Mel Jacobson on wed 22 oct 97
well i am trading 25 mugs as of today.
what great letters, and what great funny people on the net.
and the thing that really makes me smile, is that i had exactly 25 trade
offers, and as to my post.... i had put away 25 mugs.
go figure.
a very rich man in mugs.
at least 15 of them will go to the farm and be shared by 30 wonderful
artists.
mel
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
Don Jones on mon 2 feb 98
Dear Group,
I have been following only peripherally the discussion on the mug exchange
and I am indeed jealous. I collect mugs myself. Everytime I go to a show
I pick up at least one mug.
Since I don't make anything practical, let alone mugs, I wonder if anyone
would consider selling me one of their mugs that they are currently
exhchanging with other mug makers. I'd like to buy one a month from a list
that I would compile from your privately mailed responses.
Any takers out there?
Don Jones
claysky@highfiber.com
:-) implied in all messages and replies
http://highfiber.com/~claysky
Mel Jacobson on thu 30 apr 98
Ariali went to antigo
wisconsin to visit a couple of really good friends...both teachers,
potters,
and sorta guys that you trust, been together for years.
bob said, `let's go to the cafe and have coffee, andy said....`hey
great,` i said, `do they have really great small town mugs?`....andy
laughed, he said, `hey, they have really old, porcelain
navy sorta mugs`......i ran to the cafe.
when we got there, sat down, a gal came over and said...`you guys want
coffee?`.
`hell yes, is it morning?`
and then she brought them, wonderful, old, beat out, white with a ton of
scratches.
all old and nice...thick, tough, navy mugs.
you gotta travel around, see the mugs in restaurants, drink from them,
hold them,
roll them in your hands....................feel them. real, old,
porcelain navy mugs.
not many left anymore.....they love to serve coffee now in glass
mugs....glass...god almighty,
the pope would not drink coffee out of glass.
if you want to be a potter, you have to feel the stuff, clay, made for
people to use.
not decoration, to use..............`.hold it in your hands, drink stuff
from it.'
then you will know. watch plumbers, carpenters, workers, men and women
that work
all day..................use the clay.
"drinking soda from a can does not do it"
thick clay mugs, a million times washed...hot water.
they are like old korean pots.....more than a thousand years old.
i called over the owner, said i wanted to buy one of the mugs...have done
that before...he said
`can't get these anymore, don't want to lose any of them..`
i said, ` i will trade you one of my mugs.....for one of yours`.
he said `ok, but a good one`....and i mailed him a nice mug.
\i love that priceless old, navy mug.
if you want to be a potter, look at stuff, hold it in your hands...touch
it.
watch people use it.
white, plain, no design.
\mr uchida would say.....`diajobe`.
good.
mel/mn
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
maggie j jones on sat 2 may 98
my husband and i were in Asheboro NC one yr for the potters conferance
there. Stopped at a cafe for breakfast and the old, white, heavy,cup that
Freeman got had, lo and behold, a small black pebble stuck in the side!
They thought we were weird when he asked to buy it so they kind of
stepped back and said, you can just have it...
Maggie Jones , Turtle Island Pottery, Black Mtn. NC
mrjj@juno.com
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Ilene Mahler on sat 6 mar 99
I hope in the none going to Columbus mug exchange I can do a goblet I made
my first 5 and they came out so good I can't believe it.I must be a POTTER
after 18 years I finally am almost there ...If I could only make that
perfect mug the one with the right handle the openining perfect for the
perfect nose...I get all poetic when I think..Wait I am getting that speak
into the computer and it types will I be good then..Bad hands must save
thwm for the perfect mug.Even the cone 10 gas glazes were just the way I
wanted Does this happen often...Ilene in Conn.U.S.A.
Charles G Hughes on fri 24 mar 00
-------------------
The mugs look great=21 Thanks for taking the time to post them and do all =
the
tough organizational work=21
Lorraine Pierce on mon 27 mar 00
Dear Patrick et all...just received this great post from a potter friend
and want to share it.
*****
Mugs are so important, even tho they seem to be such humble objects that
they are almost beneath notice. No other pot that a potter makes spends
so much time in the hands and if we are trying to communicate anything,
this is our chance. I don't care WHAT people do with teapots (and I've
seen a lot lately that should be taken out and buried) but a teapot can
never be as important as the heft of a mug, the feel of it with
something warm in it, the look and feel of the body. A good mug is the
next best thing after your mother's breast and you'll be using it
longer. LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE PERFECT MUG!
So keep on experimenting and working on mugs...especially for those of
us who are getting older and arthritic and need less heft and more
ergonomic design to be comfortable. I think it is not a mistake to think
that often a mug is "cuddled" with two hands while someone is thinking,
or just cuddled because its contours fit the hand and it is warm and
sensual. And visually it's contours and "face" are familiar as a pet's
head and we know that it is ours alone and will be there when we need
the comfort. Let's hear it for mugs!
*********
My friend has said it all I think...what a beautiful way to start the
day....mug in hand of course!!
Lori in New Port Richey, Fl.
Cindy Strnad on wed 2 may 01
Hey, I make beer mugs, Wes. But I don't like beer. However, my steins wil=
l
hold a double pint, plus foam. People buy them for latte'. Go figure. We
haven't got latte' out here yet--we're still the wild west. People still
want to drink a quart of beer instead. Micro-brew? What the 'el's that? ;=
)
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
earthenv@gwtc.net
http://www.earthenvesselssd.com
craig clark on wed 2 may 01
Being a former imbiber of many more pints of Guiness Stout than I
remember, (usually had 6 or 7 to get the evening rolling. I no longer dri=
nk)
I can say with a high degree of expertiese that the only vessel from whic=
h a
stout ought to be consummed is a proper GLASS pint!
I say this because, as you probably know, a good stout involves a
ritual. That ritual begins with, and is gounded in the pour. To fully
apprciate a good stout one must be able to watch the elegant beauty of th=
e
cascade as the creamy froth gradually settles into its fully delectable
form. I really loved the stuff. I' salivaaattttting right now and I havn'=
t
had a drop in almost two years.
It wasn't just the taste or the kick of the stout. It was the
experience. It's sorta like it aint just the mud, the wheel or the fire.
It's the whole thing.
If you put a good Guiness in a something that you can't see through i=
t's
kinda like firing pots without being able to see the flame. Any current o=
r
former Guiness drinkers out there will know what I'm talking about. The
rest will probably think I'm a bit off, and they're right.
Anyway, have a few stouts for me if you are so inclined. Enjoy
Craig Dunn Clark
619 East 11 1/2 st
Houston, Texas 77008
(713)861-2083
mudman@hal-pc.org
into -----Original Message-----
From: Wesley C. Rolley
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 5:21 PM
Subject: Mugs
>So many discussions about the proper form for mugs. I remember one post
>from "da mayor" about the glory of old navy porcelain mugs. Also
>discussions about whether it is proper to drink wine from pottery and th=
e
>proper aesthetic for a Japanese tea bowl (chawan"). Never a word about =
the
>proper container for a pint of stout, a Lone Star longneck, or even the
>Jamaican stuff that Rush drinks.
>
>In this era of microbrews, who makes beer mugs? Does Tony drink Mouslon
>from the can?
>Wes Rolley
>
>"Happiness is to be fully engaged in the activity that you believe in an=
d,
>if you are very good at it, well that's a bonus." -- Henry Moore
>
>http://www.refpub.com
>
>________________________________________________________________________=
___
___
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Sheron Roberts on wed 2 may 01
Wes,
I make beer steins. Sleek unadorned steins.
Ornate, dragon covered, steins.
Or oak leaf and vine steins. Just about
any theme you can think of steins.
I like carving on them.
Been hanging out with too many Germans.
:)
Sheron in NC=3D20
(Just read a cute line from a Snoopy calendar:
"May is God's apology for February." I agree,,
,,,so far.)
Matthew Blumenthal on wed 2 may 01
I always figured that any mugs I made were beer mugs by default. They may
see more coffee or tea than beer, but that is merely because I like to be
able to walk to bed rather than crawl at the end of the day!
Although if you are going to do the longnecks, I think are better out of
the bottle. Sort of the classic style.
At 11:47 AM 5/2/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>So many discussions about the proper form for mugs. I remember one post
>from "da mayor" about the glory of old navy porcelain mugs. Also
>discussions about whether it is proper to drink wine from pottery and th=
e
>proper aesthetic for a Japanese tea bowl (chawan"). Never a word about =
the
>proper container for a pint of stout, a Lone Star longneck, or even the
>Jamaican stuff that Rush drinks.
>
>In this era of microbrews, who makes beer mugs? Does Tony drink Mouslon
>from the can?
>Wes Rolley
>
>"Happiness is to be fully engaged in the activity that you believe in an=
d,
>if you are very good at it, well that's a bonus." -- Henry Moore
***********************************************
Matthew Blumenthal
Fremont CA
Potter, Guitar Player, Kayaker, and
General Computer Nut
mattblum@pacbell.net
http://www.mattegrafix.com
ICQ 12691259
***********************************************
Wesley C. Rolley on wed 2 may 01
So many discussions about the proper form for mugs. I remember one post
from "da mayor" about the glory of old navy porcelain mugs. Also
discussions about whether it is proper to drink wine from pottery and the
proper aesthetic for a Japanese tea bowl (chawan"). Never a word about the
proper container for a pint of stout, a Lone Star longneck, or even the
Jamaican stuff that Rush drinks.
In this era of microbrews, who makes beer mugs? Does Tony drink Mouslon
from the can?
Wes Rolley
"Happiness is to be fully engaged in the activity that you believe in and,
if you are very good at it, well that's a bonus." -- Henry Moore
http://www.refpub.com
evan on thu 3 may 01
Dang! you caught me drinking a Pete's Wicked from a glass! More often I
use a sweet green ash glaze mug I picked up at Warren McKenzie's
studio. Not his - I think I have the potter's name written down
somewhere. Just a good mug. Then there's Michael McDowell's copper red
mug which is about the best thrown thing I've seen. Does it's job just
right. The way I figure it is, who cares if you can see the beer color
if you can look at a great vessel while you quaff.
-- Evan in W. Richland WA: Hop country -- where it is patriotic to
drink beer. Grape country -- where wine is equally acceptable. And
where the flox and balsam root are almost done blooming in the remaining
open shrub-steppe.
"Wesley C. Rolley" wrote:
>
> In this era of microbrews, who makes beer mugs? Does Tony drink Mouslo=
n
> from the can?
> Wes Rolley
Wade Blocker on thu 3 may 01
Cindy,
Micro breweries are small breweries which generally make real beer that =
is
a lot better than anything you get from the giants eg Bush etc. Mia in
windy ABQ
Elizabeth Canupp on tue 26 jul 05
Okay Earl, Dale, and Mel I want one of your mugs too. How much??? $20,
$40, $800,000???
Elizabeth Canupp
Trimming Queen
Earl Brunner on tue 26 jul 05
ohhhhh!!! Just how much were you prepared to spend? Of course before i get TOO inflated, "Which Earl?"
LOL
Elizabeth Canupp wrote:
Okay Earl, Dale, and Mel I want one of your mugs too. How much??? $20,
$40, $800,000???
Elizabeth Canupp
Trimming Queen
______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
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Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Earl Brunner
e-mail: brunv53@yahoo.com
Dale Neese on wed 27 jul 05
Hi Elizabeth, I just posted a photo on flickr.com of just one example of my
mugs. The price of all of my mugs has always been $15.
Have a look,
http://flickr.com/photos/clayart/
Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA
Elizabeth Priddy on wed 27 jul 05
I'd almost pick that one with the red spot.
here's waht holds me back. I like a belly on a mug.
A fat belly allows the handle to rest right at the
top of it and not extend so far off to the outside,
which I find cognitively dissonant for lack of a better
descriptor.
The glaze looks nice and silky.
The goblet on the same page, if the proportion were way
off, the bowl about twice as high as the stem....
now that is more like it.
But truly, I doubt anyone cares what I think. I
am in no position to better the career of anyone,
I do not write for magazines, I have not been active
in winning awards...
I have had the speed bump of all speed bumps.
I have had two years to think about pots and not do.
The pregnancy was very difficult. The recovery and
the baby are just now under control. And I am indeed
back out making pots. But I feel like a beginner. In
my ideation, I am. The freaky weirdness of it is, though...
Unlike when I was a beginner, I did not know how to
actualize the things in my head. I kept a sketchbook
while I was waylaid by reproduction and there is not
one thing in it that I cannot make now or figure out with
facility. 20 years of training does not disappear.
But my shoulders hurt and I am arthritic and I must work
out and rehab my shoulder to do this all day.
So .... I like your mug, but still would not choose it.
I bet you sell them well. And so you should. Some of the
remarks Tony made came off arrogant and willful. I think that
is approriate. It is like I told my husband after a mural
competition after someone asked me which of the entries I
liked the best. I gave them a really dumd look before getting
a grip on my easy to read face and said, "why, mine, of course,
if I liked one of the others better, that's what I would have painted."
arrogant and willful, but appropriate.
E
E
Dale Neese wrote:
Hi Elizabeth, I just posted a photo on flickr.com of just one example of my
mugs. The price of all of my mugs has always been $15.
Have a look,
http://flickr.com/photos/clayart/
Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA
______________________________________________________________________________
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Elizabeth Priddy
252-504-2622
1273 Hwy 101
Beaufort, NC 28516
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
*If you are an extra-sensitive
or easily-offended type:
Remember that what I say is obviously
just my opinion based on my experiences
and that I, like most people, don't go around
intending to step on toes and make folks cry.
Take it with a grain of salt.
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Richard Walker on wed 13 feb 08
Deb,
Interesting. I make a mug/stein that fits what you are talking about. With a relatively large hand three fingers fits quite nicely and with a smaller hand four can actually fit inside the handle. On the plus side is a thumb rest that several potters see as superfulus, but that I find quite comfortable and quite desireable in the market. Shrinkage is about 10% using B-mix. I use the stein constantly and also suffer from arthritic issues. Would be glad to share a pic. or dimensions if interested.
Dick
Dick
>From: Deborah Thuman
>Date: 2008/02/13 Wed PM 01:21:29 CST
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Mugs
>I've no idea what people want in a tea/coffee cup/mug. But... I know
>what I want. I want a BIG mug for my happy good morning to me cut of
>tea. I want a mug big enough to hold my fist for my therapeutic hot
>cocoa (NOT from a mix! - I want the real stuff). I'm arthritic so a
>comfortable handle is an issue with me. I have to be able to get more
>than one finger in there - preferably three fingers.
>
>I've paid in the $10-$15 range for mugs. I'm now trying like crazy to
>figure out how to throw a mug the size I want. It's the 10% shrinkage
>with ^10 that drives me nuts. I'm going to have to make something
>unreasonably big so I can have the right size.
>
>Deb
>http://debthumansblog.blogspot.com/
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
>subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots2@visi.com
Deborah Thuman on wed 13 feb 08
I've no idea what people want in a tea/coffee cup/mug. But... I know
what I want. I want a BIG mug for my happy good morning to me cut of
tea. I want a mug big enough to hold my fist for my therapeutic hot
cocoa (NOT from a mix! - I want the real stuff). I'm arthritic so a
comfortable handle is an issue with me. I have to be able to get more
than one finger in there - preferably three fingers.
I've paid in the $10-$15 range for mugs. I'm now trying like crazy to
figure out how to throw a mug the size I want. It's the 10% shrinkage
with ^10 that drives me nuts. I'm going to have to make something
unreasonably big so I can have the right size.
Deb
http://debthumansblog.blogspot.com/
Charles on thu 14 feb 08
My rounded mugs hold between 16 and 20oz depending on how sloppy I have been (sometimes I SHOULD give one more pull) and I make them from 1.25lbs of clay. They can be seen on my website. I sell them for $25 and $30 if I add a medallion.
A note on prices... in my mind...I am charging a lot more than I should for a mug, but I can't make enough of them and when I visit potteries on my various travels I pay $25 for something a lot smaller and often not as well crafted. Mugs are my bread and butter. Teapots, bowls and pitchers are bonus sales. Bassackwards..
-Charles
--- On Wed, 2/13/08, Deborah Thuman <debthuman@ZIANET.COM> wrote:
From: Deborah Thuman <debthuman@ZIANET.COM>
Subject: [CLAYART] Mugs
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 2:21 PM
I've no idea what people want in a tea/coffee cup/mug. But... I know
what I want. I want a BIG mug for my happy good morning to me cut of
tea. I want a mug big enough to hold my fist for my therapeutic hot
cocoa (NOT from a mix! - I want the real stuff). I'm arthritic so a
comfortable handle is an issue with
me. I have to be able to get more
than one finger in there - preferably three fingers.
I've paid in the $10-$15 range for mugs. I'm now trying like crazy to
figure out how to throw a mug the size I want. It's the 10% shrinkage
with ^10 that drives me nuts. I'm going to have to make something
unreasonably big so I can have the right size.
Deb
http://debthumansblog.blogspot.com/
______________________________________________________________________________
Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here:
http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots2@visi.com |
Taylor Hendrix on thu 14 feb 08
I have shrink rulers made from my primary stoneware clay. Why I
haven't used them, I don't know. I'm going in the house and measure
all my favorite mugs and see what I need to throw to for my next mug
batch. BTW, my ^6 stoneware shrinks 11%.
Taylor, in Rockport TX
On 2/13/08, Lee wrote:
... Mugs are easy, but the shrinkage of larger stuff is
> stunning. Unitl I used a shrink ruler, I always made tea ceremony
> jars and urns too small.
...
Lee on thu 14 feb 08
On Feb 14, 2008 4:21 AM, Deborah Thuman wrote:
> I've no idea what people want in a tea/coffee cup/mug. But... I know
> what I want. I want a BIG mug for my happy good morning to me cut of
> tea. I want a mug big enough to hold my fist for my therapeutic hot
> cocoa (NOT from a mix! - I want the real stuff). I'm arthritic so a
> comfortable handle is an issue with me. I have to be able to get more
> than one finger in there - preferably three fingers.
>
> I've paid in the $10-$15 range for mugs. I'm now trying like crazy to
> figure out how to throw a mug the size I want. It's the 10% shrinkage
> with ^10 that drives me nuts. I'm going to have to make something
> unreasonably big so I can have the right size.
my clay has between 12 and 14% shrinkage. I made a shrink ruler
using the tombo I used during my apprenticeship to make go tsun osara
(a tsun is about 10th of an inch. Osara is a plate.) I made hash
marks on the tombo and then used these marks to mark a shrink ruler on
to the strip of bamboo.
Mugs are easy, but the shrinkage of larger stuff is
stunning. Unitl I used a shrink ruler, I always made tea ceremony
jars and urns too small.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Tochigi Japan
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water, then you make the
tea. Then you drink it properly. That is all you need to know."
--Sen No Rikyu
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
Lynn Goodman Porcelain Pottery on thu 14 feb 08
> I've paid in the $10-$15 range for mugs. I'm now trying like crazy to
> figure out how to throw a mug the size I want. It's the 10% shrinkage
> with ^10 that drives me nuts. I'm going to have to make something
> unreasonably big so I can have the right size.
My typical mug is around 18 to 22 oz., depending on which model. My
clay shrinks 12 to 13%, so I'm throwing them pretty big-- I start
with 1 or
1 1/2 lbs., again, depending on the model, and throw them thin.
It doesn't matter what I bring to a show-- if the mugs are big,
people want small; if the mugs are small, people want big. I have
given up on trying to figure out what people want; at this point I
just make what I want to make and if the customers want to complain,
they can. I'm selling them for around $28 to $38, depending on the
mug (they all get gold luster decoration). This sounds like a lot,
but they just break even at that price. I will say, the bigger mugs
sell a lot better with saucers, even though people have to pay extra
for them.
Lynn
Lynn Goodman
Fine Porcelain Pottery
Cell 347-526-9805
www.lynngoodmanporcelain.com
Lee on fri 15 feb 08
On Fri, Feb 15, 2008 at 3:45 AM, Charles wrote:
> a mug, but I can't make enough of them and when I visit potteries on my
> various travels I pay $25 for something a lot smaller and often not as well
> crafted.
You are lucky. When I went back to Minneapolis, I was awed
by the finely crafted mugs that were priced really low. But it took
me some time to get used to looking at the fine yunomi. Which were
made well, but just not the shapes and sizes I am used to here in
Mashiko.
I can reduce the price on work I can make in Minneapolis,
rather than having to seamail it from Mashiko. To help folks
understand the differences in prices, I am stamping the two works with
different kiln stamps.
Here are a couple photos of me and mugs I made during my
apprenticeship. It was at the special show including work by
Shimaoka, MacKenzie, Leach and Yanagi designs that celebrated the
rennovation of Yanagi's house, which is to be used as a contemporary
Mingei gallery.
I was walking through the show with MacKenzie and
Shimaoka. When MacKenzie got to these mugs he said, "These are nice
handles." Shimaoka told MacKenzie, "Lee made them."
http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~ikiru/mackj.html
--
Lee in Mashiko, Tochigi Japan
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water, then you make the
tea. Then you drink it properly. That is all you need to know."
--Sen No Rikyu
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
Lynn Goodman Porcelain Pottery on fri 15 feb 08
On Feb 15, 2008, at 5:21 AM, Kelly Johnston wrote:
> I smiled when I read your post, Deb. I started working with a new
> type of clay last year, and made what I thought would be lovely big
> mugs. In fact, after bisque, they still looked enormous. Ha ha on
> me! The clay has a shrinkage rate of 12.7%, and my enormous mugs,
> after glaze firing, look rather average sized, and only hold 20 oz.
> I used 600 grams of clay to start with (just over 1/2 lb, I think)
> but am thinking of having another go using 800g. I can only fit 2
> fingers comfortably in the handle I created, so I'm having another go
> at that too.
You think that 20 oz. is "rather average sized"? How much coffee do
you drink!?!
I sell my 22 oz. mugs as all-purpose mugs: for soup, for iced drinks,
for frou-frou coffee drinks with lots of foam, and for parfait
desserts, as well as just coffee. I actually sell more of the big
mugs for dessert cups than for coffee.
Lynn
Lynn Goodman
Fine Porcelain Pottery
Cell 347-526-9805
www.lynngoodmanporcelain.com
Maid O'Mud on fri 15 feb 08
There are 454 g in a lb, so 600 grams
is ~1.25 lbs. 800 g would be just shy
of 2 lbs - LARGE mugs :-)
Sam Cuttell
Maid O'Mud Pottery
RR 1
Melbourne, Ontario
N0L 1T0
CANADA
"First, the clay told me what to do.
Then, I told the clay what to do.
Now, we co-operate."
sam 1994
http://www.ody.ca/~scuttell/
scuttell@ody.ca
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Kelly Johnston
Sent: February 15, 2008 5:21 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Mugs
I smiled when I read your post, Deb. I started working with a new type of
clay last year, and made what I thought would be lovely big mugs. In fact,
after bisque, they still looked enormous. Ha ha on me! The clay has a
shrinkage rate of 12.7%, and my enormous mugs, after glaze firing, look
rather average sized, and only hold 20 oz.
I used 600 grams of clay to start with (just over 1/2 lb, I think) but am
thinking of having another go using 800g. I can only fit 2 fingers
comfortably in the handle I created, so I'm having another go at that too.
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Taylor Hendrix on fri 15 feb 08
No, Lee, they really are rulers with numbers and everything. I can
measure any fired piece of pottery with them and know immediately how
big I need to make the same sized piece with my moist clay. If I like
my Hendly mug's dimentions, I'll just measure with my shrunk ruler.
It's great for measuring those pieces of mine with which I am unhappy.
True, this ruler doesn't work for measuring wet clay. I'll leave that
to my pointer or my homemade "Leebo." Hey, who the hell is Tom,
anyway? Tee hee.
Yes they do still have wooden yardsticks, but I like your scrap wood
idea better. Wooden paint stirers are cheap (free) and ruler like.
I will be measuring my mugs and adjusting wet height/width
measurements for a slightly taller and just a tad narrower cup for
next time. Man, I've got to make new centimeter rulers now. I'm going
metric.
I like this type of shrinkage measurement very much, very direct. I'll
develop a shrinkage chart one day when I get really serious and I can
make simple shrinkage rulers similar to what you mention by
correspondence. Every shrinkage has a slope.
Taylor, in Rockport TX
On 2/15/08, Lee wrote:
...
> Taylor, Those are shrink tests, not rulers. Now that you know
> how much your clay shrinks, you need to make a ruler that is bigger by
> 11% instead of smaller by 11% like your test.
..
mark Cortright on fri 15 feb 08
As far as mugs I make 5-6 sizes . in Daves porcelain fired to cone 11. I weigh them in 3/4# and
1# and 1 1/4# and 1 1/2# and 2#. These make a good selection of sizes for the masses.
The small ones (3/4#) are 8-10 ounces the 1# are 12-14 oz the 1 1/2# are 24 oz the 2# are 23
oz. I also make a truckers or motion mug for travel. Mugs are what people buy the most of at my
shows. The 1# is the most popular size. The west coast seems cheaper for pottery than my east
coast counterparts sell it for. Mugs start at 11$ and range up to 22$ unless I'm heading East say
to Park City or Denver. I have a helper now who makes some of the mug bodies which is a great
joy for me after 35 years of mugs.If you are a production potter and want to keep folks throwing
cash at you -make mugs and have them priced affordable. Most potters (old timers like me) I
know- have priced their mugs to the moon and only make a small amounts of them now. Mugs
are past being fun but they are part of the business.
I have some mug photos (last fire on Monday) at my flicker page as well as salt kiln photos at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23813860@N06/
Mark Cortright
wwww.liscomhillpottery.com
On Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:40:20 -0500, Lynn Goodman Porcelain Pottery
wrote:
>> I've paid in the $10-$15 range for mugs. I'm now trying like crazy to
>> figure out how to throw a mug the size I want. It's the 10% shrinkage
>> with ^10 that drives me nuts. I'm going to have to make something
>> unreasonably big so I can have the right size.
>
>My typical mug is around 18 to 22 oz., depending on which model. My
>clay shrinks 12 to 13%, so I'm throwing them pretty big-- I start
>with 1 or
>1 1/2 lbs., again, depending on the model, and throw them thin.
>
>It doesn't matter what I bring to a show-- if the mugs are big,
>people want small; if the mugs are small, people want big. I have
>given up on trying to figure out what people want; at this point I
>just make what I want to make and if the customers want to complain,
>they can. I'm selling them for around $28 to $38, depending on the
>mug (they all get gold luster decoration). This sounds like a lot,
>but they just break even at that price. I will say, the bigger mugs
>sell a lot better with saucers, even though people have to pay extra
>for them.
>
>Lynn
>
>
>Lynn Goodman
>Fine Porcelain Pottery
>Cell 347-526-9805
>www.lynngoodmanporcelain.com
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
>subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots2@visi.com
Lee on fri 15 feb 08
On Fri, Feb 15, 2008 at 7:18 AM, Taylor Hendrix wrote:
> I have shrink rulers made from my primary stoneware clay. Why I
> haven't used them, I don't know. I'm going in the house and measure
> all my favorite mugs and see what I need to throw to for my next mug
> batch. BTW, my ^6 stoneware shrinks 11%.
Taylor, Those are shrink tests, not rulers. Now that you know
how much your clay shrinks, you need to make a ruler that is bigger by
11% instead of smaller by 11% like your test.
Do they still make wooden hardware yardsticks? One of my shrink
rulers is marked on the back of a bamboo carpenter's yard stick. But
you could use a flat wooden moulding strip too.
A shaku is an oldtime carpenter's foot and a tsun is one
tenth of that. Because these terms are not used by anybody but
carpenters and traditionally trained potters or pottery collectors,
so the government wants to take the characters for them off of the
official list of kanji everyone should know.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Tochigi Japan
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water, then you make the
tea. Then you drink it properly. That is all you need to know."
--Sen No Rikyu
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
Lois Ruben Aronow on fri 15 feb 08
I can't sell a saucer to save my life, even though I make them, and everyone
tells me they want one.
My mugs are about 18oz too, and my prices have gone way up - they will be
$45 this year. I am tired of losing money on them, and they still seem to
sell at that price. I'll let ya'll know after Baltimore.
Pricing is a weird thing. When I was selling them for $28, I would sell
pairs. When I raised my price to $32, I only sold singles. Once I hit $40,
I was selling pairs again.
There is no general rule for what makes a mug perfect. What works for one
person is uncomfortable for another. so yes, make the mug *you* like.
Others will like it for sure.
...Lo
this is me, procrastinating.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of
> Lynn Goodman Porcelain Pottery
> Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 6:40 PM
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: Re: Mugs
>
> > I've paid in the $10-$15 range for mugs. I'm now trying
> like crazy to
> > figure out how to throw a mug the size I want. It's the 10%
> shrinkage
> > with ^10 that drives me nuts. I'm going to have to make something
> > unreasonably big so I can have the right size.
>
> My typical mug is around 18 to 22 oz., depending on which
> model. My clay shrinks 12 to 13%, so I'm throwing them pretty
> big-- I start with 1 or
> 1 1/2 lbs., again, depending on the model, and throw them thin.
>
> It doesn't matter what I bring to a show-- if the mugs are
> big, people want small; if the mugs are small, people want
> big. I have given up on trying to figure out what people
> want; at this point I just make what I want to make and if
> the customers want to complain, they can. I'm selling them
> for around $28 to $38, depending on the mug (they all get
> gold luster decoration). This sounds like a lot, but they
> just break even at that price. I will say, the bigger mugs
> sell a lot better with saucers, even though people have to
> pay extra for them.
>
> Lynn
>
>
> Lynn Goodman
> Fine Porcelain Pottery
> Cell 347-526-9805
> www.lynngoodmanporcelain.com
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> ________________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages,
> change your subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the
> list here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com
Kelly Johnston on fri 15 feb 08
I smiled when I read your post, Deb. I started working with a new
type of clay last year, and made what I thought would be lovely big
mugs. In fact, after bisque, they still looked enormous. Ha ha on
me! The clay has a shrinkage rate of 12.7%, and my enormous mugs,
after glaze firing, look rather average sized, and only hold 20 oz.
I used 600 grams of clay to start with (just over 1/2 lb, I think)
but am thinking of having another go using 800g. I can only fit 2
fingers comfortably in the handle I created, so I'm having another go
at that too.
I like both big and small mugs, as my husband and I usually have a
good-night cup of tea before bed, but a full mug is too much for me,
so I've taken to using a mini-mug I made as a student, which holds
just the right amount.
Good luck with your quest!
Kelly in Emerald Qld Australia
Hoping the sun starts shining soon
Kelly Johnston on sun 17 feb 08
My sincere apologies!! I obviously had a slight glitch in my imperial
to metric brain powered calculator lol. You can halve the amounts I
stated above. So what I thought would end up being a large mug holds
10 oz, and the commercially made ones that I look upon as large hold
about 14 oz, which yes, is a very large mug indeed.
Still, that particular 10 oz mug did start out with about 600 g clay,
tho the scales I'm using at the pottery studio are dubious at best. I
threw a dozen mugs at that time, each one different to see what worked
for me, and this particular one was my favourite, it had a great
balance and a lightness to hold. I'll take my good scales to the
studio tomorrow and have another go.
Finally, I am not actually a coffee drinker at all. Caffeine sends me
silly, basically, and most times I'm silly enough on my own!
Kelly in Emerald Qld Australia
determined to measure 2ce before posting once in future
Michael Jager on wed 20 feb 08
How do I turn all these e-mails from averybody, I have over 5000 e-mails f=
rom clayart HELP HELP HELP> Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:16:04 +0900> From: to=
geika@GMAIL.COM> Subject: Re: Mugs> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG> > On Fri,=
Feb 15, 2008 at 3:45 AM, Charles wrote:> > > a =
mug, but I can't make enough of them and when I visit potteries on my> > va=
rious travels I pay $25 for something a lot smaller and often not as well> =
> crafted.> > You are lucky. When I went back to Minneapolis, I was awed> b=
y the finely crafted mugs that were priced really low. But it took> me some=
time to get used to looking at the fine yunomi. Which were> made well, but=
just not the shapes and sizes I am used to here in> Mashiko.> > I can redu=
ce the price on work I can make in Minneapolis,> rather than having to seam=
ail it from Mashiko. To help folks> understand the differences in prices, I=
am stamping the two works with> different kiln stamps.> > Here are a coupl=
e photos of me and mugs I made during my> apprenticeship. It was at the spe=
cial show including work by> Shimaoka, MacKenzie, Leach and Yanagi designs =
that celebrated the> rennovation of Yanagi's house, which is to be used as =
a contemporary> Mingei gallery.> > I was walking through the show with MacK=
enzie and> Shimaoka. When MacKenzie got to these mugs he said, "These are n=
ice> handles." Shimaoka told MacKenzie, "Lee made them."> > http://www1.ocn=
.ne.jp/~ikiru/mackj.html> > > --> Lee in Mashiko, Tochigi Japan> http://mas=
hikopots.blogspot.com/> > "Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water=
, then you make the> tea. Then you drink it properly. That is all you need =
to know."> --Sen No Rikyu> "Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi> =
> _________________________________________________________________________=
_____> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org> > Yo=
u may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your> subscr=
iption settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here: http://www.acers.org/ci=
c/clayart/> > Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at m=
elpots2@visi.com
_________________________________________________________________
Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail=AE-get yo=
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