grackle

I do use 5 gallon buckets and they work well, however I suspect I may be creating some problems for myself in that I do not always make sure i put just one type of clay in each bucket. I typically use 4 different kinds of clay, 3 are cone 6 and one is a cone 5.5. I have a white stone ware and a white porcelain, and I know that i have sometimes mixed them in a recycle bucket. I can see the bits of porcelain in the cut clay after wedging. Is this a bad idea? I also have a red stoneware clay, and the 5.5 is a very dark, somewhat groggy clay that i have a love hate relationship with. Glazes are beautiful on this dark clay, but tend to bubble a bit, so I thought perhaps if I mixed some dark scraps into the red clay bucket, it would tone it down a bit. Does seem to help, but now I am reading about things like different shrinkage rates, etc. And the red is cone 6 and the dark (fires almost black) is 5.5. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

i quite like having my wheel in a separate space from the kiln, which is what i have now, mainly because the room gets too hot for 2 days when the kiln is running. Damp box is close the wheel, and shelves for greenware, then bisque, then ready to glaze. Did not always have this set up, used to be all one room, but now better with 2. NOw if I could just master throwing big bowls without the 'amateur shoulder!"

i saw that article, was fascinated by it. as Callie described, there is a similar movement with tiny works of art where they use little boxes on stands, much like the tiny libraries. probably best if you live in an area with more people, but i guess it depends on whether you post clues. My husband makes beautiful wooden boxes and sells thru etsy, but he is reluctant to post anything new on facebook or pinterest, and does not sell many. we are retired, so no real worries--i sell a bit of ceramic work here and there and give a lot away, but have to admit being intrigued by the idea of leaving pieces here and there. traveling from texas to montana this summer and camping along the way, and may just do that!!

ok, many many thanks. restarted, and it went to segment 3 and my fingers are crossed. thank you for getting back to me so quickly!!

it is still hot, so i just start it up right now? that was my first instinct, but hesitated

when the kiln shut off too soon, i looked at data and realized i must have chosen bisque and 05 instead of glaze and cone 5. what should i do????

loving this conversation. i live in the texas hill country, and we have something called "oak decline", so lots of oak trees biting the bullet, and it has recently moved onto my five acres, with a lot of potential wood becoming available.. seems like this hardwood oak would be perfect for a wood fired kiln. we do have a burn ban at the moment, but recent rains should lift that soon.. of course, we would have to BUILD a kiln, but the idea of something relatively small, fired to a cone 6??? planning to check out the books mentioned, but i an wondering about the glazes I now use in my L and L electric kiln. would I need all new glazes? thinking i have read that a wood fired kiln takes more time to finish a firing than an electric kiln. This is a whole new idea for me. thank you for any thoughts!!

i learned from 2 wheels, head to head, so I could watch the person teaching me throw as i threw. Then practice practice practice. I found it truly interesting to watch others throw, as they often did things that were never mentioned, especially when it came to coning up and centering. For instance, I was taught to cone up and then push it all straight down, but my instructor pushed the top AWAY from himself, and then down, so I tried that, and centering just happened!! Well, most of the time, anyway. Good wedging was another technique that observation helped with, and other things I guess i just internalized over time.

another question about using stains. in the past, i have glazed a white bisque piece with a clear glaze, and then applied the stain designs. would it work the other way around. i know with under-glaze, i do the under glaze first and then the clear. since i am ready to try that, will just go ahead and do 2 one way and 2 the other!

thank you all so much. I am in a glazing stage at the moment, and have several pieces that I can use for testing --small bowls that i make to fill out edges in the kiln (if they turn out well, all the better!) This way, I can see how different methods/recipes work with my clay. I especially appreciate the clarification on "refractory"--I looked it up, but Your definition, Min, was , for me, more easily understood!! Now just need to keep really good notes.

Okay, so after mixing the stain with a frit or GB, I then add water, and then my stain will hopefully not sink right to the bottom, but remain in suspension longer and brush on (i usually brush on for design purposes) more evenly. That would be wonderful!! And the refractory part means that the color of some stains works more accurately than others? In terms of heat?

I have had mixed luck with stains, and wonder if it is because i use too much of the powder in relation to water? sometimes I get thick spots. or maybe it is just the application? are stains typically mixed with something else?

interesting. i give my family (four kids), any pots they show an interest in. why not? my youngest daughter had a good number of my pieces (mostly plates) when her house burned down (Bastrop fire in TX), and she has always missed them. It is always interesting to hear what their friends say about the pottery.

my daughter sells her handmade cards at a monthly sale near us, and i give her my seconds to sell at low prices. she just loves talking to the people who come to the event, and the more stuff she has, the better for her. it works really well.

has happened to me. and then realized i forgot to take photos. take photos of everything!!! hard to remember sometimes what made something new so special!!

makes total sense.

kswan: Thank you! That is good to know, because i already know that my kiln fires a bit hot. I will see how this last bisque fire did with 05, as soon as I have time to do some glazing!! grackle

i am tuned into measuring specific gravity--fascinating in itself. I do notice that different glaze recipes recommend different SG's. Have not dived into the stuff with Darvan yet tho. When I was first learning about ceramics way back in the late 90's, we used our hand and arm to mix glaze buckets, and the professor just sort of knew when the thickness was good. I do not put my hand and arm in the glaze anymore, and I wear a mask when I mix glazes. I do notice when the glaze seems a bit thick on a dipped piece, and does not run off smoothly, and I usually add some water. I guess in many ways I am more of a seat of the pants potter, in my 70's now and not as precise. And this is fun, I don't have to make money, but do sell a few pieces.

or maybe the other way around.....

so. now wondering if the time of the dip has to do with the relative porosity of the bisque temp, or is that just another factor to consider? slower dip with 06 and a bit faster with 04.

so many things to consider. I have always been a "quick" dipper when it comes to glaze. Not exactly sure why though. Maybe the times the glaze dripped off the bottom onto the shelves--did not happen that often, but still something. And then, was it the dip time or was the glaze a bit too thick???? i know that potters should always work towards consistency and predictable results, but often it just seems like instinct (through experience, no doubt), just takes over. i was taught in school to use 06 for bisque. Had a 20 year gap in my ceramic life and when i started up again, just went with the 06. curious to see what differences the 04 will make!

Thank you! I just did a bisque fire to cone 05, so will see how the various clays and glazes perform. I tend to keep my best notes about which glazes do and do not work together, and also which glazes fit the various clays the best. I also note where in the kiln is best for certain glazes (I have my favorites). Had not thought too much about how the bisque temp affected it all, so that will be a fun new element to add to the mix. Bisque 04 will be coming soon.

Hulk: Thank, you so much!! I wondered about the clay, as I use red, white, porcelain and a very dark clay which is quite rough, and I am still learning how it works. I wish I could just settle on one clay, BUT I find I like each of them for different work. Thinking now, I will just switch to cone 04 for bisque, since my loads at this point are mixed with the different clays. I am not a production potter, retired now, and really just having fun with it all. LOL Sandra

I glaze fire to Cone 5. I have been bisque firing to cone 06, but I have seen references to those who bisque fire to cone 04. Does it depend on the clay? What does the higher bisque firing change? thank you!