akilpots

i dont think it makes my skin itchy it is a rough clay body though.

i was trying out a bunch of different laguna clays as they are the closest supplier to me i found one that i liked at cone 6. laguna RSMC but mostly i've been using archie bray's Wally's Blush absorption rate is great at cone 6 and the fired color is very nice for the kind of work that i make.

for people that mix their own glazes how many are you managing in your studio? i have a smallish home studio in my garage and wish i could manage like a dozen but about 5 seems more likely.

definitely multiple slips, glazes, and firings....and a lot of testing. reminds me of tony marsh's crucible works. and some of jim malone's textured works. there's a good goldmark gallery video on jim malone where you can see him making some of these textured pots. he's applying dry clay to the surface of a pot while it's still wet on the wheel. https://www.artsy.net/artist/tony-marsh?page=2 https://www.goldmarkart.com/collections/mike-dodd/products/mike-dodd-medium-textured-vase-cer-md-4154-s

i've been getting into spoon carving slowly...i also love to camp and spend time in the outdoors.

I've been working on this simple cone 6 glossy base using the cheapest materials at my supplier. also developed during matt katz's course. https://glazy.org/recipes/420048

there is a new edition out which is much cheaper.

good podcast episode on the subject https://ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/podcastepisode/episode-20-should-i-be-afraid-of-silicosis/

definitely take some classes locally before you start making stuff to eat and drink from.

yeah thats right he calls it "packed bed porosity"

i've had some success with some glazes doing a drop and hold but with other the pinholes still prevail. i just finished matt katz's understanding glazes course and he has a compelling theory that the particle packing in some glazes or clay bodies is the ultimate source of the pinhole problem and that adding a small amount of darvan to help the particles pack better will eliminate the pin holing problem. i have yet to test it on my own but the data and experiments were compelling.

From what i have seen in community studios in nyc and la most people trying the wheel for a single class or for their first session of classes tend to want to fire and keep much of the work they make. I think this is totally understandable from their point of view and the studios point of view. I do notice that as people take additional classes or become members that they become more discerning about what they push through the entire process. this is just from my point of view others may have differing opinions. I have always felt like it's kind of a double edged sword...to get better at glazing you need pots to glaze so you simply cannot toss everything until you are a master thrower if you are paying for classes or a studio membership in a ceramics studio. maybe if you are in a university program its different. personally i've had some teachers that talk about things like vitrification, glaze flaws, best studio practices and others who haven't. it really is kind of a mixed bag and sometimes very dependent on the students asking questions beyond the basics. as for social media you are only getting a small glimpse into someone's life/practice best not to pass judgement on what you see there.

ok thanks. next time ill try cone 5 with a hold and see how that does.

I've done 3 cone 6 glaze firings in my l&l easyfire kiln it's over firing by a bit each time consistently and evenly across the kiln. do i use a cone offset for this or the thermocouple offset? how much should it be offset? this is a 5 - 6 - 7 cone pack.

not much to say about your kiln choices. but i just want to 2nd calling Rob @ northwest potters supply. I bought my l&l kiln from him this year and it was a very smooth transaction. he was also super helpful resolving an issue with one of the relays that arrived stuck in the on position.