Traveling with greenware

[dmarksbury]

First let me say that I am still very new to ceramics.

Given everything that is happening in the world at the moment (and personal issues)... The studio where I do my firing is closed till who knows when.  Given my state of complete boredom I have created a full set of plates (large and small) plus cups (a total of about 25 pieces plus other things).

Unfortunately I have to move all this stuff from one location to another BEFORE I get to move it to the studio in a couple of months.  I am very concerned about traveling with all this stuff and would prefer not to have to make several trips.

The clay I am working with is a Cone 6 stoneware.

I found an interesting post somewhere online (www.potters.org/subject83331.htm) that discussed the idea of "pre-bisquing" the greenware in a regular oven.  The idea being that it would make the greenware stronger for traveling.  So I wanted to check with you all and see if anyone else had successfully tried this or have any strong recommendations on why I should NOT do this.

The post said to put the greenware in the oven and set the oven on self-cleaning mode.  I assume that after this was completed, it should be strong enough to safely transport to the studio later.  Once at the studio, I would put it into the full bisque firing and then of course later fire to completion.

Again, I have 30+ pieces that I do not think I should stack and would likely require multiple trips to move it all safely.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for your help and time!

[Min]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Couple things, firstly 872F isn't cone 022. Cone 022 is approx 1090F, depending on the speed of firing. Secondly, less than (approximately) 1000F and the clay would still be able to be slaked down, (dehydroxylation takes place when the chemically combined water is driven off from the clay, after this happens it can no longer be slaked down), your oven cleaning example isn't getting hot enough to sinter/fuse the clay so in all probability it isn't going to be any stronger than greenware. Also, when the oven cleaning cycle is turned on the oven is going to blow through the temperature way too quickly for the pots to survive.

I'ld suggest thinking of some way to transport the dry greenware safely instead. Plates on their edge resting on foam with cardboard between them, mugs in liquor store boxes with the dividers, balloons partially inflated or rags around other more delicate pots etc.

[Sorcery]

 I wouldn't stack anything.

Best bet is an SUV with the back seat down filled to the top with Walmart bags smashed down and everything set on top in a single layer.

I've rode an hour on my Harley to a woodfire kiln with greenware in the saddlebags twice with no breakage. Walmart bags in cardboard boxes.

Sorce

 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I used to transport green ware a lot. The trick is to not stack things in or on other things too much and to make sure nothing rattles or gets compressed. If you’re going to stack, say, 3 bowls inside each other, the weight of the  inside two bowls combined should be less than that of the bottom bowl. You can stack mugs on top of each other if there’s lots of padding between, but don’t go higher than two layers. I used plastic grocery bins and padded just with newspaper, because I had a lot of it. Rubbermaid bins or laundry baskets have also been suggested by others for holders. Do expect some losses anyways. Make sure to give your bisque ware the ping test to find any hairline cracks before you glaze. It’s sadder to loose a glazed piece than a piece of bisque.

[dmarksbury]

Thanks everyone for the tips... I'll give it a go to transport the greenware plates as flat as I can...  I have a small car, no SUV, so I don't have a ton of room, especially for 20 plates laid flat, but I'll figure something out... may just have to make a couple of trips after all.

One further question: Assuming I was able to put something very soft beneath the plates to absorb the shock, foam padding as Min suggested above, standing vertically would support it's own weight?  For reference these plates were rolled out to about 1/4" slabs.

Thanks again! Really appreciate the support!

[Denice]

I have used a foam egg crate mattress  pad in the bed of a truck for moving some extremely delicate sculptures to a gallery.   That might be a good base for your move,  a twin size one should be fairly inexpensive.           Denice

[Min]

47 minutes ago, dmarksbury said:

One further question: Assuming I was able to put something very soft beneath the plates to absorb the shock, foam padding as Min suggested above, standing vertically would support it's own weight?  For reference these plates were rolled out to about 1/4" slabs.

Small plates might be okay like this, it's hard to tell given we haven't seen your pots. Flat would definitely be safer but if you don't have the room...  I would be okay with stacking plates 2 or 3 high if you had foam between them and they weren't resting on the rims of the ones below. Could you post a picture so we can give better answers?

[dmarksbury]

There are 8 of the large plates and 11 of the small ones.

[Min]

@dmarksbury, thanks for posting the pictures, makes it easier to comment. You are still probably going to get different opinions but I still think you would be okay transporting those on edge with foam underneath. Make them really secure so they don't bang into each other or tip, rags or towels or something similar between the plates. 

[Rae Reich]

If possible, do not put your greenware in cardboard or other flexible-sided containers. That flex could be just enough pressure to stress the pieces. 

Use layers of bubble wrap or air pillow packing between pieces so they can't touch. (Never used Walmart bags, sounds slippery.)

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If it was me, I wouldn’t stack them on top of each other: the weight will definitely crack and break the ones on the bottom. I agree with Min’s idea of side stacking them, with the edges on some kind of padding.

[Mark C.]

I have had tons of greenware moving experience -I get a small delivery twice a month from about 6 miles away of greenware. Sometimes I make the run. Been at this for many  decades now-

I used to move 500 slipware lamps a week in the 90s for a decade as well-again about 7 miles

Here is a how to-1st we use ware boards to put the pots on Small thin wood boards or square pressboard bats and move them in my pickup truck bed or van or a mini van-all with flat surfaces-use towels to lever the seats out or the floorboards. Most of the surfaces in thes vehicles are flat.

You can stackmplates two high (no more) but pad the plates inbetween  with plastic bags (like those from food stores). Mugs are best put with wider lip down depeding where the handle is . The idea is kep center  of gravity lower.If yoiur cups or mug has a small foot flip them upside down if the foot is larger than set them upright.

The key point is next-put the board in car fill them with pots then drape a heave towel -like say a bath or beach towel over the entire board or board if sitting next to one another.

I have usewed sheets in a pinch

All pots are draped (covered) with heavy towel-this is a KEY POINT.

Next drive slow-I may need to say this again DRIVE SLOW-take corners like your newborn in on back windowsill. slow for any rough spots like you have old unstable nitro glycerin in trunk . Think fragile during whole trip-take it slow-avoid speed bumps-jackrabbit starts and MOST important is

do not watch any film called fast and furious the night before (I have never seen any of these myself)

avoid traffic circles and if you cannot take at slow speed -also stop slowly and start slowly-remember nitro in the trunk

Only broke a few items in 30 years of this madness.

since you only have a few pots(30) this should be a piece of cake

[oldlady]

they are very nicely made plates, no wonder you want to save them.    i think you could use a  definition of what we mean about bags.   the plastic grocery bags that come home with you are usually discarded but they can be helpful here.  they can be used as packing material because they will hold air.  not like a balloon, but try holding a used bag by its handles and moving it so it fills up with air.  as you notice if you flatten it out, it is no good for packing if it is that flat.  try to keep a lot of wrinkles and some air in it as you work with it.  that is how it is valuable.  it will never be bubble wrap but a lot of bags can soften the shocks of travel.  remember wrinkled bags hold air.  not a lot but maybe enough.

the critical thing is the padding underneath the pots.   if you can get some thick carpet pad it is very useful as a shock absorber.  several layers under the bottom of your pots will go a long way toward keeping them in one piece.   put directly down on carpet pad, your large plate will not move unless you hit the brakes hard or slide around the corner as mark has advised you to avoid.

do you have a large. flat trunk?   that might be better than slippery seats.    it would be so much better if you could use an suv with the seats flattened.  there is more protection from vertical shocks if you put the pots between the front and back wheels.

[dmarksbury]

Thanks everyone!  I'm going to give it a go this morning for the first move.  Unfortunately I have to make 2 moves with them before they end up at the studio... I will likely just have to make 2 trips, but such is life... I don't think I am going to invest in anything new for what will hopefully be a one time thing.  I do have a bunch of plastic bags saved up so I will use those and see how we get on.

Thanks again for your support!

[Chilly]

A friend used to transport all kinds of slip-cast greenware.  She used the cardboard fruit boxes, the sort that will stack, filled with shredded paper, preferably from a cross cut shredder.  Rarely had any breakages.

[Roberta12]

I used to transport as well.  After many methods, I finally came to just leaving everything on the wareboards and folding the seat flat  (Subaru) and driving really really carefully.  Invariably I would lose a handle off a mug, so the plastic bag idea would be great to help prevent that.  A friend fires at my house a few times a year and she uses the plastic bag method.  So far, she has not had problems.  

Roberta