Hulk

This is the twelfth teapot*. It pours well - solid dependable arc of fluid, which stops predictably and, and, no dribble along the bottom edge of the spout! I'm also happy with: the overall feel; the shape/profile; boss lid that's heavy without being over heavy, stays in place through full pour-out, and fits well; the color. I'd looked at many many teapots and searched for The Authority on dripless pouring in general, teapot spouts in particular. Although there is a study on spiraling path of liquid flowing down a glass rod, uhm, didn't find that helpful - maybe there's something there. There are many articles, forum posts, etc. that offer helpful suggestions, however, I didn't find anything truly definitive. Features that may help: spout tip higher than (reasonable) fill line; lots of holes between the spout and pot body, so the liquid doesn't back up in the pot when pouring, and doesn't back up in the spout once pouring ends; the "sharp edge" at the pouring lip that so many mention; design such that the liquid prefers running back inside the spout over dribbling down the outside when pouring ends. Ah, that last bit! Good luck. I hope to replicate my good fortune in future... I'll post some detail pics later on. From last Saturday's glaze fire. Aardvark Buff clay, cone 5; exterior Rutile Green glaze, dipped; interior my low COE liner glaze, poured in, poured out; chattermarks filled with Clear Blue glaze. The tea cups are very close to same size; the camera I'm using distorts the image, especially away from center. This is my last attempt before branching sideways into a spout test, making an array of test spouts that fit up to a test vessel, perhaps a soft rubber ball with spout and vent holes, press up against the spout to test, huh. I still might do that. No doubt others have done something similar already. ...the protocol for such is simmering *The prototypes that poured reasonably in bisque were glazed and fired; none poured without dribbling, once glazed. Several prototypes are still in bisque; as shelf space is tight, they'll likely see the bin, soon.

Thanks Bob! Any concerns being around and/or downwind of the pit fire with ferric chloride involved?

Your first pic, nicely melted, smooth. The other Alabaster ones don't look melted - underfired - gives a good idea how much smoothing out there is to do from there. That other glaze must melt sooner? Was curious about oxygen supply - especially for bisque fire - and how hot a bisque, as the more out-gassing/burn-off is done, the less fizzing there is to pass through the glaze. Also, the more thorough a bisque fire, if not hotter, than a significant hold above say fifteen hundred F, maybe help with some bloating, if there's some bits that could still be more burned out. Still, that first pic looks on target, nice work! Looks like more heat work required. I started with the drop and hold looking to clear fine bubbles and get a smoother surface, especially buff and red, less the white clays, all rated cone five or five/six. It does seem to help. Can't quite tell if the Birch one has some tiny pin holes? Would like to know where the bubbling is coming from, how much from the glaze, how much the clay.

Influential glaze resources This Forum https://digitalfire.com Susan Peterson's The Craft and Art of Clay

Hi Fromphyl! Welcome! While waiting on more replies, some questions: Looks like the glaze on the handle portion of "Cone 5 Bmix Speckles Alabaster 3 coats" is smoother; is it? Is the glaze on the inside of the same piece also smoother (or different) than the bumpy and pin holed outside? Are you doing any holds and/or controlled cool? Looks like that Alabaster needs a bit more heat work and then perhaps a drop and hold*. Are you bisque firing, then glazing and glaze firing? If so, what cone are you bisque firing to, and is your kiln fitted with a kiln fan setup, else, are you leaving the top peep out? One more question - how big is the kiln (in other words, how quickly does it cool off)? *Drop-and-Soak Firing (digitalfire.com)

Sponges (and Denise's water), several sizes - big, half a big, cut to size and shape pieces for particular jobs (per Bill van Gilder's suggestion - somewhere...), for clean ups, controlled application of water whilst working with clay, also removing water from a work in progress, wiping back glaze and underglaze.

It's a bug! "...it's a feature." Nah, it's an actual bug! Furnace control consoles (at the steel mill where I worked) had two large circuit boards inside (early 70s stuff, still in service, early 2000s). Operators called us out for after hours support; the console at the entry pulpit wasn't working. We found a mouse nest on the board, over the "history unit" (an early hard drive) where it was always snug and warm, and piles of sunflower seed shells. "No food allowed" in the pulpits, heh. We kept refurbished replacement boards at the ready; that particular board had an $6,000 price tag, that's if the "core" was rebuildable.

Focused demo: If the student is comfortable with your focused attention, set a wheel next to them or facing them (whichever is better for the student - many people are more anxious when faced, but there are exceptions) and demonstrate the one or two* steps/skills that are key for that student, then follow up after some practice. Watch. You try. Good, keep at it, I'll be back. A lot can be said without words ...Do This. First This. Next, This. I like you. I care about you. Build common vocabulary: Choose key terms and systematically add to the common vocabulary. Point, say. Now you say. Yes, no, clay, bat, fast, slow, pressure, water, uh-oh, Milk Carton Kids. Rib, needle, stick, small sponge, big sponge, bucket; finger, foot, hand, eye. Always take your foot off the pedal before standing up. Always take your foot off the pedal before reaching into the pan. You might pick up some Korean from the student, if they will "play" the game. The first phrase, and icebreaker between myself (swim coach) and star Brazilian swimmer was "Led Zeppelin" (blaring from the poolside sound system) - from there, we built a strong teacher/student, coach/athlete and friend/friend relationship. I learned to swear in Portuguese. The first phrases, icebreaker between a group of children just arrived from *** to the U.S., Hello and Goodbye, and what translates (loosely) to "Go With God" which serves at a greeting and farewell in the kids' language. The group learned all the "pool rules" without any common language, in just a few minutes. It's been over four years since I completed "Wheel I" at the local Junior College, hence, my memories aren't as clear as they were, and have acquired rosy patina of "good old" days... Any road, I definitely learned a lot more by observing the instructor and the other students than via any words, written or spoken. *Over a few decades of teaching physical skills, I came to believe that for each student, there are one or two "things" to work on for each skill. One or two things now, once mastered, there's next, yes, but most of us aren't able to learn dozens of "things" all at once. The kids notice when you see where they are and have a plan for them and each of their peers as well. Acquire or correct This skill or (more often) sub-skill; design activity or drill that "forces" the acquisition/correction. Stick the clay on the bat. Apply centering force until the clay comes loose. Repeat. Repeat, but slower, come up to forcing the clay loose sloowly. ...now you know how much force is too much. When the clay comes loose from the bat, you are *******, start over. Good. Hope that helps!

Hi Witt, No doubt Forum member(s) with direct Soldner experience will respond. In the meantime, "NOTE: The mixer must rotate clockwise" from instructions pro (soldnerequipment.com) also "The wiring diagram will be found either on a placard on the motor or inside the cover of the wiring box." If you find a wiring diagram, please post a clear image of same here. The doc includes current manufacturer contact information (Muddy Elbow Manufacturing). Nice find. I'm a little jealous!

Hi Onward! Are you looking for mid fire (cone 5/6)? I'm not finding that particular recipe. There are several oranges listed on glazy.org My guess would be that a dependable orange would be based on orange stain, e.g. Orange | Mason Color Works Here's an article on oranges: Time to Warm Up! 5 Red and Orange Glaze Recipes (ceramicartsnetwork.org)

Hi Audrey, Regarding working with your kiln's controller, please identify the particular model (the controller), and/or post a picture of the controller's programming interface and any identifying plate/information. There are archived threads on this forum on the general subject of bisque firing ...somewhere! This article might be a good start: Bisque (digitalfire.com) There are many other articles on Tony Hansen's digitalfire.com site, watch the clock, you might find several hours have passed afore you know it! There are several variables to consider, some: the clay's target cone; you'll very likely want to bisque fire to a lower cone; how "dirty" the clay is - you might want to incorporate "holds" in your bisque schedule to burn out undesirables if/when you use dirty clay; how thick and/or big your wares are - you might look to slow down for thick/massive wares; how much air/oxygen is being drawn through the kiln - oxygen helps burn out those impurities and helps your elements last longer. I don't do much preheat when the wares are bone dry, just run up to 200F the night before, leaving all the peeps open, then full gas the next morning. If I have damp wares, I'll do the same, just being much more careful not to run over 210F, run the kiln fan for a few hours, then run up the temp again before turning in for the night, next day, full gas. My wares aren't particularly thick though...

If you are allowing the handle to set up (dry) some before attaching to the leather hard mug, do you pre-shape it? Setting the arc(s) earlier may help. I pull handles and hang them off the edge of the splash pan, hence, part of the curve is learned from the start.

Bein' curious (and up early this a.m.): Andy Ward's website Learn How to Make Pottery Like the Ancients - AncientPottery.how Andy Ward's utube channel: (163) Andy Ward's Ancient Pottery - YouTube

Good question! ...idk, as almost always applying underglaze to bisque ware. I do use sieved slip just after trimming, but not right on joined areas.

Pop gave me an Optivisor, years ago, which I'd used for tying flies (fishing lures); now I use it for close pot examination. The ground glass lens I'm using is 2x, handy for seein' crazing, small defects, etc. A dear friend gave me a shoebox assortment of clay tools, some of which I use, particularly the mini loop tools - for carving brushed on slip. The potter I'd bought a (very well) used kiln from gave me a few pounds of red iron oxide, some extra shelves, and several boxes of old cones - all being put to use.

Didn't find the og post right away. Here's from a thread that had it copied though: "This is from GlazeNerd's comments on this forum awhile back... Additive for Reclaim Clay How do you determine the level of ball clay the recipe had to begin with? The Slip Test When you throw the original clay: how much slip comes up and on your hands? Coats just the inside of your palms and oozes through your fingers over time.... lower levels. Coats your palms, and oozes; have to clean a few time while throwing.... mid levels Oozes quickly and constantly cleaning off hands....... high levels. Most of the reclaimed scraps is from trimming; which has been stripped of the fines; which includes ball clay, silica, and feldspar. That would alter the properties of recycled clay: because it is the ball clay primarily that holds moisture in a clay body. The fix: blend 80% ball clay (Om4 or FHC), 10% silica, and 10% feldspar. Add 1 cup (dry) per gallon of slurry. The testing comes when you throw it after it has been reclaimed: how much slip comes up when you throw? Adjust to suit your taste. Normally within 30 days there is a marked difference, which improves over the next 90-120 days. After about 6-8 months, the process begins to reverse because the clay is actually starting to loose water: dehydration."

Wonder if Nerd's fixit would help? I'll add maybe a quarter cup to three gallons of reclaim slop at mix/blend with the grout mixer stage. It doesn't take much to make a noticeable difference. If I remember correct, it's eight parts OM4, one part silica, one part feldspar. A bit more plastic, more slip-pery, takes longer to dry, feels nicer. I'm sure it can be overdone, heh.

I'm sometimes feeling familiar twinges* in a few fingers, so warm water in the throwing bucket, warm clay - bring tomorrow's inside the night afore, and: hat, for the body gets it when th' brain ain't warm; warm lower legs and feet, for the body will let the hands go next when the feet get cold; sleeves, down to about the point where clay splashes to - I have long arms, so just raising my arms up straight pulls back the sleeves enough. Sleeves really help, a lot. I want to clarify how important that sleeves stay well away from wrapping up in any machinery, d'ya hear me there? - tight, secure? ok then. Bats seem to help, keeps hands off the cold alloy wheel head. My spash pan is cast alloy, which also spirits the heat away; those sleeves help! *Have had some "angry toe" spells over the last several years. An extra layer at the ankle really helps with the Raynaud's syndrome (toe, finger, part of hand and/or foot that starts reddish, sensitive, can progress to blue/black - pain), try cutting off the foot of heavy sock, hence, still wear the same shoes, slippers, etc., with extra covering where the leg is so thin, at the ankle. During our "winter" I'll do a heavy wool knee sock, like the leg warmers of a few decades ago. Once th' end of a toe or digit turns almost black, it'll be painful, might take a while to ease off, and the damage can take days to heal. Even with crepe sole work boots and wool socks, the cement slab floor (left foot) and light alloy foot pedal (right foot) just suck the heat out of me feet. I use a piece of scrap lumber for the left and have taped some bubble wrap on the foot pedal - enoooormously better. This time of year, however, can do shorts and tshirts.

On the geology point, I started down that road yesterday, at what temperature(s) does the earth's crust melt? From there, at what temperatures do rocks melt? There are many factors and wide range of temperatures, it seems - I didn't pursue the topic very far. I'm watching the pyrometer on my fully manual kiln, peaking at 2212F, where it's a toss up if the number hits before the sitter trips (fitted with cone 6 small cone). From there, I'm allowing the temperature reading to drop to 2112F, with middle switch off, bottom on low, top on medium or high, then twiddling the switches to hold there for a half hour or more afore setting all to low for a slow drop to 1850F, then off. All that will typically: partially drop the cone 5 witness on the top shelf, partially drop cone 6 the middle shelves, and close to full cone 5 on the bottom. Back to topic, four of the clays I'm using now indicate %absorption at cone 5, the fourth is listed as cone 5/6, and absorption % at cone 6. I put the 1.2% absorption at cone 5 on the top shelf. Absorption testing indicates all good.

Thanks for the links Lee! Your posts reminded me of my Milk Carton Kids phase. I still listen to them occasionally (vs. every day). Here's a YouTube mix: (126) The Milk Carton Kids - Michigan - YouTube

Elderly MacBook connected to Studio's surround sound makes selecting locally produced KCBX* shows simple/easy; when not listening to "live" radio, I'll pick a favorite to stream. Sometimes I'll play music from my library, but not often - I listened to familiar music in my working life and have stopped collecting music since retiring. When the weather's nice, I'll roll up the door halfway or so and listen to the birds, breezes, waves... *Evening Blues, The Road Home, Across the Tracks, Morning Cup, The Club McKenzie, the Saturday afternoon folk music show (I like everything about it, except the Name - negative associations with broken spokes, see?), and several others. The nationally syndicated shows can be streamed as well, however, I'll usually catch them when broadcast, else skip it, e.g. Democracy Now, TED Radio, Fresh Air, Bioneers, Latino USA, Counterspin, Hidden Brain...

Hi ShanRums! I'm finding manuals for that controller e.g.: Ipco Studio 3000 Controller Manual - · PDF fileIpco Studio 3000 Controller Manual Multi Program Multi-stage Degrees Per Hour Ramp Rate Controller with Soak NOTE: Please read instructions (pdfslide.net) From there, Keramikos model, or better, wiring diagram? Any road, welcome, and bumping the thread.

Skutt phone support has been excellent (in my experience); have your serial and model numbers ready. The wheel head should be solid (zero play) and run absolutely vertically true (less than a .001" of run out). If you've already tried removing the wheel head and reseating it, maybe try that again in the other position (180 degree turn). Carefully clean and inspect the shaft - the tapered contact portion and the pin; inspect the wheel head's tapered contact and slots; relube with anti-sieze; mount in the direction opposite (per the directions in the manual, "...opposite direction the wheel will be spinning..." ); compare how much the wheel head rotates until lock against the slot (the manual indicates "...about a quarter turn...") is achieved. Likely you've already done all that. Please do post back an update 'bus! My Skutt wheel does run a bit louder than some others, but not by much. I bought it "used," however, it hadn't actually been used; it quieted down a bit after logging some hours.

I'd though a case would be made for fresh/clean air source and not so much cleaning, having seen many studios/workspaces in video clips (and a few in person) where layers of dried clay splash are ...ubiquitous. The air currents in my studio are capricious, I'm not choosing to spend for and install a suitable hepa system, keeping the floor and work surfaces wiped down is straightforward and simple, I'm at a hobby level, etc., so. I'm still curious how others (attempt to) measure or somehow quantify dust in the air? Per (many) prior, I'm watching accumulation on horizontal surfaces. It takes a few months to build up a layer on the shelf just above my wedging area that compares with two days' accumulation at local studio X (where canvas covered tabletops and crunch underfoot is norm).

I'd like to suggest that you identify the clay(s) you're looking to use in the studio, then look at glazes to fit them*. I'm also using several of the recipes from van Gilder's book, a few from local JC recipe book, and a few others ...however, have tried many others and then abandoned them, due to problems, including crazing, pitting, foaming, yucky, expensive, etc., hence: Test carefully, particularly clear and liner glazes for fit and performance. Test carefully for fit and performance! Midrange (cone 5/6) clays exhibit a wide variety of behaviours! In my search for a well-fitting clear (or slightly white) liner glaze for white stoneware, I've abandoned three white stoneware clays and five glazes, well four - the fourth one started out as a recipe with promise that could be easily reformulated. The fourth reformulation of the fourth glaze is in production in my studio. If you're considering IMCO DC 3-5, Clay Planet Venus White clays (and/or have crazing) I've a glaze for you! That said, I'd like to suggest that you identify the clays you're looking to use in the studio, then look at glazes to fit them. ...and now I'm copying that last sentence to the top! *Thanks to several of the regulars here for support, analysis, suggestions and a recipe.