Potters?

[NoelTate]

I have taken a pottery class for about four years now and have been wondering if we have other potters in BYC...any others out there?

 

[Kgee]

Yep...fellow potter-head here. Took classes for years, finally got my own studio...it's awsome!

 

[[email protected]]

I'm a potter. Totally self taught. I do hand built. Not thrown.

 

[Kgee]

My more artistic work is all hand built. I love working with stamps & other things that give depth & texture. I make my own stamps as well as buy them & make molds from them so I can have "highs & lows". I also like doing pieces that are a combination of hand & thrown. A few years ago DH suprised me with a big slab roller for Mothers Day...a most awesome gift!

 

[Shaffer]

I also have taken a pottery class. I am only a beginer potter but only have a kick wheel at this time. Hope to get a kiln possibly in the future. I know a little about antique art pottery and most of what I have thrown were replicas of such. Matt green is the greatest color for me.

 

[NanaKat]

Are any of you using stoneware clay....I'll have to dig out my "recipe".
In the past I've taught classes and have done some pottery as well as sculpture. I really like the natural look of the fired clay with iron oxide on sculpture. And LMW glaze on stoneware is one of my favorites.
Years ago, I processed red clay gathered from a vein of clay on our property and really got a nice clay body for some raku.

 

[PineappleMama]

Closest I come to potting is painting already poured/molded pieces at a local shop.

Love it so far, and was looking up possible potting, but from what I read a class is the best place to start.

 

[Kgee]

Yep, classes are the best place to start & probably stay for a good while. The social aspect can't be beat & they really help with creative ideas, plus the equipment is expensive. When I lived in Denver not too long ago I took classes at a most awesome city rec center. They had a huge gas kiln...my favorite clay was a stoneware & favorite glaze was butter, a warm yellow with speckles. Now that I have my own studio, I'm electric & for the first time really having to pay attention to what I'm doing...no favorites yet...well maybe my brown clay (glazes seem to take well). I'm a fan of iron oxide too for surfaces that don't come in contact with food. It really shows off the textures in your pieces. As for raku, I was a fan till I found out the pieces fade with time (don't know how much time, but it changed my liking).

One of these days I'm going to melt some glass in my kiln...been saving & smashing beer/wine bottles...so far I'm chicken

 

[NanaKat]

I have Raku pieces I made back in the 70s that have not faded. Since they are for decorative purposes, a wet cloth is used to wipe them off. Certainly don't put any Raku in a dish washer.

When you melt your glass in the kiln. you will have a smooth side ( the top surface) and a slightly rough side (the underside) from the kiln wash on the shelf. To keep your glass from flowing over the sides of the shelf, be sure to build up and edges around the perimiter of your shelf with kiln wash.
I also would not fire greenware pieces in with the glass....just in case you have a bubble in the clay body that might explode...might make a mess.

Are you planning on making tiles?

 

[Kgee]

Nana,

My first thought was to make subway tiles, but I have yet to make molds. I understand you can use stainless steel for molds & I have some electric range burner covers that are ss. I need to drill a hole first (correct?)...do I need kiln wash in the ss molds too? I thought I'd melt in those & then slump into bowls. A friend told me to she fires to cone 016 to make melted wine bottles, but I can't remember if she said fast or slow...do you have a clue? Also, my kiln is is different from hers in that I have heating elements in the top as well as the sides. I don't know if I adjust the cone for that or not. I know...I should just do it & see what happens...it's not like the glass cost anything. I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm really quite timid when it comes to my kiln.

As far as greenware & glass together goes, my clay bodies fire at 06-08, much higher than for glass. And I know what you mean about the blow ups. In the past I've made some huge multi-dog water bowls by throwing the base, attaching a huge coil, & pulling the sides up on the wheel...comes out really cool especially after adding puppy stamps & the like. Anyway...Colorado = arid = no trouble...Missouri = humid = drying for a month plus = explosion everytime.