Search the Community

Searched around for similar posts and only found one. So I’ve been gifted a large wooden table with a particle board top that I’ve been using for wedging. As of late lots of little bits of the particle board are getting stuck to the clay when I’m rolling out for hand building. They aren’t deeply embedded but deep enough that I’d mess up my pieces if I tried to wash them out. I’m using a sandy buff stoneware from standard ceramic (509). These pieces are going to be a bit more rustic in look so I won’t mind if there are tiny divots after firing, but my main concerns are 1) Will it negatively affect the kiln at all (I use someone else’s) and 2) will it affect how the glaze takes (I can never attach a photo as it always says they are too large...any tips for that as well?) thanks friends!

Hello, newbie here! Not too long ago, I decided I wanted to make a sculpture for my public library as a part of a Christmas decoration. I have my wooden dowel skeleton fixed up, putting it at 1'-2', and I'm using air dry clay. Problem is that it has been a while since I last used clay, and I don't know where to start WRT applying the clay on the skeleton. I tried putting slabs on it but it was too chunky on the legs and when I got up to the torso, it kept tilting over until it just broke off completely. Now, I added more dowels to the legs and spine, and will be adding more for the torso and violin, but I also need some tips on how to apply the clay, such as: Is it best to bulk it with foil or cotton balls and tape instead of clay? Which sculpting method is best? And should I do more than one? Which parts should I use coiled clay, and which parts should I use slab clay and pinch clay? Is this something I should do in parts for each day, or is there a different timely process? Thank you for the help!

Hello again, another wood firing question for those of you with more experience! I'm going to try a few different clay bodies in an wood firing next month. I'm in Ontario, Can - so I'm going to test a porcelain and Tony Clennell's clay body for sure. I've also seen a lot of work with gorgeous deep purple/brown tones. Are there any clay bodies/slips/kiln placement that I might experiment with to get this color? Thanks, Lindsey

Hello! New to the site and am curious about the effects of dry wood ash on glazes. I have found a lot of info about wood ash glazes, but not so much about applying dry wood ash onto an already applied and dried (or sometimes sprayed with a little water) glaze. I realize glaze recipes will vary greatly so it may not be very helpful to name any, but I have had great results (in my opinion) with the shino glaze at the pottery school I attend, please see the attached image. I have also tried this on our versions of tenmoku and iron red with results of some fluxing and gold speckling, respectively. So I suppose my question is what is it in shino glaze that reacts that way with the "freckling", for the lack of a more accurate term? (Perhaps this is carbon trapping? I do experiment with a CTC shino as well.) I'd like to experiment with other glazes and colors, but am curious to know if there is a specific ingredient (or more than one) that I should look for to possibly gauge what the results may be with applied dry wood ash. Has anyone tried this on, say, a standard celadon or spodumene glaze, if there are such things? Yes, I am about to do some test tiles, but this will take weeks for results (I am a student so at the mercy of their schedule) so any insight would be greatly appreciated as I could completely avoid any glazes that would have undesirable effect. Thank you so much. Stephen

Please delete or move if this is the wrong section. I searched and couldn't find a similar post. I recently moved to Austin, Texas and am looking for a local (or semi-local) wood or salt kiln that is communal. 90% of my work in college was woodfired using the college wood kiln, and now that I'm graduated I find myself in Austin with no idea how to continue atmospheric firings. I can't build a kiln in the back yard as I'm renting, so I'm looking for any community-accessible kilns I can fire in. Obviously, willing to trade labor and shifts for kiln space. I hope there is something available because I love the community aspect of firing with wood, and I want to continue my journey in that direction.

Hi all! I'm currently in the process of installing a kiln. I live in the city and the kiln is going on our outdoor deck. I understand there is a fire hazard. The plan is to install a base steel sheet, a layer of cinder blocks, then a layer of bricks, and lastly another sheet of steel. This would then have the kiln stand on it. I have a small L &L easy-Fire 2.6 cu ft electric kiln. I fire to cone 04 at hottest. It will have sufficient spacing from surrounding walls. It will also be protected from weathering. I'm looking for advice on raising the kiln. Does my plan sound sufficient? Is it overkill? At most I will be firing this kiln here for a year. Thank you for your help! Warmly, Kaylee Anderson

Hi! First of all, I am very very new to ceramics. Nearly not startet (only made a wall piece for myself), but I have plans to learn and make it my profession. I do know quite a lot of theory by now since I have been crawling Youtube almost non-stop lately. I want to try to make sculptures. So the question is: Is it possible to use wood instead of metal as a frame/skeleton for a ceramic sculpture? I ask because I do not know and can not find out what will happen to wood during firing. Will it expand and crack the piece? That is what I am worried about, you see. If it expands, is it something I can do with the wood to prevent that? I do not have a kiln, so I will fire using alternative methods like pit-fire or saggar or barrel firing, or everything at once. I may use saggars in a pit fire in a barrel, and use charcoal to get the temperature going. I guess that will be how I will fire the pieces. I am totally in love with the surface decoration that is possible to achieve with saggar or pit-fire. I use homemade paperclay. I live in rural Norway (Scandinavia), and here it is impossible to get a variety of clays. Well, it is possible, but the freight cost will be so high, so I really have only two options: Red clay or blue clay. I know it is not called blue clay in the US, but I don't know what you call it. It is blueish grey and fires to a pale yellow. It is a low-fire marine clay, and it is said to be very good for throwing (because it is so plastic). That clay will crack easily, so I hope I can prevent cracking in a non-controllable firing like pit-fire, by use large amounts of paper pulp in the clay. I have not fired a single piece yet, so I really don't know if that is the case. It will be too expensive to buy a raku clay from Oslo and get it shipped up north to the arctics where I live. I tried to process local clay. It does look quite easy on Youtube, but our local clay is not like the "youtube clay". We have this blue clay, and it will not dissolve in water. Some will, and it floates. I does not sink, whatsoever. I managed to process some, and then a bunch of sheeps came and ate my clay, and stepped on it, making a total mess. That was the point i gave up and promised myself that I will never use local clay again. It is a shame, we have lots of it all over the place. Actually it is 25 meters of clay under the ground here. A construction company found that out when they drilled for a foundation for a building block. They did it a few days ago. I might get the clay from the drilling hole. Maybe it is so pure it can be used straight without processing. Hmm, will give that I try. Well, I write a lot of here about nothing. But the original question was about wood as a frame for a sculpture. Is that a good idea or not? I have some artistic plans, you see, that involves wood as a skeleton. So metal is not an option by now. For other type of sculptures I can use metal, but not for this particular kind. I hope you experts can help me with this Kind regards Rune Thomassen

I’m now a believer! My experiment with a wood fired Raku kiln was a success thanks to the information and suggestions from knowledgeable people on this forum. I ripped apart an old electric kiln and used the ceramic fiber blanket surrounding the fire brick to build a light weight kiln. Since there was no breeze the day I fired, a squirrel cage fan was used to improve air flow. Pictures show the kiln and results. Oh yes, the marshmallows were great!

Hello potter community! I'm trying to figure out how to attach a chunk of antler (sustainably sourced, of course) to the side of a stein to act as the handle. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm feeling really cluless as to the best way to go about it. Currently I have two lugs coming off the stein (top and bottom) and I was thinking of fastening the handle to the mug with leather strings that tied around the lugs and the antler. I'm making them for a medieval themed event. Is there a better/more professional way to go about this? I have been unsuccessful with trying to find tutorials online for this.. I've attached some photos of what I've got thus far.. they're still greenware so there's room to change things. Thanks in advance for your insight! Cheers! Erin Tiny Cat Pottery

I am building a wood kiln it his year in Cassville Wisconsin. I have 30 plus years of firing with wood and building kilns. If you would like to be involved with this kiln at any level please let me know. I'll need people to help build and fire so whatever rings your bell there is an opportunity for you. If this sounds interesting contact me at kbichell@gmail.com. Also visit the kiln progress web site at http://thekilnproject.com/kiln-progress.html . I'll look forward to hearing from you. .....Ken Bichell