| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| buying an electric kiln | 10/12/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: i am going to purchase a kiln soon. i'm looking at the olympic oval model 2518. it's 7.93 cu ft ...
A: Susan, Yes good quality and value for the money. I have dealt with Olympic several times on their ...
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| firing | 10/10/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: i am pretty new to pottery. i bought a used kiln on ebay since i didn't know if i would like ...
A: It sounds like you have a Paragon type kiln, or one similar. I am sure you have more than one knob ...
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| How to stick handles to mugs. | 10/9/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I have problems sticking handles to casting mugs.Small cracks develop at the sticking place after ...
A: Use a dulled chopstick to PEG the moist slip....push it into the joint...maybe even use a little ...
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| low fire glazes | 10/8/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I am an old high fire stoneware potter who is looking to make a few low fire mugs in reds and ...
A: Mayco, Amaco,and Coyote all sell low fire glazes, in dry and liquid forms. You could try a ...
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| Glaze ingredients | 10/7/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I am a student working on copper red glazes. I have a recipe that calls for pegmatite. What is it? ...
A: Pegmatite is name for various large crystal feldspars. Two commonly used materials in glazes used ...
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| spongeware pitcher mark | 10/6/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: Good evening. I was wondering if you could help me with a trademark symbol. I can't seem to find ...
A: sorry, not my expertese. Spongeware was made a lot in England....then early in Bennington,VT and ...
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| raku | 10/5/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: after not potting for 3 yrs,I potting again! I need a bead tree?- and bead rods. Any advice for ...
A: Congratulations on returning to potting! As for a bead tree, I have attached a simple drawing of a ...
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| Old pottery vase ID help needed | 10/5/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: It has a mork I can't find anything about. Here is a pic I have more but I can't post them here
A: It looks beautiful. The plain clay, unglazed brown color tell me it is probably recent....within the ...
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| firing and glazing | 10/5/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I am wondering if it is possible to combine some bisqeware and glazed pieces at one firing. I ...
A: Yes, you can fire green ware to bisque and glaze ware at the same time! But let me explain the ...
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| Pottery wheel conversion? | 10/2/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: Firstly, thanks for taking this email. I purchased a kick wheel for my girlfriend about a year ago. ...
A: I have used lathes a little and potter's wheels a lot. wheel is Vertical shaft...lathe is ...
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| Cleaning oven to table ware | 9/26/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: The China we have is an over to table ware. It is very thick pottery like set. We have recently ...
A: If it is just dirt, a dishwasher should take off the stains...dishwasher soap is quite caustic and ...
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| Propane burners | 9/25/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I have been teaching at my high school for 9yrs. For 9yrs I have been trying to get a what I thought ...
A: The orifice at the end of the burners.....where the gas comes out will be smaller for propane ...
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| oxides on bisqued sculpture | 9/21/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I want to use oxides on bisqued sculpture but am unsure of the resulting colours at stoneware ...
A: Yes, you can apply oxides mixed with a little water to a clay surface but what you will get is a ...
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| reglazing pottery | 9/21/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I have some old hull china that has been in the family for a long time and was wondering if there ...
A: You can try just re-firing the pottery. No need to reglaze, unless the existing glaze is actually ...
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| oxides on bisqued sculpture | 9/21/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I want to use oxides on bisqued sculpture but am unsure of the resulting colours at stoneware ...
A: The following information will help you. Please follow any recommended percentages. Chrome Oxide ...
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| Raku firing cone .014 | 9/19/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I was talking to the store where I bought my cones and I was wondering if it is ok to bisque fire ...
A: As for getting more crackle in a crackle glaze that has been fired is to refire it and follow the ...
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| glaze issues | 9/19/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I hand print children and make ceramics prints. I just started using a solid color, brand is ...
A: Popping off usually happens when the ware is dirty prior to applying the glaze. This can be caused ...
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| earthenware with high fire glaze? | 9/19/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: when i went to the store to buy glaze, i told the guy i had stoneware so he suggested cone 05 for ...
A: If the clay you have is an earthenware and should be fired at ^06 (1900 F.) and you glaze it with ...
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| glaze running in kiln | 9/19/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I am a beginner and am having problem with glazes running onto the shelves in my kiln when firing. ...
A: The cause of your mishap in the kiln is most likely from over firing. Although a glaze has a ...
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| Raku firing cone .014 | 9/19/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I was talking to the store where I bought my cones and I was wondering if it is ok to bisque fire ...
A: Could you please respond with the following information so that I can correctly answer your ...
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| cone | 9/18/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I teach pottery as part of my curriculum. Last year I ordered stoneware and cones and the pottery I ...
A: There is a big difference in the two sets of cones you ordered. Cone 04-06 are typically used to ...
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| Raku firing cone .014 | 9/18/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I was talking to the store where I bought my cones and I was wondering if it is ok to bisque fire ...
A: You should bisque fire to cone 04. Cone 4 is what you will use for a glaze that fires to that cone ...
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| low fire clay and high fire glaze | 9/14/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: Can I use a high fire glaze on low fire clay (125) with decent results
A: NO! do not do that. You can use LOW fire glazes on high fire clay, but not the opposite. and low ...
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| Raku kiln | 9/12/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I am getting ready to purchase an older Olympic raku kiln 18" (about 8 years old but in good shape) ...
A: The type of gas you use depends on the type of orfice on the burner. If you decide to purchase the ...
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| Raku kiln | 9/12/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I am getting ready to purchase an older Olympic raku kiln 18" (about 8 years old but in good shape) ...
A: The only difference is the size of the tiny 'orifice' tip of the burner. A propane orifice is ...
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| glaze on cone 10 | 9/12/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I have some cone 10 clay, but only cone 5 glaze: should I bisque to 05 then glaze and fire to cone ...
A: Unfortunately, you can not fire cone 04 clay to cone 5. The clay would melt, warp badly and stick to ...
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| glaze on cone 10 | 9/11/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I have some cone 10 clay, but only cone 5 glaze: should I bisque to 05 then glaze and fire to cone ...
A: You should fire you clay to cone 10 and then glaze your ware and fire to cone 5. This will bring the ...
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| glaze flocculation | 9/10/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I recently tested a glaze recipe out of the book "GLAZES CONE 6" by Michael Bailey. I have had great ...
A: There could be many reasons that could cause your glaze to flake from the pot. But because you have ...
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| Bubbles in glaze | 9/9/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: We fired a kiln load at cone 5 using a cone 5 matt glaze and cone 5 clay. Every pot came out shiny ...
A: It seems that there may have been an over fire with your kiln causing the broken bubbles. And ...
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| Clay types | 9/9/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I am a student taking ceramics 2 at my high school and i was wondering what types of clay do you use ...
A: In my studio, I use various types of clays for throwing and hand building. I've included a list of ...
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| firing low fire high | 9/8/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: My question is simple...what happens when you fire cone 3 glazes to cone 5 temps. I guess i am ...
A: Of course it depends entirely on the make-up of the glaze. Glazes are a combination of minerals, ...
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| mixing ash into clay? | 9/8/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: i scuplt mostly using sculpy. my 5 year old friend's dog willy died and she asked me (with big ...
A: To make a more permanent sculpture....make the shape of stoneware clay...bisque fire it somewhere in ...
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| Cone 6 Clay with 06 Glaze | 9/7/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I spent alot of time brushing glaze on a load of wheel thrown pieces... I loaded my kiln only to ...
A: Your question didn't entail whether your pots were bisque fired or greenware. The glaze you ...
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| problem with wheel head? | 9/5/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I bought a used wheel a year ago. I always had problems with it, but it sat outside on a ...
A: My first idea is that maybe someone sat on the wheel head at some point and maybe the shaft is ...
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| dug clay | 9/2/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I dug some clay from my property; mixed it with water to a slurry then screened it to remove chunks ...
A: kaolin is also a type of clay. Usually it is quite high in feldspar. In the raw state it is quite ...
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| dug clay | 9/2/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I dug some clay from my property; mixed it with water to a slurry then screened it to remove chunks ...
A: particle size of materials for clays are all-important. Is it a calcined kaolin? that can help. ...
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| missing pottery chip | 9/1/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: How can I repair a platter that is chipped on the upper side? it is a painted serving platter that ...
A: difficult to make it 100 percent again. Cosmetically you can try acyric paint...Build up some white ...
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| Porcelain | 9/1/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: Ric, is there any paint(enamel?) that I can use on fired porcelain, (in this case a freestanding ...
A: Epoxy paint might be the answer. Maybe the kind used to paint garage floors. There are marine ...
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| Mickey/Minnie Mouse Turnabout Cookie Jar | 8/30/2008 | Ti Phillips |
Q: I have a cookie jar that was my mothers, the paint is all worn off and I would like to repaint it. ...
A: If your cookie jar is a McCoy, it may be to your advantage not to try and restore it. The value of ...
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| stoneware glaze | 8/28/2008 | Ric Swenson |
Q: I am a novice potter and have been using a low fire red clay (bisque 04) and glaze (06). The store I ...
A: For a cone six clay body, common practice would be to bisque at cone 06 (1830 F.)...apply a cone ...
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