisque fire, on the way up and on the way down (burnout could still be happening on the ramp down from peak, yes?). For glaze fire, I ran the fan throughout the climb to peak, drop and hold, and controlled cool, turning off when the elements are turned off. I plan to do the same with my new kiln. The make-up air, some came through a small hole drilled in the lid, and to be honest, mostly through spaces here and there between bricks and such. The idea (mostly from reading, also talking with potters) being the outside air helps i) burn out stuff in the clay ii) the elements last longer iii) brighten glazes iv) remove some of the fumes from the area Note the word "some" - there were still fumes, just not as bad. *Per Bill's suggestion, I could tell the fan system was working, as the wax burnoff smell was plenty strong downwind from the fan exhaust (outside). Also, the fan exhaust was clearly warm due to the tiny stream of superheated air, even when mixed with mostly ambient!

Nice setup!

Hi Rebekah, Good question! There may have been some movement as a result of recent Forum software upgrades? Any road, look at the top right for the letter icon, between the Bell (Notifications) and your avatar. From there, select the "Go to Inbox" to see a full inbox pane with tools, etc. Give a shout if you've any trouble! Note, the Triangle icon (reported content) may only be visible to Moderators. ...confirmed, the Triangle icon is not visible in normal accounts.

Interesting! In swimming, the ball of spinning water tells a tale - skilled swimmers generate smaller/tight fast spinning ones that don't move quickly; less skilled swimmers leave large/loose slowly spinning ones that are moving more.

My Pop was a multiple year singles Regional champ (in his age group) back in the 2000s I'd guess the optimal force could be somewhat involved, for (like swimming) the early part of the stroke, where we're weaker, is still important - setting up the vortex/vorteces for later, where we're stronger. Also, entering cleanly, minimum loss of momentum via splashing, and shedding bubbles quickly matters. Slipping out of the vortex with minimal hang up at the end of the stroke and getting out cleanly matters...

Mr. Hansen's articles on crazing, crazy helpful! In short, that crazing a) is a defect, b) has clear cause(s), and c) can (and should) be corrected isn't universally known. His takes on liner glaze also stands against the tide - tide of brightly colored liner glazes, "functional" ware. Liner glazes (digitalfire.com)

There are several attachments. Some wheel heads are keyed on. The driveshaft on mine has a taper that fits into the wheel head, which is held captive by a perpendicular pin. ...the stratagems for loosening depend on the attachment...

Hi Fiona, Welcome to the Forum! For colours, there may be some choices that are less expensive? If making up your own slip from clays*, red, brown/buff and white are common colors. Underglazes provide a somewhat inexpensive way to get a lot of color; they don't go on the same way slips do, but they do have their uses... Stains may provide a way to add a few colors to your slip palette. The per pound prices I'm seeing are $12-18 (US dollars). At ceramic temperatures, metals persist and provide coloring. Blue/Cobalt is expensive (but it's come down a lot). Green/Copper is more reasonable. Maybe start with just a few colours? Paints typically have some titanium dioxide powder, which provide most of the paints' covering/hiding ability, and perhaps some metal oxide(s) for color. It's all the other stuff, a lot of which will burn away in the kiln, likely including some of the dies that provide color that I'd hesitate over. The resultant smoke and fumes from burning paints/inks are enough to advise against; how the materials influence the slips' behaviors could be of concern as well. *I blend bits of clay with water using a blender. It takes a while, but it works to get a smooth consistency. Then I run the slip through a sieve to remove sand/grog. I sometimes use red slip to decorate white and brown ware. I brush, dab, et cetera the slip on when the ware is still damp - right after trimming. The moisture softens the ware - timing and care can be important! After the ware dries some, carving is an option. Hope that helps!

Good question! Does the sitter include a countdown timer? If so, imo it's a good backup - in case I fell asleep or somewhat - the kiln would shut down when the time's up. I used to set it to about half hour longer than projected firing time, and then adjust from there. The button on mine, I could push it to the "on" position whether the drop weight was set or not (as long as the timer was set to greater than zero minutes). Are you able to set the on button? I'd do that if the cone/bar melted and the drop switch actuated when I wanted a little more heat, a drop and hold, and/or a controlled cool.

FreeVee via Amazon I'm not remembering if that's how we watched it...

Article from yesterday's NYTimes: Doyle Layne’s Dazzling ‘Weed Pots’ at Kordansky Gallery - The New York Times (nytimes.com) I'm curious why the Times hasn't enabled commenting on this article? There's an article in one of year afore last's Ceramic Monthly mags (JAN-21): Doyle Lane: Weed Pots (ceramicartsnetwork.org) The Times ran a different article a few years ago... Adding a New Name to the Canon in Clay: Doyle Lane - The New York Times (nytimes.com) This one has comments, which can be interesting...