Acceptable Texture?

[kheicksen]

I have lots of groggy clay. I have stopped using sponges on it. I have started using a rib to smooth out what the rib can access on the pot. Even so, my pots have rough spots. They are cone 5 stoneware and thoroughly glazed and sealed, but grainy in places. People want to buy my mugs but I am nervous about selling them when they are not perfectly smooth. Is this considered substandard? What is your take on this? 

[Mark C.]

Stoneware is usually groging-just part of the clay.Its not substandard.

Smooth is not what stonewares are so just sell away and be happy with the way it is. I like the groggy feel myself-that said I work in porcelain. Its for the colors more than the smoothness.

Mark

[Pompots]

You wouldn't like to sell a mug that it is not perfectly smooth on the lip, the body of the mug can have texture, I know people who likes texture, I know some others that like it smooth all over, there is market for all kinds, the lip of the mug or cup in my opinion needs to be nice and smooth, when the lips touch it they want to come back and kiss it again and again, that is a good mug.

[Biglou13]

+1 what what mark says ....

 

Its to a point where my mouth knows the texture of my favorite cups. It's more tactile stimulation while drinking. I don't find the coarseness an imperfection at all, nor is it substandard.

[erinwells]

Totally agree with Pompots but, if the rough spots really bother you, try sanding your bisque ware a little before glazing. A bit of 120 grit sand paper goes a long way but, you must wash all of your work before glazing if you do decide to sand them while they are bisque..otherwise your glaze will end up doing some not so pretty things. 

[perkolator]

try a "fatter" liner glaze where your mouth will touch.  burnishing and smoothing with ribs will help a lot as well.  you could also try experimenting with slips on the surface as well, that should help reduce texture.

[Ben]

I like what perkolator says. Try to find some glazes that don't show the texture through.

[amylaloon]

I make and have been selling mugs with bare groggy clay on the outside for several years now. Like they said, as long as where your mouth touches is glazed and your handles arnt too rough your good to go. we had an instructor who used to say, only potters and other artists like the feel of bare clay on a mug, and that it freaks out the lay-menandwomen, becuase they think it looks or feels unfinished. I have never had anyone say that, if anything they find it so interesting because they have no idea what fired clay looks like, i swear to the kiln gods, the things some people say. I have only ever had one person freak out from the feel of it, and the sound of clay on clay, and it kind of seemed like this was a neurosis they had been dealing with their whole life, so i didnt take it personally. lol.

[amylaloon]

i was going to start a similar question/thread, about crawl glazes on non-food surfaces, how rough is too rough. I sometimes thing about using pantyhose and rubbing the piece with it to see if it snags and tears the hose, i thought that might be a good way to tell if it would be too rough for a non-potters hands, calouses make it so hard to feel if something could hurt someone. but for now i usually go by this,  when wrapping the pot with paper i rub and questionably rough spots and if they tear the newsprint i wont sell it.