Lee Love on sun 29 jul 07
On 7/29/07, June Perry wrote:
> I do use soft clay.
It is one of the things we can do, if our bodies are damaged already.
Someone else mentioned Glucosimine. I found it helpful
when I was having shoulder problems. My shoulder pain (for a while
I could only lift boards above my head with a large amount of pain),
went way shortly after I arrived in Minneapolis. It disappeared with
my allergies and asthma. Which makes me think that the same allergic
reaction that was effecting my lungs was also attac king my joints.
I have also had good luck with vitamine E.
The other thing I mentioned was a slow wheel. Once you
work on a self powered wheel at tradtional speeds with soft clay, then
you can apply these things to an electric wheel too. The shigaraki
clay I use in Mashiko cannot be thrown stiff on a fast wheel. It
will take the skin off off your hands.
The Leach wheel is so much easier to use than the Korean
kickwheel. Will want one when I work in Japan too.
I threw test teabowls today, different mixes of Helmer's
porcelain, another Montana clay dug out of the ground and not
processed (got pea sized chunks of organics in it, and a mid range
clay Craig says flashes well in his anagama. I mixed all of these
with shigaraki-like feldspar granules. I also blended the organic
stuff half and half with the other two clays.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." -
Henry David Thoreau
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
June Perry on sun 29 jul 07
Lee,
I have a treadle wheel, one of Warren Mckenzie's brother in laws - bought it
through Mel several years ago. Unfortunately, all the worn and damaged parts
of my body from bad knees and hips to old back and neck injuries from a car
accident years ago, make using it as a regular wheel impossible.
So it sits there as a back up wheel in case of power outages as well as
serving as a decorating wheel. Periodically I just use it with very soft clay for
throw tea bowls off the hump. I love the look and sound of it; but this 67
year old, worn out body needs my Brent electric wheels. :-(
I'm also wondering if maybe this isn't the time for me to get one of those
centering arms! Does any one know if you can fit those on a Brent wheel?????
I saw a young potter using one at Blue Ridge Pottery a few years ago. She
said the owner of the pottery had so much damage from centering he no longer
throws; but he very thoughtfully supplied his throwers with a centering arm. It
seemed like a neat tool for someone doing production throwing or for someone
with physical challenges.
Regards,
June
http://shambhalapottery.blogspot.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/art2/shambhalapottery
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Lee Love on sun 29 jul 07
On 7/29/07, June Perry wrote:
> I have a treadle wheel, one of Warren Mckenzie's brother in laws - bought it
> through Mel several years ago. Unfortunately, all the worn and damaged parts
> of my body from
Never too late to start using softer clay.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." -
Henry David Thoreau
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
June Perry on sun 29 jul 07
Lee,
I do use soft clay. When I make my own, it's very soft, too soft for most
I'm sure; and all bought clay is immediately softened by poking holes in the
bag with a graduated dowel, and putting water in it to sit for a day.
Depending on the hardness, I'll often take out a 25 lb block and cut 1/2"-
3/4" slabs, dip each in water and put them back in the bag to get it the way I
like it - really soft!
I find that with super soft clay I can use very little water after centering
without the clay collapsing for most of the things I make; and my hand held
heat gun helps if the pot looks iffy.
Even before this elderly body gave out on me, I always liked working with
soft clay. In the 80's I had Westwood made me up dry bodies and I'd mix my clay
to a really soft consistency in my old Walker pug mill. I've never thought
it made any sense to struggle with hard clay.
June
http://shambhalapottery.blogspot.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/art2/shambhalapottery
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June Perry on mon 30 jul 07
Lee,
The Glucosamine Chondroitin does work; but the dosage has to be right. When
I took 2 a day it wasn't doing much; and one day my husband came home from
the store after buying me some and said that the clerk mentioned that her
doctor recommended 3 a day. So I went to 3 a day and within a week or two a lot of
my hip pain went away. That was a couple of years ago; but this latest hip
injury isn't responding to it. Unfortunately, it hasn't been working since I
had a bad fall down the stairs which resulted in a severe ankle sprain/stress
fracture. Evidently my two months of limping and walking with a cane has
really thrown my hip out. I'm now going to try acupuncture and go back to the
chiropractor.
My sister in law has done a bit of research on the net about this
combination of Glucosamin/Chondroitin, and she said the research showed that they
worked better separately; I need to check that out further.
I'm also taking MSM which is supposed to be a wonderful healer for muscle
and ligament damage; but after months of taking it, I'm not noticing any
benefit.
Talking about soft clay - I tried one of Sam Hoffman's Helmer claybody
recipes and I really liked the way it threw. I haven't fired enough of it yet; but
I think, from the sample pot I did fire, that I'm going to like it. I made
the batch really sloppy and left it in the mixer for a few weeks and then
bagged it while it was still very soft; and it threw beautifully. I still need to
do some absorption tests on it before I make my final assessment of it.
Wish I had some of that shigaraki clay. I have a lovely Shigaraki vase that
I bought in one of my Japan trips and it's one of my favorite pots. I should
add some of that aquarium gravel to the new porcelain and see if that would
give me a Shigaraki look.
Regards,
June
http://shambhalapottery.blogspot.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/art2/shambhalapottery
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Lee Love on mon 30 jul 07
On 7/30/07, June Perry wrote:
>
> The Glucosamine Chondroitin does work;
Certainly. You need to find out what dosage is best for you. I
only take one a day. But, I currently have no joint problems.
When I worked for UPS full time, I would be bumped into double part
time by drivers after Xmas, which meant in an evening, I would move
about 4 tons of packages in unload. I damaged my shoulders badly.
One of the older workers pointed me to vitamine E, which really
helped.
I would highly recommend powdered green tea. It is a miracle
drink we all should be drinking. I think it is part of the reason
Japanese are the longest lived people on the planet.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-01-03-usat-okinawa.htm
> The Japanese live longer than anyone else, and Okinawans live longer than
>anyone else in Japan.
> My sister in law has done a bit of research on the net about this
> combination of Glucosamin/Chondroitin, and she said the research showed that
I have not used the blend until recently. Only
GLucosmine, because it is all very expensive in Japan.
> Talking about soft clay - I tried one of Sam Hoffman's Helmer claybody
What is his recipe? I am testing Wendt's
> I bought in one of my Japan trips and it's one of my favorite pots. I should
> add some of that aquarium gravel to the new porcelain and see if that would
> give me a Shigaraki look.
It probably won't. Gravel is too big. The granules are
more like large sand than they are gravel. I will take a photo of
the sample I brought with me.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." -
Henry David Thoreau
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
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