What’s on your workbench?

[oldlady]

very nice!   

i did notice that you are stretching a long way to reach the water.  and whatever is behind you to the left.  maybe it is time to look at your setup for speed and comfort.   just curious about why you throw water and clay under your bats?  

[liambesaw]

58 minutes ago, oldlady said:

very nice!   

i did notice that you are stretching a long way to reach the water.  and whatever is behind you to the left.  maybe it is time to look at your setup for speed and comfort.   just curious about why you throw water and clay under your bats?  

Thank you, my water is pretty far away, it's a large crock pot on a sheet of plywood, wish I could get it a bit closer.  Scrap buckets behind me.  I'm gonna have to move out of my shed eventually, hopefully before I hurt my back haha.  

These plastic bats are not good, the holes have loosened in less than 6 months and they all have a knock.  I put slip under it to help suction it to the wheelhead, and for subsequent ones I just put a little water to help the slip seal down the next one.

I have Masonite bats on my shopping list for next trip to the pottery store, but also really need to just bite the bullet and pour up some plaster ones.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by liambesaw

[liambesaw]

1 hour ago, Bill Kielb said:

I love it! Glad the PJs have gone elsewhere! I have always had Shepherds ( clumsy bowl tippers) so I found it necessary to throw a quick ribbon for double wall and add it to the shape.

This looks great!

 

The ones for my dogs are gonna have extruded sections inside to slow them down when eating, they're little piggies and will finish their food in under 10 seconds otherwise!!   I was thinking a flopped rim might be fun too, but no way I could do that to a gauge.

[Rae Reich]

Good job on similarities! How big will these end up? I appreciate your sharing as you're learning, especially since you made a clear, steady unfussy short useful video. Please make another to demonstrate the gobble-slowing feature!

Suggestion: If you release outside pressure about 1/2" before the top on each of your raising passes, especially the first- see where it tapers sharply?- and lightly rest a finger on the rim as you finish each raise, you'll end up with a thicker rim that needs less adjustment. 

[liambesaw]

16 minutes ago, Rae Reich said:

Good job on similarities! How big will these end up? I appreciate your sharing as you're learning, especially since you made a clear, steady unfussy short useful video. Please make another to demonstrate the gobble-slowing feature!

Suggestion: If you release outside pressure about 1/2" before the top on each of your raising passes, especially the first- see where it tapers sharply?- and lightly rest a finger on the rim as you finish each raise, you'll end up with a thicker rim that needs less adjustment. 

Thanks!  I'll do that, I am picking up some lag bolts to mount my extruder on the way home.  Maybe get a few done tonight.

I'll try not pulling the last bit instead of rolling the rim, I kinda like the rolled rim though.

They should end up right around 8 inches wide, if not, I will adjust and make bigger, my dogs current dishes are 6 inches wide and 10 inches wide and I wanted it to be in the middle.

[Benzine]

Currently, too much "crap" is on my workbench. 

I need to start getting things cleaned up, and organized, so I can start on Graduation mugs, for my Seniors. 

I was going to get started on all this weeks ago, but this second half of the Winter has been brutal, so I've spent waaaaay too much time moving snow!

[Min]

Oval oil bottle prototype (to use with silicone and stainless pouring spouts).

 

 

[Babs]

Liam nice to see.

I am amazed at how high your knees sit above your splash pan.

I'll have to look at more throwers as mine, small female are lower. I have my feet on..blocks of clay already..

[liambesaw]

7 minutes ago, Babs said:

Liam nice to see.

I am amazed at how high your knees sit above your splash pan.

I'll have to look at more throwers as mine, small female are lower. I have my feet on..blocks of clay already..

It's not exactly comfortable, but I'm limited because it's the old tank style rk2, had it on blocks for a while but it was too high for my seat.  I'm kind of used to it now

[LeeU]

Scored an old iron bacon press; want to make a mold so I can make trays. I found a good clay for the purpose (Si02) but I need a better first impression so when I bisque it and make the final mold I get enough detail, especially in the letters (it sez bacon press).  The rough & quick tray is with a direct pressing, so the words are still reversed--it's just for some glaze testing. 

[Magnolia Mud Research]

3 hours ago, liambesaw said:

… but it was too high for my seat. 

put six-by-twos under the seat,

or use the phone book on the seat, that solved the problem of the low level chair at the dinner table when I was a kid.  

LT

[Marcia Selsor]

when I was a kid the Philadelphia phone book was used for this purpose. It was about 3 inches thick. There are no phone books that thick in Montana. Oxford Dictionary made do.

 

[Gabby]

52 minutes ago, LeeU said:

Scored an old iron bacon press; want to make a mold so I can make trays. I found a good clay for the purpose (Si02) but I need a better first impression so when I bisque it and make the final mold I get enough detail, especially in the letters (it sez bacon press).  The rough & quick tray is with a direct pressing, so the words are still reversed--it's just for some glaze testing. 

The image is splendid. I adore pigs. (Except in my case, because I adore pigs, I wouldn't want the words).

[Babs]

Great find LeeU.

Old phone books ..endless uses.

LeeU make a nother clay impression wait till leatherhard or more. Vaseline or soap it up , board it up, seal corners and bottom of board/ table meeting lines, and pour plaster into the box thus formed . Hey presto a plaster mold...no nead to bisque the clay impression the clay just peels away from the plaster.

Though I am sure you know this.

 

[Rae Reich]

@LeeU. Nice piggy!

I've taken many to-be- bisqued molds. For areas that don't impress as well as others, I work from the back. My favorite "roller" is a 2" blue sports ball (handball?). A little practice with gentle pressure, not moving the clay sideways, but firmly down, with straight or circular motions as it suits you. This fills in detail better than a cylindrical brayer. 

Of course, you could instead hand-carve more definition where you want it.

What are you using for release?

[Rae Reich]

@Gabby, she could change it to Bacon Dress and have fun glazing different costumes!  

[Rae Reich]

On 3/5/2019 at 3:25 PM, liambesaw said:

Thanks!  I'll do that, I am picking up some lag bolts to mount my extruder on the way home.  Maybe get a few done tonight.

I'll try not pulling the last bit instead of rolling the rim, I kinda like the rolled rim though.

They should end up right around 8 inches wide, if not, I will adjust and make bigger, my dogs current dishes are 6 inches wide and 10 inches wide and I wanted it to be in the middle.

The technique I described is intended to get the height you want without the extra compensation for wobble that occurs when raising a wall with a thin, weak rim. Not suggesting that you form the fat rim first, just leave the top of the wall with  the same or a little more thickness as the wall with each pass, and compressed. After you've got your height, you can shape any style of rim you want.  

Edited March 7, 2019 by Rae Reich

[liambesaw]

Just now, Rae Reich said:

The technique I described is intended to get the height you want without the extra compensation for wobble that occurs when raising a wall with a thin, weak rim. Not suggesting that you form the fat rim first, just leave the top of the wall with  the same or a little more thickness as the wall, and compressed. After you've got your height, you can shape any style of rim you want.  

Did it last night and worked well, thanks!

[Denice]

I have another big tile on my work table and firing my third glass test firing today.   I am testing four different glasses a wine bottle,  clear drinking glass, window glass and a blue tempered glass.  So far the wine bottle glass melts and looks the best.  I haven't got a complete melt on the other three yet.  Denice

[Chilly]

Not clay, but glass.  Still goes into the kiln.

Edited March 8, 2019 by Chilly
Oopsie

[oldlady]

gabby, love your bacon press!     if you want to make a tray with the image, roll a slab of clay into the metal and cut it off at the edge without rolling up the edges.   fire it to bisque and use it as a model.   that way the letters come out in the right order.

[Gabby]

1 hour ago, oldlady said:

gabby, love your bacon press!     if you want to make a tray with the image, roll a slab of clay into the metal and cut it off at the edge without rolling up the edges.   fire it to bisque and use it as a model.   that way the letters come out in the right order.

It is Lee who has the bacon press. I was just an admirer of the image.

[oldlady]

sorry, lee and gabby.    that is what happens when you mean to reply one day and do it two days later!!

[LeeU]

On 3/7/2019 at 10:45 AM, Rae Reich said:

What are you using for release

I put a bit of Bag Balm (kinda like Vaseline) on a cotton ball and lightly coated the metal press--which I think may be brass, not iron. I finally got a good impression today.  Yes, I rub from the back! Not fooling with plaster, tho I know I "should".  No picture of the best mother mold------I looked up and saw this---ran for the camera, which of course had the wrong lens on it...there were FOUR of 'em wandering through. I've lived here for 16 years and never seen this out my windows. 

[shawnhar]

Iv'e seen tons of deer in our back yard, they've scared the heck out of me walking out to the observatory in the evenings just after dark with a loud "HUFF!". That's OK though, Iv'e snuck up on them and gotten payback. 

Unloaded the kiln with some mugs and planters, and some of my wife's first experiments with underglaze, I think she's gonna do great!. Sure feels good to have work on the table! Getting ready for a show at the nature center in a few weeks.