View Larger Image 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. Photo courtesy of Sarah Lewis, Pasadena, California.

August 24, 2007

Tip of the Week:Old Refrigerator Used to Store Clay

by Ceramic Arts Daily | Read Comments (0)

Each week, we provide you with a selection of helpful hints and ideas drawn from suggestions submitted by Ceramic Arts Daily subscribers and Ceramics Monthly readers. Some 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.

Tip of the Week, submitted by Paulette Harris
I have problems storing clay and glazes because of Michigan's cold winters and hot summers. When the freezer in my garage quit, I filled it with my clay and glazes and discovered that it was great for storing my clay and glazes. The clay stays soft year round, and it doesn't freeze in the winter or dry out in the summer. Thanks, Paulette!

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Other helpful tips

• Get a leg up on sticky clay problems by covering your templates, hump molds, etc., with recycled pantyhose. The fine knit leaves little texture, but allows the clay to release easily.
• To remove small, unwanted bits of clay that sometimes cling to the pot lip after cutting the rim, simply take a pinch of clay, wetter than the pot, and touch it to the pieces. Clay bits will cling to the wettest clay.
• For a nice effect, put coffee grounds or sawdust in your decorating slip. The coffee grounds fire out, leaving a brown coloration; pits from the burned-out sawdust may be stained to emphasize the texture. But keep glazes minimal—a heavy glaze will destroy the effect.
• There are several methods for glazing bowls that can't be held by a foot rim; e.g., using tongs for dipping, or placing the bowl on sticks or a rack and pouring glaze over top. However, tongs can cause problems, as a thin rim may crack or break. Then there is always some touching-up to be done when the bowl is supported by sticks. An alternative method, after glazing the inside of the bowl, is to cut two or more lengths of string, double them to form loops and suspend the bowl in a loop sling. Then dip the bowl while pushing down in the middle of the bottom to submerge it in the glaze. Marks left by the string are easy to touch up or may be left as decoration. For added decoration, try dipping the rim on a new string sling in a different color glaze. If no string decoration is wanted, it is possible to use ultrafine fishing line instead, leaving virtually no marks.
• When working with reclaimed or scrap clay of uncertain origin, it's a good idea to make a few simple tiles on which to test potential glazes. This is a quick, easy way to avoid disappointments, as many glaze defects originate in the body, and glaze colors are profoundly affected by the fluxes and colorants in the clay.
• For a lifetime supply of flat sponges, take a dense-foam-mattress section (about 2x4x12 inches), wet it, squeeze out most of the water and put it in the freezer. After an hour or two, the frozen foam can be removed and sliced into 1/2" thick throwing sponges.