Elisabeth Maurland on mon 28 sep 09
Hi,
I am new to the Clayart forum, but not to clay. I have been a full-time
potter for 20 years, 15 of those as self-employed. I sell my work primari=
=3D
ly
at art and craft fairs around the US.
Right now, I'm sitting here with sort of a panic-like feeling. I just got=
=3D
a
call from a customer, who started buying my work four years ago after see=
=3D
ing
it at an art fair. She had just ordered some more, and I'm almost ready t=
=3D
o
ship it to her, but she called to say that over time, every piece has
"shattered", without being much used, and last night was the last straw, =
=3D
as
a guest was just holding a bowl, and a piece broke out of it. So she won'=
=3D
t
be buying any more.
Granted, my pots are thin and delicate, so when I've been told of breakag=
=3D
e
before, the customer has almost always reassured me that they had been
careless. But some times, they "don't know how it happened". That hasn't
happened enough times for me to have been too concerned, but suddenly, I
wonder if there truly is a problem with either clay or glaze or the fit
between the two.=3D20
I use a cone 6 white stoneware (MB) from Minnesota Clay. I decorate the p=
=3D
ots
with colorful slips and glaze with a clear glaze that contains mostly
gerstley borate, plus silica and EPK. (Sorry, I don't have the exact form=
=3D
ula
in front of me.) I love this glaze. It's easy to apply, it hardly settles=
=3D
,
and is truly clear, as long as it's thin enough. I know some people
discourage use of gerstley, but I haven't seen any problems (I think).
I fire in an electric kiln to cone 6, using the standard firing program,
using "slow".
Many customers tell me they use my pots often and have for years, without=
=3D
breakage, by the way, and that's my experience too.
Does anyone with more knowledge of the chemical properties of clay and gl=
=3D
aze
see any warning flags in my combination?
Elisabeth Maurland on mon 28 sep 09
First, I can't see how to continue this thread other than to post a new m=
=3D
essage.
So here goes:
Thank you for the responses I got so far! My panic caused me to ask befor=
=3D
e
researching, but now I have done some reading in, yes, "Mastering Cone 6
Glazes" which I own, but have not used, since I have not had serious
problems (or so I thought).=3D20
Dunting does seem to be the problem. Especially since I recollected that =
=3D
the
glaze I use is actually a cone 4 glaze, but after some overfirings that
didn't seem to do any harm, I continued to fire at cone 6, thinking it wi=
=3D
ll
only make the clay harder and more durable.=3D20
I tried many different clear glaze recipes (and made adjustments as well)=
=3D
many years ago, before I finally found this one that worked for me, so I
haven't been trying any others since.
But now I'm going to try two from Roy and Hesselberth's book (Glossy Base=
=3D
Glaze 2 and Glossy Clear Liner Glaze) and see if that works better.=3D20
William & Susan Schran User on mon 28 sep 09
On 9/28/09 4:51 PM, "Elisabeth Maurland"
wrote:
> I tried many different clear glaze recipes (and made adjustments as well)
> many years ago, before I finally found this one that worked for me, so I
> haven't been trying any others since.
>
> But now I'm going to try two from Roy and Hesselberth's book (Glossy Base
> Glaze 2 and Glossy Clear Liner Glaze) and see if that works better.
Be sure to test the glazes for fit and durability with the freeze/boil test
described in the book.
Bill
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Anne Elisabeth Maurland on tue 29 sep 09
Hi Bill,
I will definitely do that!
Thanks,
Elisabeth
On Sep 28, 2009, at 6:28 PM, William & Susan Schran User wrote:
> On 9/28/09 4:51 PM, "Elisabeth Maurland"
>
> wrote:
>
>> I tried many different clear glaze recipes (and made adjustments as
>> well)
>> many years ago, before I finally found this one that worked for me,
>> so I
>> haven't been trying any others since.
>>
>> But now I'm going to try two from Roy and Hesselberth's book (Glossy
>> Base
>> Glaze 2 and Glossy Clear Liner Glaze) and see if that works better.
>
> Be sure to test the glazes for fit and durability with the freeze/boil
> test
> described in the book.
>
> Bill
>
> --
> William "Bill" Schran
> wschran@cox.net
> wschran@nvcc.edu
> http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
>
Anne Elisabeth Maurland on wed 30 sep 09
Thank you, Birgit, that's reassuring. I should be getting the necessary=3D2=
0=3D
ingredients by UPS today so I can get started.
Now I've had some time to digest this unfortunate news, and have talked=3D2=
0=3D
to friends and family, including professional potters and college=3D20
professors in ceramics, who own my work. Everybody seems surprised to=3D20
hear this, and nobody has had the experience that this lady had. Any=3D20
breakage anybody has had has been caused by clumsiness or cats....
So I don't know if I really do have dunting. I know my plates have had=3D20=
=3D
problems with cracking with use, but I used to make them really thin. I=3D2=
0=3D
don't anymore. I am still going to do the tests I can do myself on the=3D20=
=3D
pieces with the current glaze, and also send off a sample to have it=3D20
tested for leaching. And I'm still going to try the other glazes=3D20
mentioned.
But at least I have stopped envisioning my pots falling apart all over=3D20=
=3D
the country.....
Thanks to everybody for all the wonderful suggestions and ideas!
Elisabeth
On Sep 30, 2009, at 9:26 AM, Birgit Wright wrote:
> Hello Elizabeth; I use the clear glaze in Mastering cone 6 glazes by=3D2=
0=3D
> Ron Roy and John Hesselbrith. The fit is great and truely clear, for=3D20=
=3D
> porcelain or stoneware. Birgit Wright
> =3DA0
> > Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:10:05 -0400
> > From: elisabeth@ELISABETHMAURLAND.COM
> > Subject: New here, plus breakage question
> > To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am new to the Clayart forum, but not to clay. I have been a=3D20
> full-time
> > potter for 20 years, 15 of those as self-employed. I sell my work=3D20
> primarily
> > at art and craft fairs around the US.
> >
> > Right now, I'm sitting here with sort of a panic-like feeling. I=3D20
> just got a
> > call from a customer, who started buying my work four years ago=3D20
> after seeing
> > it at an art fair. She had just ordered some more, and I'm almost=3D20
> ready to
> > ship it to her, but she called to say that over time, every piece =3D
has
> > "shattered", without being much used, and last night was the last=3D20
> straw, as
> > a guest was just holding a bowl, and a piece broke out of it. So she=3D=
20=3D
> won't
> > be buying any more.
> >
> > Granted, my pots are thin and delicate, so when I've been told of=3D20
> breakage
> > before, the customer has almost always reassured me that they had=3D20
> been
> > careless. But some times, they "don't know how it happened". That=3D20
> hasn't
> > happened enough times for me to have been too concerned, but=3D20
> suddenly, I
> > wonder if there truly is a problem with either clay or glaze or the=3D2=
0=3D
> fit
> > between the two.
> >
> > I use a cone 6 white stoneware (MB) from Minnesota Clay. I decorate=3D2=
0=3D
> the pots
> > with colorful slips and glaze with a clear glaze that contains =3D
mostly
> > gerstley borate, plus silica and EPK. (Sorry, I don't have the exact=3D=
20=3D
> formula
> > in front of me.) I love this glaze. It's easy to apply, it hardly=3D20
> settles,
> > and is truly clear, as long as it's thin enough. I know some people
> > discourage use of gerstley, but I haven't seen any problems (I=3D20
> think).
> >
> > I fire in an electric kiln to cone 6, using the standard firing=3D20
> program,
> > using "slow".
> >
> > Many customers tell me they use my pots often and have for years,=3D20
> without
> > breakage, by the way, and that's my experience too.
> >
> > Does anyone with more knowledge of the chemical properties of clay=3D20=
=3D
> and glaze
> > see any warning flags in my combination?
>
> Create a cool, new character for your Windows Live=3D99 Messenger. Check=
=3D20=3D
> it out=3D20=3D
Lis Allison on wed 30 sep 09
On Wednesday 30 September 2009, Anne Elisabeth Maurland wrote:>
> Right now, I'm sitting here with sort of a panic-like feeling. I
Yeah, a (sigh) familiar feeling. I had a problem with teapots and such
cracking about a year after people bought them. They didn't really fall
apart but started to have ominous cracks near the bases of the handles.
The reason turned out to be delayed crazing caused by the clay absorbing
too much moisture over time. I changed my glaze to one that is fired two
cones higher so the clay is more vitrified, and no longer offer a matte
glaze on tableware.
Things used for very hot foods or with a large dry-footed area are
particularly susceptible of course.
I'd say that many or even most clays sold as mid-range stoneware or
porcelain really aren't. I know the one I use can be fired to cone 8/9 no
problems. So the glaze needs to really cover the piece, sort of like for
earthenware. Over time, absorption is going to rear its ugly head. There's
been a lot of discussion on the List about lower-firing, but this is one
of the problems. The lower the firing the better the glaze has to be and
the more the moisture problems, but the higher the firing the more trouble
with warping and colours..... it's all a trade-off.
One thing I might suggest is you ask the next customer who reports a
problem to give you back the broken piece. Even a shard can give you a
clue as to what happened. A clean break is one thing, but one with the
glaze overhanging the break or crazed or a clay that looks like it has
absorbed moisture..... all clues.
Lis
--
Elisabeth Allison
Pine Ridge Studio
www.Pine-Ridge-Studio.blogspot.com
Anne Elisabeth Maurland on wed 30 sep 09
I don't think the problem with this case was water absorption. The
customer said she didn't use my pieces, just displayed them. Presumably
she must have handled them a little, since she thought that the reason
for them breaking was her fault, at first.
I don't know how good my glaze is, but I'm working on testing it right
now. I do cover the whole piece with glaze, except a very narrow foot
ring.
I use a lot of color, and it's what I'm known for (except the thinness
of my pots), so I'd hate to lose that by increasing the firing temp.
Plus, I'm using a ^6 glaze.
This is really the first real complaint I've had in 15 years.
What did you do when people were complaining?
Elisabeth
On Sep 30, 2009, at 11:14 AM, Lis Allison wrote:
> On Wednesday 30 September 2009, Anne Elisabeth Maurland wrote:>
>
>
>> Right now, I'm sitting here with sort of a panic-like feeling. I
>
> Yeah, a (sigh) familiar feeling. I had a problem with teapots and such
> cracking about a year after people bought them. They didn't really fall
> apart but started to have ominous cracks near the bases of the handles.
>
> The reason turned out to be delayed crazing caused by the clay
> absorbing
> too much moisture over time. I changed my glaze to one that is fired
> two
> cones higher so the clay is more vitrified, and no longer offer a matte
> glaze on tableware.
>
> Things used for very hot foods or with a large dry-footed area are
> particularly susceptible of course.
>
> I'd say that many or even most clays sold as mid-range stoneware or
> porcelain really aren't. I know the one I use can be fired to cone 8/9
> no
> problems. So the glaze needs to really cover the piece, sort of like
> for
> earthenware. Over time, absorption is going to rear its ugly head.
> There's
> been a lot of discussion on the List about lower-firing, but this is
> one
> of the problems. The lower the firing the better the glaze has to be
> and
> the more the moisture problems, but the higher the firing the more
> trouble
> with warping and colours..... it's all a trade-off.
>
> One thing I might suggest is you ask the next customer who reports a
> problem to give you back the broken piece. Even a shard can give you a
> clue as to what happened. A clean break is one thing, but one with the
> glaze overhanging the break or crazed or a clay that looks like it has
> absorbed moisture..... all clues.
>
> Lis
> --
> Elisabeth Allison
> Pine Ridge Studio
> www.Pine-Ridge-Studio.blogspot.com
>
Lorraine Pierce on wed 30 sep 09
Hello Elizabeth...I have just Googled your exquisitely delicate pots and
wonder what the circumstances were when they 'shattered' as your collector
described. If they had been stored in a conventional cabinet in a cold
climate and removed to be washed by hand in normal temperature dishwater
they could shatter from the shock...It once happened to me with a Steuben
bowl from a kitchen cabinet in my home in Boston. The guest with the piece
of broken bowl in her hand may have only known how to handle crockery not a
fragile art piece, when she picked it up by the rim between her thumb and
finger,and unknowingly tunked it on the granite counter! I did want to ask
if you have used this particular clay body for years . The glaze I
understand is not new to you. It is hard to believe that there would not be
many incidents reported if it was a common happening. I wish you well. Lori
Pierce, Orange Park, Fl.
. .
On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 3:10 PM, Elisabeth Maurland <
elisabeth@elisabethmaurland.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am new to the Clayart forum, but not to clay. I have been a full-time
> potter for 20 years, 15 of those as self-employed. I sell my work primari=
ly
> at art and craft fairs around the US.
>
> Right now, I'm sitting here with sort of a panic-like feeling. I just got=
a
> call from a customer, who started buying my work four years ago after
> seeing
> it at an art fair. She had just ordered some more, and I'm almost ready t=
o
> ship it to her, but she called to say that over time, every piece has
> "shattered", without being much used, and last night was the last straw, =
as
> a guest was just holding a bowl, and a piece broke out of it. So she won'=
t
> be buying any more.
>
> Granted, my pots are thin and delicate, so when I've been told of breakag=
e
> before, the customer has almost always reassured me that they had been
> careless. But some times, they "don't know how it happened". That hasn't
> happened enough times for me to have been too concerned, but suddenly, I
> wonder if there truly is a problem with either clay or glaze or the fit
> between the two.
>
> I use a cone 6 white stoneware (MB) from Minnesota Clay. I decorate the
> pots
> with colorful slips and glaze with a clear glaze that contains mostly
> gerstley borate, plus silica and EPK. (Sorry, I don't have the exact
> formula
> in front of me.) I love this glaze. It's easy to apply, it hardly settles=
,
> and is truly clear, as long as it's thin enough. I know some people
> discourage use of gerstley, but I haven't seen any problems (I think).
>
> I fire in an electric kiln to cone 6, using the standard firing program,
> using "slow".
>
> Many customers tell me they use my pots often and have for years, without
> breakage, by the way, and that's my experience too.
>
> Does anyone with more knowledge of the chemical properties of clay and
> glaze
> see any warning flags in my combination?
>
Michael Wendt on thu 1 oct 09
Elisabeth,
I have offered customers a 30% discount on pieces that they
replace due to breakage with the proviso they bring or send
the piece to me for inspection. I have taken pots I thought
were too bad to sell for appearance reasons and attempted to
duplicate the breakage patterns to the point that I can tell
in many cases what happened.
Impact breakage is the most common cause, often unnoticed by
the customer who thinks the little bump too small to have
caused the crack. Further use stains and finally draws their
attention to the crack, the bump now long forgotten.
Giving a discount even for accidental breakage has kept many
dinner ware set owners coming back, adding to and replacing
the pieces in the set. I have also sometimes detected design
features that made the pieces easier to break and corrected
them.
As an added way to assure customers can find me, my name,
phone number and web address are printed on the bottom of
every piece.
That approach might work well for you too.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Elisabeth wrote in part:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am new to the Clayart forum, but not to clay. I have
> > been a
> full-time
> > potter for 20 years, 15 of those as self-employed. I
> > sell my work
> primarily
> > at art and craft fairs around the US.
> >
> > Right now, I'm sitting here with sort of a panic-like
> > feeling. I
> just got a
> > call from a customer, who started buying my work four
> > years ago
> after seeing
> > it at an art fair. She had just ordered some more, and
> > I'm almost
> ready to
> > ship it to her, but she called to say that over time,
> > every piece has
> > "shattered", without being much used, and last night was
> > the last
> straw, as
> > a guest was just holding a bowl, and a piece broke out
> > of it. So she
> won't
> > be buying any more.
> >
> > Granted, my pots are thin and delicate, so when I've
> > been told of
> breakage
> > before, the customer has almost always reassured me that
> > they had
> been
> > careless. But some times, they "don't know how it
> > happened". That
> hasn't
> > happened enough times for me to have been too concerned,
> > but
> suddenly, I
> > wonder if there truly is a problem with either clay or
> > glaze or the
> fit
> > between the two.
Jennifer Boyer on thu 1 oct 09
I've already been in touch with Elizabeth to suggest she hire Ron Roy
to help her with this. Clayart is the perfect place to discuss this
kind of thing...
Just FYI, over the years I've had 2, maybe 3, instances where my glaze
fit has gone awry probably due to changed in the glaze or clay
materials. It is not a static thing, this glaze/clay dance we do! My
problem has always been crazing, which has been fixed by Ron, helping
me tweak the glaze recipe.
I've tried learning glaze chem, but when I need to USE it, often in a
panic, I've found I've forgotten what I knew the last time I needed
it. Thank goodness for the pro's who keep it all in their heads!
Jennifer
On Sep 30, 2009, at 9:37 PM, Lorraine Pierce wrote:
> Hello Elizabeth...I have just Googled your exquisitely delicate pots
> and
> wonder what the circumstances were when they 'shattered' as your
> collector
> described. the last straw, as
***************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
thistlehillpottery.com
jboyerdesign.com
artisanshand.com
***************************
Anne Elisabeth Maurland on thu 1 oct 09
Hi Michael,
This customer's pieces broke over time, and I'm sure she doesn't still
have the sherds. She didn't ask for a refund, or even hint at one, but
she cancelled her current order.
Since the pattern she describes doesn't sound like other unexplained
breakage I've had or heard of, I don't really feel like offering a
refund either.
On the other hand, when another customer brought me a stack of plates
at an art fair and said that even if she herself had been at fault for
breaking them (and she didn't think she was), she thought it odd that
all of them had a crack down the middle.
This I have seen before, so I offered to replace all of them for free.
She protested, but I insisted, so I'm working on them now. These
plates, except for one, were very thin, and the next batch won't be.
I'm also going to try a couple of different glazes, and test them,
before I glaze these.
Except for plates, every other break I have seen, has always been where
the pot was the thinnest, or vertically from the rim, which would be
consistent with a "bump".
I like your policy. I can't really replace all pieces for free if they
crack - I can with the plates customer because the design is unusually
simple. They were special ordered and parts of a set, so it would be
very sad if she didn't have the dinner plates.
But hopefully, I'll figure out the plate problem, because I think
you're right, all other cracks and breaks have been caused by a bump at
some point.
Elisabeth
On Oct 1, 2009, at 10:19 AM, Michael Wendt wrote:
> Elisabeth,
> I have offered customers a 30% discount on pieces that they
> replace due to breakage with the proviso they bring or send
> the piece to me for inspection. I have taken pots I thought
> were too bad to sell for appearance reasons and attempted to
> duplicate the breakage patterns to the point that I can tell
> in many cases what happened.
> Impact breakage is the most common cause, often unnoticed by
> the customer who thinks the little bump too small to have
> caused the crack. Further use stains and finally draws their
> attention to the crack, the bump now long forgotten.
> Giving a discount even for accidental breakage has kept many
> dinner ware set owners coming back, adding to and replacing
> the pieces in the set. I have also sometimes detected design
> features that made the pieces easier to break and corrected
> them.
> As an added way to assure customers can find me, my name,
> phone number and web address are printed on the bottom of
> every piece.
> That approach might work well for you too.
> Regards,
> Michael Wendt
> Elisabeth wrote in part:
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > I am new to the Clayart forum, but not to clay. I have
>> > been a
>> full-time
>> > potter for 20 years, 15 of those as self-employed. I
>> > sell my work
>> primarily
>> > at art and craft fairs around the US.
>> >
>> > Right now, I'm sitting here with sort of a panic-like
>> > feeling. I
>> just got a
>> > call from a customer, who started buying my work four
>> > years ago
>> after seeing
>> > it at an art fair. She had just ordered some more, and
>> > I'm almost
>> ready to
>> > ship it to her, but she called to say that over time,
>> > every piece has
>> > "shattered", without being much used, and last night was
>> > the last
>> straw, as
>> > a guest was just holding a bowl, and a piece broke out
>> > of it. So she
>> won't
>> > be buying any more.
>> >
>> > Granted, my pots are thin and delicate, so when I've
>> > been told of
>> breakage
>> > before, the customer has almost always reassured me that
>> > they had
>> been
>> > careless. But some times, they "don't know how it
>> > happened". That
>> hasn't
>> > happened enough times for me to have been too concerned,
>> > but
>> suddenly, I
>> > wonder if there truly is a problem with either clay or
>> > glaze or the
>> fit
>> > between the two.
>
KATHI LESUEUR on thu 1 oct 09
On Oct 1, 2009, at 4:20 PM, Anne Elisabeth Maurland wrote:
>
> On the other hand, when another customer brought me a stack of plates
> at an art fair and said that even if she herself had been at fault for
> breaking them (and she didn't think she was), she thought it odd that
> all of them had a crack down the middle.
> This I have seen before, so I offered to replace all of them for free.
> She protested, but I insisted, so I'm working on them now. These
> plates, except for one, were very thin, and the next batch won't be.
> I'm also going to try a couple of different glazes, and test them,
> before I glaze these.
>
> Except for plates, every other break I have seen, has always been
> where
> the pot was the thinnest, or vertically from the rim, which would be
> consistent with a "bump".
>
> I like your policy. I can't really replace all pieces for free if they
> crack - I can with the plates customer because the design is unusually
> simple.
Going out on a limb here, but I think you have a design flaw. You are
selling pieces to be used and yet they are too thin to stand up to
normal usage. You say "every other break I have seen, has always been
where the pot was thinest". That tells me that you are making your
work too thin for the clay you are using. It doesn't have the
strength of fine porcelain that is fire around cone 12.
You say you "can't replace all of the pieces for free if they crack".
I believe potters must stand behind their product. I've been potting
for 30 years. In all of that time I've had maybe five pieces returned
because of cracking and I replaced each for free. Cracking should not
be a common occurrence in your work. It gives all potters a bad name.
This is a problem you need to fix by either thickening your pieces so
that they can withstand normal usage of by finding a clay that is
stronger.
I recently met someone I'd made dishes for twenty eight years ago.
When I went to visit he showed me those dishes that they proudly use
almost every day. Not a chip or crack in any of them. They look like
they just came out of the kiln. That should be the norm.
KATHI LESUEUR
http://www.lesueurclaywork.com
Anne Elisabeth Maurland on fri 2 oct 09
You are probably right. And I have been making them thicker the last
couple of years, and I believe it has made a difference.
People have noticed and some are disappointed. It's a fine balance, and
I err on the side of thickness, to an extent.
I don't believe I have ever had anything actually returned to me,
except for a stack of plates recently, which I am replacing for free. I
think people just accepted that fragility of the thinness.
But I am going to take notes next time someone tells of a breakage,
find out when they bought it and how it happened. Usually, when they
tell me, it's a cat (because of the thinness, they are also light
weight, and a cat might topple one of mine more easily than someone
else's), or it was dropped on the floor or bumped into something. I
have changed my design over the years, made the feet wider and more
bottom heavy, and they are certainly more sound than they used to be.
The plates seem to be the ones with the biggest problem still, and
that's why I'm making them thicker.
I hope I don't give all potters a bad name. People know that mine are
thinner and lighter than most. It's usually the first thing they say
when they pick up one of my pieces. They ask how fragile they are, and
I say, they are thin, so they are more fragile than thicker pots.
I hope one bad potter doesn't give all potters a bad name.
Elisabeth
On Oct 1, 2009, at 10:10 PM, KATHI LESUEUR wrote:
> On Oct 1, 2009, at 4:20 PM, Anne Elisabeth Maurland wrote:
>
>>
>> On the other hand, when another customer brought me a stack of plates
>> at an art fair and said that even if she herself had been at fault for
>> breaking them (and she didn't think she was), she thought it odd that
>> all of them had a crack down the middle.
>> This I have seen before, so I offered to replace all of them for free.
>> She protested, but I insisted, so I'm working on them now. These
>> plates, except for one, were very thin, and the next batch won't be.
>> I'm also going to try a couple of different glazes, and test them,
>> before I glaze these.
>>
>> Except for plates, every other break I have seen, has always been
>> where
>> the pot was the thinnest, or vertically from the rim, which would be
>> consistent with a "bump".
>>
>> I like your policy. I can't really replace all pieces for free if they
>> crack - I can with the plates customer because the design is unusually
>> simple.
>
> Going out on a limb here, but I think you have a design flaw. You are
> selling pieces to be used and yet they are too thin to stand up to
> normal usage. You say "every other break I have seen, has always been
> where the pot was thinest". That tells me that you are making your
> work too thin for the clay you are using. It doesn't have the
> strength of fine porcelain that is fire around cone 12.
>
> You say you "can't replace all of the pieces for free if they crack".
> I believe potters must stand behind their product. I've been potting
> for 30 years. In all of that time I've had maybe five pieces returned
> because of cracking and I replaced each for free. Cracking should not
> be a common occurrence in your work. It gives all potters a bad name.
> This is a problem you need to fix by either thickening your pieces so
> that they can withstand normal usage of by finding a clay that is
> stronger.
>
> I recently met someone I'd made dishes for twenty eight years ago.
> When I went to visit he showed me those dishes that they proudly use
> almost every day. Not a chip or crack in any of them. They look like
> they just came out of the kiln. That should be the norm.
>
>
> KATHI LESUEUR
> http://www.lesueurclaywork.com
>
Bonnie Staffel on fri 2 oct 09
I have had a few breakages in my career, so I delve deeply in how they =3D
are
handled during common kitchen preps. One customer told me that he put a
stack of plates on his electric burner which was on low to warm them for =
=3D
the
steaks to be served.=3D20
My advice is to interview your customer into what their practices are.
Putting frozen food in the center of a plate and putting in into the
microwave or regular oven is a no-no. I broke a plate of mine of a very =3D
well
known potter by heating something on it in the microwave. It was glazed =3D
in a
dark iron glaze and also had a black core from reduction firing. So that
gave me a lesson there.=3D20
One customer brought in a mug that broke and I saw that the bottom was =3D
extra
thick in comparison to the sides, so pouring hot water or coffee into =3D
such a
situation caused uneven heating of the mug. I tell the customer to bring =
=3D
in
the pot so that I can correct a situation or advise them on how to =3D
handle
things. Some customers think they can put a teapot right on the flame or
electric burner of the stove.
Hope you find the answer to your problem.
Bonnie=3D20
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD=3DA0 Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD=3DA0 Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
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