VladCruceanu Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 Hey, Long story short, I did this pot using hand building techniques and as you will see in the picture, some cracks appeared. It's my 8th pot and the first to get cracks. The cracks I think that appeared because I pushed hard to make the round cut, after the base was put on the foots, not against a hard surface like I did to my previous works. What can I do? I have read a lot about magic water and magic mud. Will these work for stoneware or only for earthenware? I read that Patch a Tatch is ideal for earthenware for example. Is the same for the above solutions? If I bisque fire like this, without do anything else, will it blow or crack a lot more? What will happen after I will glaze the exterior of the pot as the firing temperature will be around 1,200 C? Many thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 How dry is t? Could use a wire to cut off bottom. Keep pot wrapped in plastic while you roll out new bottom , allow to dry to similar state as potbody , score and slip, could use magic water to help rejoin. Secure new bottom to top and finish with coils pressed into join...could cut central hole before fixing together. Dry slowly. It would be demanding a lot to fix thosecracks... could try with spooze to which paper is added and blended. Dry slowly. Untreated I think the cracks would extend... Call it a learning experience and put it back in bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 sorry this happened but very glad you do not mind asking for help. since you are new, you are still in that early stage of puppy love and everything you make is precious. it is a very big step to say, "well, i learned not to do that again!" and toss that particular pot. i just tossed one that i had sitting around for months because i could not admit that it was a failure and not worth the time to try to make it "right". it was satisfying to see the piece hit the cherry tree and smash into 20 pieces. it is so much easier to start over and avoid making the cracks in the first place. is there something else you learned from that pot that will help you make a better one? think of the process and how you could improve on it. how did you make the hole in the bottom? did you cut it with a knife or press a hollow tube into it? you have already learned not to put the hole in it after the whole thing was assembled but when the bottom was just a slab. that is a good lesson to learn so making this mistake was a positive step in your learning a skill. and that is what you are doing, learning a skill. from the angle of the photo, i cannot tell what it is supposed to be. and i cannot imagine why there are all those tiny holes in it. can you say what your intent was? from the photo, the walls look very thick, is that what you want or what you think it "should" be? the next one will be better for your having done this one. you are gaining skill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 why can't i reply and edit without this coming up twice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VladCruceanu Posted October 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 The pot was built for a future bonsai. Tiny holes and different walls thickness are part of the design. The irregular shape makes the pot much more interesting. One of you told me to cut the bottom and make a new one, this is something that I cannot do. The bottom is very well connected with the walls and the foots. Lesson learned, fully agree here. I searched a lot the internet, most of the experienced people say that the object should be thrown away and make a new one. Yes, I love every object I made and this is one of my favorite. I ordered a high-fire mender and I will try to cover the cracks. No matter what result I will have, I will let you know after the object will be bisque fired. Thank you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted October 26, 2018 Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 Cut it off with a thin bladed knife or run a wire like used to cut pots from wheel. Will only work if not too dry, worth a try, or just our it in scrap bucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted October 26, 2018 Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 As it is for a bonsai pot, presumably for outdoors? and you're not going to sell it, then no-one but you will ever see the crack. Like all things fragile, no-one can say if it will survive, but if you have invested a lot of time, the energy and cost of firing might be less than the energy to make it's replacement. I have bonsai pots with cracks that only showed up after glaze firing. Do my trees mind, of course not, but I do know that one day the pot might fall apart completely. But so might a perfect one (actually, perfect ones have done just that). Give anything a try, and learn for next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted October 26, 2018 Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 If you fire it and the cracks continue on both sides of the hole, which they probably will, you run the risk of it shattering and hitting and ruining other work in the kiln. Personally, I'd also smooth the tops of those little holes (use a rib or sponge or just lightly sand them down) because when fired the jagged burrs around the piercings will be sharp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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