James Roche on mon 25 oct 99
Hi everyone, What a great list!
I'm a beginner, done mainly slab work (love sculptural
influences). But I have a great learning experience ahead of
me. I've spent the last few weeks totally reorganizing a
pottery that was not being used very much. Total chaos sums it
up (and that's putting it mildly).
Equipment:
pug mill
electric wheel
kick wheel
electric kiln
I'm trying to dismantle the pug mill, but it's bolted to the
table which is bolted to the floor (which makes accessing the
back impossible). Dry clay has been inside for years... so I
know enough that it's got to be totally clean before using.
Still finding loads of unidentified clay bodies / slips /
glazes. I'm gradually reconstituting some low-fire red
earthenware, almost finished about 10kg. Two bins outside for
years, full of a light tan clay + snails!, unidentified. I
guess I'll reconstitute and then send samples back to Fulham
Pottery or Potterycrafts, see if they can ID.
Some work to be fired is up to 12 years old! (Don't ask!)
Sorted out all the pyrometric cones but no instructions for
firing the kiln (controller is a bit cryptic). Although I have
found stoneware glazes, no cones above earthenware temperatures.
I do a lot of photography, so I'll photograph all the
uncollected ceramics before they are sold off.
Masses to learn, but it's going to be fun. Wish me luck!
James
Janet Kaiser on tue 26 oct 99
Welcome / Croeso James.
Another UK potter is always a good thing. We are slightly outnumbered by
Colonial Cousins. I guess around 100 of them for every "Limey".
But do not be so tantalising... You have obviously got a complete workshop
to play with clay in. Inherited? Forgotten? Left if in a temper 20 years
ago? Come on... Do not be coy. Please tell us about it. Having made half the
readers envious that is the least you can do.
Janet Kaiser --- And for those who wondered, "Croeso" means Welcome in
Welsh.
The Chapel of Art, Criccieth, GB-Wales
Home of The International Potters' Path
http://www.the-coa.org.uk
postbox@the-coa.org.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: James Roche
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: 25 October 1999 18:40
Subject: Quick Intro From London UK
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Hi everyone, What a great list!
I'm a beginner, done mainly slab work (love sculptural
influences). But I have a great learning experience ahead of
me. I've spent the last few weeks totally reorganizing a
pottery that was not being used very much. Total chaos sums it
up (and that's putting it mildly).
Some work to be fired is up to 12 years old! (Don't ask!)
Martin Howard on tue 26 oct 99
Good Luck James. Having just started a completely new pottery, its good to
hear of someone recreating an old one. Keep in touch. We are not far away.
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road
Great Saling
BRAINTREE
Essex CM7 5DZ
araneajo@gn.apc.org
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
James Roche on wed 27 oct 99
Hello Janet,
At 11:30 26/10/99 EDT, Janet Kaiser wrote:
>But do not be so tantalising... You have obviously got a
complete workshop to play with clay in. Inherited? Forgotten?
Left if in a temper 20 years ago? Come on... Do not be coy.
Please tell us about it. Having made half the readers envious
that is the least you can do.
Well not inherited, but it certainly feels like it is forgotten.
I'm referring to a Social Services unit, which I attend due to
long term illness. As I seem to know more about ceramics than
anyone else there (which isn't a great deal) I have been given a
free rein to do much as I want. So for me it is largely
therapeutic, but I suspect that it may become a new career as I
find it so totally fascinating.
When I was very young our family had some contact with the Leach
family. My mother still lives in the Bovey Tracey area and
knows Jeremy Leach. So within our family strong artistic
influences and I've always appreciated good ceramics even if I'm
not sure exactly how it has been made.
I'm looking forward to reconstituting a whole bin of light tan
clay that's been outside for years. I'm assuming it is
earthenware, but my understanding is that oxides are often the
source of the body colour and so it really could be anything.
All I have to watch out for is a bad back (lower lumbar is a bit
wrecked)... I'll let you know how the first firing goes!
James
James Roche on wed 27 oct 99
Hello Martin,
At 11:36 26/10/99 EDT, Martin Howard wrote:
>Good Luck James. Having just started a completely new pottery,
its good to hear of someone recreating an old one. Keep in
touch. We are not far away.
Well there's masses to do and I'm sure I'll be asking a few
questions when I'm totally stuck, despite going through all the
books! I'm totally self-taught, so there's great big gaps in my
understanding of the art.
Glazing chemistry! I had no idea it was *so* complex. I
originally trained as a pharmaceutical chemist - a long time ago
- with some real effort I might just be able to understand all
the formulae again. But perhaps getting so technical really
isn't necessary these days?
James
Christine Avery on thu 28 oct 99
Good luck!
My situation wasn't quite that overwhelming but I teach at a high school
and before I started there had been a sub for 6 months who knew nothing
about clay.
She couldn't find all the ingredients for glazes so left them out. We had
to dump gallons of glaze.
She mixed up the earthenware with stoneware so lots of tears from students
when the kiln was fired (had clay puddling on the floor through the vents).
The labels were off the bins so to identify the borate, kaolin, feldspar,
whiting and flint in the bins I took an educated guess then sent samples to
the school's chemistry dept. and the teacher (who has a geology background)
had the students run tests to do a firm ID. Great hands on learning!
Our pug mill was dried solid. I plugged the end - Threw in some water let
it sit for a few days and ran it through. But now I have found it is easier
to clean if the clay is dry. I take a chisel, hammer and some goggles and
gently tap and it chips right off the blades. (I don't hammer the blades).
I don't know what kind of pug mill you have but mine doesn't need to come
apart other then use a ratchet to remove the lugs then I can lift off the
top piece.
Good luck again
Christine from Nodak The puzzle is really fun to put together, and a great
feeling of satisfaction when it is solved!
Martin Howard on thu 28 oct 99
I'm no chemist James. I've just read the books, got the computer program and
worked on from their.
Certainly the program takes the hard work out of glaze making, but it's
still fascinating to follow how the different components interact and
understand a little of the chemistry.
I use David Hewitt's Glaze Workbook and find it excellent for all my glaze
needs.
Drop in sometime when you're fed up with London, traffic, air pollution etc.
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road
Great Saling
BRAINTREE
Essex CM7 5DZ
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
James Roche on sun 31 oct 99
Hello Martin
At 13:47 28/10/99 EDT, Martin Howard wrote:
>Certainly the program takes the hard work out of glaze making,
but it's still fascinating to follow how the different
components interact and understand a little of the chemistry.
I don't think I'll have the facility to do this at the centre
(e.g. run a glaze computing program) maybe I can do this at
home, when I get more confident. So far, I've only used the
Potterycrafts glazes, but they all sediment out, which is a real
pain, having to remix them.
>I use David Hewitt's Glaze Workbook and find it excellent for
all my glaze needs.
OK I'll try to look for this.
I stumbled across the following in our pottery:
"Glazes For The Studio Potter"
By Emmanual Cooper and Derek Royle
Published by B T Batsford Ltd, 1978
ISBN 0 7134 3291 8
Highly technical book (almost too much to absorb). But some
quite stunning colour pix of his stoneware work. Also
references unusual metals like Uranium.
>Drop in sometime when you're fed up with London, traffic, air
pollution etc.
Well it certainly is polluted yes! That's why I keep out of
town now. Hampton isn't quite so bad by comparison. Thanks
very much for the offer.
James
Martin Howard on mon 1 nov 99
The Emmanuel Cooper book was mentioned at Oxford yesterday as a really good
one for anyone interested in Glazes and particularly ash glazes. It is now
out of print, so look after it, friend.
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road
Great Saling
BRAINTREE
Essex CM7 5DZ
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
| |
|
