mel jacobson on tue 16 mar 10
i have a hunch that the ball mill was an aid to old time potters
that had very crude materials to work with. really crude glaze making
materials. they ground it into a usable material.
i am with lee on the grinding of materials beyond their need. it often
takes all the life out of a glaze.
many/most of the glaze making materials are used in industrial applications
like paint/cosmetics/toothpaste. they want the size very small. it
is filtered, milled and ground into a very fine powder. often it is
already well beyond what the average
potter needs.
i sieve out the largest particles, but sure do not go into the
hundreds for screen size.
in fact...i am working on introducing bigger chunks of iron into my glazes.
i break up taconite pellets from the iron mines, and i add iron bearing
sand from the shores of lake superior. i go on mining expeditions every
couple of years. i add to both the clay and the glaze.
in some ways it is a protest to very refined, over the top glazing that
has almost no human/craft aspects. it is becoming like paint, more and
more...not a natural glass surface. i know and respect that glazing is a
personal choice, it is a personal aesthetic, and it becomes often a trend
or pattern nationally. but, some think that milling will give them a surfa=
ce
that is over the top. but, it often has a commercial quality, not an
art/craft quality.
i am not a great exponent of ready made clay, ready made glaze in
50 colors, and then a push button kiln...pre/programmed by someone
else. i like making my clay, glaze and firing in a home made kiln.
it is all mine, good or bad. but, i get the `he's old, he does not
understand.`
well, i do. so, i just do what i do, and get on with it.
if you are going to complain about kmart dishes, pottery barn dishes, well
don't make work that looks just like it.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
Carol Casey on tue 16 mar 10
"i am not a great exponent of ready made clay, ready made glaze in
50 colors, and then a push button kiln...pre/programmed by someone
else. i like making my clay, glaze and firing in a home made kiln.
it is all mine, good or bad."
Why I love making pots . . . although I am far from this ideal.
Carol
Canary Court
On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 9:33 AM, mel jacobson wrote:
> i have a hunch that the ball mill was an aid to old time potters
> that had very crude materials to work with. really crude glaze making
> materials. they ground it into a usable material.
>
> i am with lee on the grinding of materials beyond their need. it often
> takes all the life out of a glaze.
>
> many/most of the glaze making materials are used in industrial applicatio=
ns
> like paint/cosmetics/toothpaste. they want the size very small. it
> is filtered, milled and ground into a very fine powder. often it is
> already well beyond what the average
> potter needs.
>
> i sieve out the largest particles, but sure do not go into the
> hundreds for screen size.
> in fact...i am working on introducing bigger chunks of iron into my glaze=
s.
>
> i break up taconite pellets from the iron mines, and i add iron bearing
> sand from the shores of lake superior. i go on mining expeditions every
> couple of years. i add to both the clay and the glaze.
>
> in some ways it is a protest to very refined, over the top glazing that
> has almost no human/craft aspects. it is becoming like paint, more and
> more...not a natural glass surface. i know and respect that glazing is a
> personal choice, it is a personal aesthetic, and it becomes often a trend
> or pattern nationally. but, some think that milling will give them a
> surface
> that is over the top. but, it often has a commercial quality, not an
> art/craft quality.
>
> i am not a great exponent of ready made clay, ready made glaze in
> 50 colors, and then a push button kiln...pre/programmed by someone
> else. i like making my clay, glaze and firing in a home made kiln.
> it is all mine, good or bad. but, i get the `he's old, he does not
> understand.`
> well, i do. so, i just do what i do, and get on with it.
>
> if you are going to complain about kmart dishes, pottery barn dishes, wel=
l
> don't make work that looks just like it.
> mel
> from: minnetonka, mn
> website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
> clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html.com/%7Emelpots/clayart.html>
> new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
>
Marcia Selsor on tue 16 mar 10
I have a photograph of a donkey driven grinder for frits from Central =3D
Asia (Uzbekistan where I did my Fulbright research in 1994) . I'll have =3D
to look for it because the photo predates digital.
The potters used the "Horno Arabesque" similar to the ones in Spain, but =
=3D
I had never seen a donkey driving mill before.
The grindstone rotated and there were four drains in the corners of the =3D
base section connected by a large , maybe 6-8" trough.Old time potters =3D
everywhere face similar dilemmas.
Marcia
On Mar 16, 2010, at 8:33 AM, mel jacobson wrote:
> i have a hunch that the ball mill was an aid to old time potters
> that had very crude materials to work with. really crude glaze making
> materials. they ground it into a usable material.
>=3D20
> i am with lee on the grinding of materials beyond their need. it =3D
often
> takes all the life out of a glaze.
>=3D20
> many/most of the glaze making materials are used in industrial =3D
applications
> like paint/cosmetics/toothpaste. they want the size very small. it
> is filtered, milled and ground into a very fine powder. often it is
> already well beyond what the average
> potter needs.
>=3D20
> i sieve out the largest particles, but sure do not go into the
> hundreds for screen size.
> in fact...i am working on introducing bigger chunks of iron into my =3D
glazes.
>=3D20
> i break up taconite pellets from the iron mines, and i add iron =3D
bearing
> sand from the shores of lake superior. i go on mining expeditions =3D
every
> couple of years. i add to both the clay and the glaze.
>=3D20
> in some ways it is a protest to very refined, over the top glazing =3D
that
> has almost no human/craft aspects. it is becoming like paint, more =3D
and
> more...not a natural glass surface. i know and respect that glazing =3D
is a
> personal choice, it is a personal aesthetic, and it becomes often a =3D
trend
> or pattern nationally. but, some think that milling will give them a =3D
surface
> that is over the top. but, it often has a commercial quality, not an
> art/craft quality.
>=3D20
> i am not a great exponent of ready made clay, ready made glaze in
> 50 colors, and then a push button kiln...pre/programmed by someone
> else. i like making my clay, glaze and firing in a home made kiln.
> it is all mine, good or bad. but, i get the `he's old, he does not
> understand.`
> well, i do. so, i just do what i do, and get on with it.
>=3D20
> if you are going to complain about kmart dishes, pottery barn dishes, =3D
well
> don't make work that looks just like it.
> mel
> from: minnetonka, mn
> website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
> clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
> new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
>=3D20
Marcia Selsor
http://www.marciaselsor.com
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