SunsetBay Posted December 17, 2019 Report Share Posted December 17, 2019 I am making some pieces for wedding gifts and a milestone-birthday gift. I feel like I don't dare personalize any of these before they are finished, for fear that I will end up with a bowl/platter/whatever that I don't deem right for the gift but that is now personalized, so no one else would want it. My work is porcelain, fired to ^6, electric kiln. What might be the best way to personalize these pieces after they are glazed and fired? Some kind of overglaze with a third firing? Ideally I'd do this in the greenware stage, but I'm just afraid of doing that this time. Suggestions? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted December 17, 2019 Report Share Posted December 17, 2019 Maybe a gold lustre? It's not quite permanent though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted December 18, 2019 Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 Personalized ware always presents extra challenges. Gold lustre, fired at 1800F, can be applied to an area that you've designated for naming. If you haven't used it before, do some tests. Excessive thickness will drip or bleed. It doesn't always look right on stoneware, but porcelain is a more elegant base. Practice your lettering skills. Possibly include a tag suggesting Hand Wash. Carving the personalization into the ware is not only simpler, it is a sure sign that the piece was made only for them. Clay is cheap, so I have usually made two or three copies of an item to allow for the unforeseen. Choose the best and destroy the others. That's what makes it truly custom. Not much is more discouraging than having to start all over again due to a stray bit of kiln wash or a hairline crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted December 18, 2019 Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 A note on custom work: I was asked to replicate a favorite mug for a sweet old couple. It was not my usual style but handsome, with straight sides, a narrow handle with thumb rest, deep cobalt with a tenmoku liner. I made 3 and they all came out well, looking handmade rather than slipcast. The couple took two and I put the third on my shelf where it caught my mother's eye. That piece was the only mug I ever made that she liked and she continued to use it for the rest of her life. It gave me great pleasure to bring her morning coffee in it every day. That was an unexpected bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted December 18, 2019 Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 I often do wedding jars for folks. These have a large enough lid that their wedding date and names are on it to commemorate the date, and remind the groom. However, as I always measure and mark measurements for lid openings, it things don't quite turn out I remake the pot and sometimes remake the lid. Then I have two pieces, that fit my needs, not just one. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunsetBay Posted December 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 Maybe I should just be brave and inscribe these from the get-go. Still pondering... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted December 18, 2019 Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 Echo make extras (always make extras!), an' inscribe, carve, stencil, stamp - permanent, deliberate - from the get go as well, aye. At best you have an extra to use in your studio - tool holder, example/prototype - or just give two; at worst, prototype/exercise for you to work on an' learn from. Just my $.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnolia Mud Research Posted December 18, 2019 Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 Consider designing objects that become personalized by diamond or sand blasted engraving of a name, date, event, etc. Chosen by the customer. The idea is to develop items that become personalized with techniques that are used after the final firing. Chemical etching, grinding, adding a metal component with the personal information, ... . Stated differently look outside the standard pottery box for the personalization step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted December 18, 2019 Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 Hand held sand plasters are pretty cheap just need a compressor and booth. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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