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Tips and techniques in our weekly series "Great Ideas for Potters" come from all levels of experience: studio artists, production potters, students, teachers and industry experts.
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July 13, 2007
Great Ideas for Potters
by Ceramic Arts Daily | Read Comments (8)
Each week, Ceramic Arts Daily provides you with a selection of helpful hints and ideas drawn from suggestions submitted by Ceramics Monthly readers. Some ideas are quite serious (especially those directed toward health and safety precautions), while others are more lighthearted. You'll find ideas for forming processes, decorating, glazing and firing, along with tips for outfitting your studio and creating and using tools. Got a tip of your own that you'd like to share? Whether it's a solution to a particular problem that you encountered or a hint to facilitate production flow, our weekly series "Great Ideas for Potters" is the perfect place for you to share your tip with fellow potters. Email your tip today!
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The dog days of summer will be upon us soon, so why not put that old thermal underwear of yours to good use: It leaves a great pattern on slab work, particularly porcelain. Make sure the clay is on the moist side, then simply roll it out onto a flattened piece of thermal cloth. When the clay is stiff enough but still workable, peel off the cloth and resume work on the slab. The uniform, impressed pattern makes a nice "canvas" for retaining applied engobes, stains or glazes on unfired or fired porcelain. It's also a neat, attractive backing for your work.
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To quickly and evenly dry greenware, set it outside in the sun with plastic arranged over top like a tent. The heavy, clear bag that commercial clay comes in works well. Depending on the amount of solar heat available, condensation quickly appears on the inside of the bag. At this point, remove the bag, turn it inside out, then recover the pot, repeating the process until the clay is dry. Even very large pots with handles or sculptural pieces with delicate attachments will dry without cracking within a few hours. Of course, this tenting procedure works best outside in warm weather, but it is possible to do on a sunny windowsill in the winter.
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For potters who would like a separate scoop for each bin in the glaze room, but can't afford to purchase that many aluminum scoops, start saving disposable softdrink bottles. By simply cutting these variously sized plastic bottles in two, one can come up with a variety of easy-to-clean scoops.
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Fire large objects on small chunks of softbrick to ensure even heating on the bottom of the pot, thus reducing the chance of cracking. |
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A kitchen spatula with a wooden handle will make a variety of throwing tools. The hardwood handle, if sharpened to a point, is an excellent separating stick for removing clay from the base of a freshly thrown pot before it is cut from the wheel head or bat. The rubber part is equally useful as a rib, or it can be cut and sanded to form a decorating rib.
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Need a sure-fire fix for rough potters' hands? The following homemade remedy (learned from a German nurse) has proven to be far more effective than any store-bought lotions. Put about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable, peanut or baby oil in your palm, then rub your hands together. The sugar will act as an abrasive. After about 15 seconds, rinse your hands in warm water; no need for soap.
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Read more about these related topics:
Glazing Techniques & Glaze Recipes Ceramic Art Techniques Studio Equipment
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