My friend and I share a studio where we both do ceramics. She also host workshops 3 times a week so it’s a busy studio

It’s been a few months now, and the clay dust keeps getting tracked into the common areas as footprints which caused a problem with other studios sin the building. Not every studio is ceramic studio so it makes sense

We’ve been mopping regularly but it’s not cutting it, the residue just keeps coming back.

I’m considering picking up a Bissell wet vacuum to deal with it properly, but I’m worried that sucking up clay dust and slurry regularly might clog it or wear it out faster than normal use.

Has anyone here actually tried this? Did it hold up okay, or did you run into issues with clogging, the motor, or the filters?

Would appreciate any real experience before I spend the money on one.

I dont have access to a kiln in driving distance that doesn’t cost $400+ through classes to teach me techniques I’m already fairly familiar with. I’ve heard good things about using a makeshift mini kiln inside a microwave and I’m curious if anyone has experience with this.

Are there any things you WISH someone told you before you started? Any reccs for the actual kiln piece? Ive been scratching the sculpting itch with paper clay and polymer but honestly there’s nothing quite like the sturdiness and quality of ceramic. I miss it. I want to go crazy with raku again and make cool little guys. I have an old microwave I will only use for ceramics, not food, and a garage with good ventilation.

Thanks!

I don't mean to say it literally moves like Jello, but if you have your hand on the other side of the piece and you tap it you can feel the jiggle. My internal monologue has just been calling this the Jello phase.

I am currently working on a piece that has a large sword and thought it would be cool to try and get it to look as realistic as possible.

I am using a community kiln and dont have experience or the time to work with Palladium and dial it in.

Looking to get some feedback on what others have for an idea on how to achieve this. I have been looking at spectrums mirror or metallic glazes but there are so few examples of it that I can find. I am not opposed to using an over glaze/luster, but shoot me some ideas!

Its a baby name sign thing for my daughter, Marceline. So I have been working on having her name over the sword on the adventure time logo haha. In case you were wondering.

Hi there! I just joined a different studio where only low fire clay and glazes are an option (for now). I'm a bit attached to my pottery having glazes that look like they run, melt, and have variation in color. I love Mayco's light and dark fluxes for example. Also my pottery style is smooth, not so textured.

Also, the glazes need to be dinnerware safe as I do projects where guests eat off my pottery creations!

Could you all recommend any glazes that fit this description and also aren't so prone to crackling or pin-holing since I'm using low fire clay as dinnerware? I'm in the EU and there are some U.S.S. brands but the variety is less if that helps!

I'll have an opportunity to switch back soon, but it's all I have for now! Thanks in advance!

How freaking difficult! 😞 I start being very demotivated about handles. I spend so much time on a single one, and the result is always awful. I tried different kind of handles, but every time I find it extremely difficult to attach to the mug. How do you guys deal with it?? I saw so many videos of you just rolling, cutting and attaching, but I still don’t get even so much close to it. This is mainly a vent but if you have suggestions or a video that literally kicked it for you, and you want to share, please do. Thank you!🙏🏻

I’ve been having this problem where my fingers get stuck in hyperextension while throwing, to the point that I have to use my other hand to "unlock" them.
It causes slight discomfort without pain.

Basically it’s the inverse of trigger fingers, and I found that it probably has to do with my hypermobility, so basically it’s harmless and not a health worry.
Yet, it does mess with my throwing from time
to time which gets frustrating.

I’ve switched to using my knuckle instead of fingertips for the outside hand which fixed the problem, but I still have that problem for the inside hand.

Anyone has the same problem? Did you find any fix?
Do you guys know of alternative finger positions for the inside hand?
Any advice welcome, thanks!

I’m still not over the moon about these glaze results but definitely happier with them compared to my first haul…I can’t wait to eventually find that holy grail glaze combo and NEVER have to experiment & ruin pieces again 😆

hey yall! thank you for checking out my post 😊

i’m a nc potter and have initially been trained in the nc tradition. now i’m in bizen and im learning the bizen way of fire! one thing that’s been on my mind a lot lately is where to draw the line between whats considered practicing a tradition and whats considered new and “original”. halfway across the world i’m still thinking about old nc pots and making pots inspired by them… i want to look elsewhere but i can’t shake this draw that i have to nc pots.. i want to continue a tradition but i also want to add to it.

ig what im wondering is where do you set the boundary between looking at a tradition and creating something that is removed from it?

Hey all. This may be more directed to canadian potters but all are welcomed to chime in.
Does anyone know if supplies like glazes,clays,tools etc will go up due to the tariff war between canada and usa? canada is going to impose tariffs on usa in just over a week. I havent read anywhere if brands such as mayco,amaco,coyote,mudtools etc will go up due to this.
Anyone got any info?

Thanks! Pot on!

Been tweaking this glaze for a while and it is finally coming out how I wanted.

I’m like a bull in a china shop so often when handling greenware or especially leather hard pieces, I break everything.

(I’ve started using stroke and coat but I have many many small containers of underglaze I’d like to use up.)

Is there any downside to bisque firing a piece, underglazing, bisque firing again and then applying a clear glaze and glaze firing? I’ve found if I apply underglaze to a bisque piece and then immediately clear glaze without a fire to set the underglaze in between, the underglaze comes out looking watery/runny and just not very crisp.

I’m using amaco velvet glazes if it makes a difference.

The black matte on the bottom of the piece didn’t come out as solid as I’d hope I’d applied it. Do we think if I reglazed the bottom and refired slightly cooler, the top will be relatively the same? 😅😅

I am new to pottery and am currently in between beginner courses at one of our local clay studios. (I WILL throw a nice cylinder, dangit!) One thing I'd like to explore in this next class (10 wks vs 5 wks) will be some hand building skills because myself and my two housemates have autoimmune issues that sometime bugger our hands. (They've been taking classes, too.) While I know I can buy some, I thought it would be fun to get creative with stuff around our house. I've not been successful in choosing the right words for a google search.

My question currently is what things around your house have you used to make a form or mold for something? Think using pvc piping to make a certain sized mug body or a cookie cutter that you then put over a plastic bowl to be a dish.

Another apple mug from my wife's workshop – this time a yellow and red combination. Red is always the trickiest to fire, you have to find that exact spot in the kiln where it actually stays red instead of turning into something else. Of course, it took some testing to get there.

I’ve been a member of a studio for the past couple years (some throwing, mostly handbuilding), but I’m taking some time off from that this fall/winter while life is a bit chaotic and to save some money.

I’d love to lean more into just playing around with clay at home this fall before it gets too cold. I’m not concerned about making anything amazing; I mostly just want to get creative and become even more comfortable with the material. If anything turns out, I can fire it later.

Materials-wise, I’m thinking a small secondhand table + self-healing cutting mat for a work surface, a plaster wet box for pieces in progress, and a small bucket or two of water (I can dump here and refill with hose). Nothing fancy.

Has anyone done much handbuilding outdoors? I already suspect it's not ideal for drying (I'd bring the wet box inside) but for actually working with clay and spending an hour or so at a time out there working in the fresh air.. I don't mind if there are little issues, but I don't want it becoming unworkable within an hour. Anything I should think about? Any tips appreciated! tia

Re:outside - I just like being out there, the air is fresh, I don't have to worry about particles floating around and sticking to things inside, it's quick to rinse stuff down with the hose, etc etc

Hi all!

I rent a space at my local studio, but since I've been there less than a year, I can only rent a shoebox-sized locker. ( Larger spaces are reserved for the teachers and long term renters.) So I bought a Soolla bag to keep some of my personal tools and used the locker for glazes. I have bought even more glazes, so I need more space. Would keeping them in my car for easy access when I go to the studio be okay? I live in PA, if that informs you of the changing weather.

I've just started selling at shows/festivals. What is the best size/brand tub for transport?

I want to go with something a little bigger than 32qt. I've tried the largest size and the lids pop off! So those will just be for storage. But I need some larger/taller ones for my medium size pieces!

Tiles to cover an electrical panel. Slab building. Seaweed using the coil technique. High fired in the kiln.

First jar. Hoping it doesn't crack lol. It's huge and heavy. Need to work on thinner walls and really get lids better hahaha. But still!