AboutTi Phillips Expertise Will answer any questions on hand building, wheel, glaze, firing. Speciality questions to include those in glaze calculation and development, firing techniques.
Experience Experience includes 30 years in pottery design and education. Have taught online and studio classes worldwide for the last 20 years. Own a pottery retreat specializing in firing techniques. Have 12 years solid experience in glaze calculation and formulation as well as problem solving in glaze chemistry. I am the first potter in the United States to have developed a complete package of pottery equipment blueprints for a studio. The blueprints include wheels, kilns, studio furniture, wedgeboards, raku kilns, slab rollers, ball mills and studio tools.
Organizations Alliance of Pottery Artists Worldwide Association
Education/Credentials University of Sciences and Art's of Oklahoma, studied under Professor Jaymes Dudding.
Awards and Honors Potter of the year with APAWA, various awards for showmanship and design.
Expert: Ti Phillips Date: 7/1/2008 Subject: Stoneware
Question I just bought a set of stoneware dinnerware. The majority of the dinnerware have imperfections (i.e. small indentations, plates & bowls don't stack neatly, small/flat "bumps" on the edges) as well as a few of them seemed almost warped (i.e. they don't even sit flat on a table). Are these imperfections common? Please help.
Thanks,
Annabel
Answer Dear Annabel,
Thank you for your recent question. Imperfections in dinnerware is not common for someone who is experienced in pottery. It may be that you purchased the ware from someone who did not have a lot of throwing experience. The indentations could be from miss handling the ware when removing it from the wheel. Bumps could be air, trapped in the clay, due to inadequate wedging of the clay prior to throwing. The reason your ware doesn't stack neatly is the potter had little experience in measurement and using calipers to keep the bowls and plates uniformed in size or the ware warped in the kiln from improper placement.
Now, the question you should ask is, is this ware safe to use? You must be wondering what I mean by safe. If the potter is inexperienced in throwing, it may be quite possible that they have no experience in glazing either. Although we seldom use lead in our glazes, except when it has been fritted for safety, there are other ingredients, such as barium, that could be in the glaze and may have not been fired high enough to render the ware safe to use.
Unless you know the potter and can discuss this issue with them, I would not use the ware. You risk being poisoned slowly by the glaze leaching into your food. If you insist on using the ware, I would take it to a reputable potter and have them fire it to an appropriate temperature to render it safe for use.
If the ware came from a manufacture, return it and request a new set that will satisfy the throwing quality and firing temperature.
I hope I have been of help to you. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.
Sincerely,
Ti Phillips
Earth Stoke 'N Fire Pottery Studio and Artist Retreat
www.earthstokenfire.com
