Clay17

Genesis 1 Controller

It's doable. I did this about five years ago out of curiosity when the kiln only had 5 firings on its elements. The two lines are showing each TC. I could have added segment data along with top temp reached at the time But I was more interested to see if the two TCs were in sync.

@Marilyn T Thanks Marilyn, that's a great idea! It's also nice to see how these clay bodies might work with different glazes

I'm still hoping that I can find someone that has used Kentucky Mudwork's White Bear or Iceman

No I haven't, looks like a good option to try. Thanks. Me too. Thanks

Pres, I'm asking about white clay.

@Pres I did my own absorption test on the 563 and it came close to 3% Isn't 211 a brown clay? My glazes move, and I like that. I use a liner glaze on the outside only when I want to stop my glazes from moving or reaching the the shelf. Thanks for your input.

Hello all Has anybody worked with Kentucky Mudwork's White Bear in a ^6 firing? If so, what is your opinion? In the past I used Standard's 563, but since the formula change I find it's absorption rate of close to 3% unacceptable. I'm just about through with the 500# of Standard's 630 I ordered and while it's ok I'm not really happy with it's grey appearance and that my clear likes to craze on it. I prefer a more white clay. Forget their 240. Looking for any suggestions about any other white throwing clay too.

Yes, I've been doing this for years

That's a good Idea and I think GEP was thinking the same thing. I chose to look at it like an artist's consignment shop, where the artist pays for a shelf and pays a commission to the store owner. With a craft show the hosts pays rent, insurance, advertising and permits for a day or two and has a good idea of the costs involved. Whereas @cbjensen pays rent on a monthly basis for the term of the lease, so she needs to cover costs for a longer term to keep the her community viable. Accepting Square payments and sending the potters a 1099 is just a cost of doing business. I, along with two other crafters, host a craft show once a year in November and all our proceeds goes to the local food bank. I also run my own pottery studio.

I think that is more than reasonable, if not generous. One thing you didn't mention if all the other potters are there during the show. I would assume that they are, If not I would suggest maybe 20%. Agreed

Congratulations on the sale! The reason your professional accountant wants you to submit 1099s to the potters is so you will not be have to pay income tax on the money that passed through Square. Square will be sending you and the IRS a 1099 for the money that it collects this year. By sending the potters 1099s your tax return will show those sales as a pass though income

There are two types of shellac, regular shellac and dewaxed shellac. Dewaxed shellac can go over or under and type of finish. Regular shellac should only go over a finish. If you paint shellac on clay then paint over it the paint will peel off. Think of regular shellac as a waxy resist

You both might be right, I was trimming today and the red specks turned into red trails... very 60s... I'm curious to see how it fires

I had a chance to play with some of the new 630, it's different than the 563. I throw thin and dry and the 1st pot slumped even when I thought it still needed to be thinner. By the 3rd pot I cured that problem. I'm still waiting for the pots to dry before I can test how the new body fires. I noticed red-orange specks in the clay which leads me to believe Standard is using red brick as grog, That's not unusual just surprising. I'm still on the fence if I like it or not and if it will work for me.

I've been meaning to get back to this post, sorry its been awhile. Here are my results from using the 563 clay body. Good News - All my glazes work perfectly with this body. Bad News - I tested unglazed samples for both shrinkage and absorption by firing the clay to a solid ^6 in my electric kiln. I weighed the samples directly out of the kiln and let them sit in water for 24hrs. I also filled a mug up with water and placed it on some paper. The paper was wrinkled and almost damp. Absorption rate is a little over 3%. I ran this rest twice just to be certain I didn't goof up. Sadly, I can't use this body.

I haven't even bisque fired yet, so take with a grain of salt. IMO since 563 doesn't have fire clay and mullite it will be whiter than 630. The old 563 had porcelain gorg and I'm not sure if the new one does but I'm going to guess its going to fire pretty white. Sponging the surface or shammying the lip leaves the surface smooth. Even when its more than leather hard you can take a wet finger over the lip and it smooths out nicely, not at all like 630. Also, it doesn't create a lot of slurry.

I had a chance to throw some of the new 563 and it throws wonderfully. At first, straight out of the bag I thought it was to soft. I decided not to wedge the first ball just to see how it goes. To my surprise its as good if not better the the old formula. I had no problems getting 3/32" (2.5mm) walls the first time around. I went even thinner on the next few balls, which were wedged. On the last ball I decided to push the limit and achieved 1mm walls. Next up: firing, glazing and absorptions tests The reason I switched from 630 to 563 was because my supplier couldn't get 630 during the formula change. Depending on how the absorption rates go after firing I'm considering to permanently switch to 563

Thanks Neil I just my hands on some of the new 563 to sample. I'll be throwing some early next week and report back here.

I look forward to hearing your results

Has anyone used Standard's new formula clay? If so what is your opinion? I'm gathering the change has do do with them swapping AM-TAL talc for feldspar and only effects a few of their white clay bodies. I noticed their 563 went from 1% absorption to 2%

I had the same problem and I went with Standard 563. All my glazes worked as well as it did on 630. 563 shrinks a little more and vitrifies lower than 630. 563 also has porcelain grog which is why it costs more. 563 throws really nice To my eye 630 is a bit gray

Our customers run the full gambit, from experienced potters to people, who I think, may have never looked at a handmade pot before. I love talking to them all. My wife and I are potters and we do our shows together. Just about every show we always get someone that says (thinking it's original) "Oh! Just like Ghost!" My wife smiles and with a wink she says "But he's alive!" Everyone laughs. It's a great ice breaker to start a conversation. There was once a guy wanting to have a bullet stick half way out of a bottle of Johnny Walker. All his attempts caused the bottle to crack and was hoping I would know how to do it. I explained to him that I don't really know about glass but If I had to guess the two objects were expanding or contracting at different rates causing the glass to break I suggested that he try a bigger hole but he would have to down a few more bottles so he can test a couple ideas. At least he was happy. Then there was another potter at a same show as us who told me he judges how successful a show is by the tonnage of pots he sells at a show. His prices at best where 1/4 of mine. with mugs selling at or below $10 each. He was happy. My very favorite people to talk to are kids. When I see one with their eyes wide open staring at a pot, I hand them the pot they are looking at. There's always a parent that says I shouldn't give it to them because they might drop it. I tell them not to worry that I know how to make another one. I make these tiny pots from leftover slabs scraps that are between the size of a half dollar to a sliver dollar. I impress a leaf in it and curl one end up. I give one to each of those kids. The look on their faces when I say " It yours. No charge" is priceless

I purchased one of these wet/dry vacuums and it works great getting dry clay off on hardwood floors and since it wets the floor as it vacuums up the clay there is no dust Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner Machine, Wet Dry Vacuum

I have candled pots at 235F for many years with out any ill effects. Here are some thoughts, I'll let you decide. 1) In a closed system such as a tea kettle or a car's radiator water boils at a higher temp. In a car it can reach to 265F before boiling. Is greenware drying in a closed kiln a closed system? 2) When drying timber in a wood kiln and the wood is dried at to quickly and at to high a temp, the outside of the lumber will harden preventing the inside moisture to escape. This is called case hardening . When a board of wood that is case harden and is cut on a tablesaw it will warp which can be dangerous even fatal is safety precautions aren't observed. I posit that the greenware in a kiln hasn't case harden while candling @ 235F and may not have reached it's boiling point