Sam Cuttell on thu 2 jan 97
WHAT GOES INTO MAKING A MUG?
(so glad you asked!!)
1. Drive to Oakville and pick up the clay - 2 1/2 hour trip
EACH WAY.
2. Unload load clay into basement studio.
3. Weigh out amount needed.
4. Wedge (knead) clay.
5. Centre clay on wheel and throw the mug shape.
6. Remove from wheel and let dry 24 - 48 hours; depending on
humidity.
7. Put mug back on wheel and trim.
8. Hand create handle.
9. Let handle dry 1 to 5 hours; depending on humidity.
10. Attach handle to trimmed mug (10-15 mins).
11. Cover handle in hot wax to slow drying on very dry days.
12. Let mug dry 1 week minimum. If mug cracks at this point,
re-cycle clay and start over at step 3.
13. Take mug upstairs to kiln in the garage and fire to 1850 F -
about 15 hours.
14. Take mug back downstairs to studio for glazing. If mug has
cracked during first firing, discard and write-off.
15. Mix glaze(s). Each glaze require approximately 3 hours to
mix and sieve.
16. Put hot wax on the bottom of mug so it does not stick to
kiln shelf.
17. Choose design and glaze mug.
18. Let mug dry thoroughly.
19. Bring mug back upstairs to kiln in the garage and load. If
glaze scratches or gets bumped on journey, wash with hot
water and start back at step 13.
20. Fire glazed mug to almost 2400 F. This takes 24 - 28 hours
depending on electricity demands.
21. Hold at 2400 F for approximately 25 minutes. Make sure all
shelves reach the exact same temperature.
22. Wait approximately 14 hours for kiln to cool to under 400 F
before opening.
23. Remove and check mug. If cracked, start over at step 1.
24. If mug has miraculously survived to this point, clean sharp
bits off bottom with grinding stone by hand, and put out for
sale.
25. Last, but certainly not least instruction; try not to attack
the foolish person who innocently asks "Why does this mug
cost so much?"
AND, let us not forget all the hidden steps NOT numbered in here.
- Answer phone
- Sell pots
- Pay Ontario Hydro
- Develop new glazes and slips
- Come up with new pots and ideas
- Pay Ontario Hydro
- Put out signs on road
- Have MTO take signs off road
- Pay Ontario Hydro
- Re-cycle clay
- Pay Ontario Hydro
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sam
Sam Cuttell on fri 3 jan 97
A few people have written to ask permission to copy, modify
and distribute my 26 steps.
OF COURSE!!
I *encourage* you all to copy and distribute a version. I wrote
it in response to a lady who came up to me and asked "How many mugs
do I get for the price - 4 or 6??"
I informed her it was ONE. She leaned into me and whispered "you
should tell the potter he prices his work way too high". (Hey, with
a name like sam, I'm used to people complimenting my husband for my
pottery.)
I told her "I *am* the potter (and removed the mug from her hand)...and
I suggest you go to Wal-Mart".
P.S. She was totally clueless....walked over to my "2nds and
discontinued" table and about bought me out!
Hope the "26 Steps" brought a smile to you all and helps bring in
your new year on a happy note!!
sam - alias the cat lady
Home of Manx cats, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and the odd horse
Melbourne, Ontario, CANADA
(SW Ontario)
http://www.geocities.com/paris/3110
"Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change."
Pelly123@aol.com on tue 7 jan 97
I don't know, Sam.....
I only have to travel 1 hr to get my clay. I do weigh out each ball of clay
- 1 lb for medium mugs and 1.25 lbs for larger ones.. I can throw about
fifteen mugs in an hour...they dry overnight covered...next day I extrude the
handles, trim all of them in a half hour and put the handles on at the same
time....I use liquid wax for all and my kiln room is next to my glaze
room..my big kiln is huge and will easily hold 100 mugs and it costs approx
$15 for a cone 6 fire....I have been using the same glaze for years and make
them up in 15,000 gram batches, the simple GB, EPK, Silica formula for all
but blue and plum...and I don't watch my kiln fire or cool..the sitter takes
care of that. I just check to make sure it went off on time... so I don't
think my mugs cost as much as yours do.
You need to get more efficient and that takes practice. Most of us have been
or are going through the school of hard knocks where it comes to efficient
management of a studio. I have been throwing since the first week in
October for next year and I have to tell you that this DL has made all of the
difference for me in terms of efficiency. No more cracked handles or
bottoms is the major benefit and just where I am in terms of the industry as
a whole has been a real confidence builder for me...That's not to say that I
don't think more than half the folks on this DL are much better than me, but
I am comfortable with where I am and things are going so much better this
year.
When it comes to pricing your work...I think you can look at what the market
is for what you have and price accordingly, but it is not the level of
running around that you put into a pot that will determine whether or not it
will sell...it's craftsmanship and craftmanship alone that will sell the pot
in the end.. and here is where you should put all of your efforts.
Pelly in Rochester NY
"by way of Sam Cuttell on wed 8 jan 97
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
This is NOT aimed directly at the writer - it's my way of explaining point
by point to those of you who have written similar notes without answering
each one by one, OK.
Firstly, as most of you have figured out, the "26 steps" were written tongue
in cheek. It was a way of explaining to those idiots out there that a lot
of time goes into making pottery - much more than they have ever thought
about. It's also a way of diffusing the *annoying* questions: 1. What are
your material costs for this mug ($0.50 tops) and 2. how long did it take to
make (15 mins. tops). When the buying public hears answers like that, they
are loath to part with more than a buck to purchase the mug...so I wrote the
"26 steps".
>I don't know, Sam.....
>I only have to travel 1 hr to get my clay.
AREN'T YOU LUCKY! Most of us aren't even as close as 2.5 hours and need to
have the clay delivered - which adds to the cost.
I pick up enough to last 6 months in one trip - I own a large cargo van.
> I do weigh out each ball of clay
- 1 lb for medium mugs and 1.25 lbs for larger ones.. I can throw about
fifteen mugs in an hour...they dry overnight covered...next day I extrude the
handles, trim all of them in a half hour and put the handles on at the same
time....>
YO- I make a lot of mugs per hour, too - about 12 -16 depending on
interuptions. (don't forget to factor in how many years it took to get good
enough to make 15 mugs an hour). I never even mentioned trim time. As for
extruding, I don't care for the look of it; so consequently, for me, hand
forming is time well spent.
>I use liquid wax for all and my kiln room is next to my glaze
room..my big kiln is huge and will easily hold 100 mugs and it costs approx
$15 for a cone 6 fire....I have been using the same glaze for years and make
them up in 15,000 gram batches, the simple GB, EPK, Silica formula for all
but blue and plum>
I prefer hot wax - drys faster. I have a 7 cube kiln - never counted how
many mugs it would hold, but 100 sounds about right; I fire to ^10, and live
in the country - electricity costs about $25....and
3 hours of glaze prep equals months of not having to prepare glaze....and
I won't have my kiln in the house. We lived through a very serious fire
(caused by a candle of all things) and unless you've had a similar
experience, you just cannot understand the paranoia (sp?) about avoiding
another fire.
>...and I don't watch my kiln fire or cool..the sitter takes
care of that. I just check to make sure it went off on time... so I don't
think my mugs cost as much as yours do.>
I watch my kiln at the end of the cycle to even out the heat. I'm impressed
to hear that your kiln fires evenly and that the sitter takes care of
everything. Having survived one bad overfiring due to sitter mal-function,
I NEVER leave my kiln alone near the end of the firing.
>You need to get more efficient and that takes practice. Most of us have been
or are going through the school of hard knocks where it comes to efficient
management of a studio. I have been throwing since the first week in
October for next year and I have to tell you that this DL has made all of the
difference for me in terms of efficiency. No more cracked handles or
bottoms is the major benefit and just where I am in terms of the industry as
a whole has been a real confidence builder for me...That's not to say that I
don't think more than half the folks on this DL are much better than me, but
I am comfortable with where I am and things are going so much better this
year.>
I have since changed handles (the list was written 5 years ago) and have
less than 10% (probably closer to 5%) handle cracking. I don't mention
bottom cracking as this has never been a problem for me (thank you to my
mentor who stressed and stressed bottom compression).
>When it comes to pricing your work...I think you can look at what the market
is for what you have and price accordingly, but it is not the level of
running around that you put into a pot that will determine whether or not it
will sell...it's craftsmanship and craftmanship alone that will sell the pot
in the end.. and here is where you should put all of your efforts.>
I charge $13 and sell far more mugs than I wish to produce. (Please feel
to visit my web site and check out my craftmanship or ask those I've
trade mugs with what my quality is.)
While the steps listed are real and serious, the intent was to nudge
fellow potters so we could roll our eyes at the same time and groan
about the effort involved vs. the appreciation received.
In short
"It's a joke, son"
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