terry sullivan on mon 10 nov 03
Mel, you wrote:
<< ... remember, i am the
guy that reported that a customer of mine heated
her water in one of my teapots for 20 years...pot
finally split, and she returned it as being faulty.
even a nordic potter has his patience tested.>>
I'm curious; how did that customer heat the water in your teapot ?
Microwave, over the stove, what ?
Lots of potters include a little bit of instructions / cautions along
with their work on use etc. When it comes to tea pots, I think most
americans need some instruction on the preparation of tea
western/english style.
The Brits have this worked out to a "T" ; - )
I have learned the hard way that heating water in a hand made ceramic
vessel ( stoneware or earthenware) in the microwave can eventually cause
failure of the vessel. Of course you know this too, but most folks
don't. They are used to using commercially manufactured stuff that was
engineered to handle the stresses involved. Correll ware, pyrex, and
other such stuff is pretty high tech ceramic/glass engineering. That's
what most americans are used to.
It's a testament to the quality of your craftsmanship that the teapot
survived 20 years before failing when used incorrectly.
We have to educate folks on how to use hand made ceramics.
Terry Sullivan
Nottingham Arts
San Marcos, CA.
mel jacobson on mon 10 nov 03
just a few side notes.
if for just a positive start to the day:
my neighbor had her annual
holiday sale boutiqe/fair in her home this past
weekend.
she sold over 9,000 bucks in
three days.
she sells my pots, and does a promo
area in her house of my work.
we sold a great deal. she does not
charge the artists very much...15 percent.
but, things are starting to sell again. she was
thrilled. been doing this show for 15 years. almost double
what she usually does.
i think folks should listen to ron on flameware
and oven ware. it is very tricky, and with
the number of law suites going on in america,
i would not touch that stuff for anything.
i no longer make casseroles. had a couple
of close calls, and it is just is not worth it.
i tell folks that the best cooking cover for
a nice bowl of mine is a piece of aluminum foil.
mel
(one never knows what a person is going to do
with your work. ice cold to a hot oven...and
if it breaks...my fault.) remember, i am the
guy that reported that a customer of mine heated
her water in one of my teapots for 20 years...pot
finally split, and she returned it as being faulty.
even a nordic potter has his patience tested.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
Ron Roy on tue 11 nov 03
While I agree that including instructions with oven ware is a good idea - I
don't think it is enough.
Because we have made - or others have made - pots that can function in
ovens - does not translate into understanding what is required to make ware
that can withstand heat shock.
What we need to know is the relative expansion rates of our clays and
glazes - and the dangers of cristobalite in our bodies.
It is not something that is so hard to do - it does take time to do the
testing of ware - extra time away from making pots I know - but if we make
ovenware - is it not right that we try to do it properly. Does that not
come along with the "craftsmanship" - part of the job.
If we think that adding instructions is all we need to do then - does it
follow that we have absolved ourselves of that responsibility?
I can remember - someone on this list years ago - asking why his mugs
sometimes cracked when hot water was poured in. I suggested he freeze any
ware that was to be subjected to sudden heat - and then pour boiling water
into it - while it was still frozen.
Well all his mugs cracked when he did that - so he got mad and left saying
it was not a fair test.
I still think it is a minimum test for tea pots, mugs and especially
casseroles - if they won't survive that test you better stop using that
clay/glaze combination or fix it up.
Making pots that don't do what they are supposed to do is simply bad
business practice - even if you do everything else right - you are going to
lose customers every time a pot breaks when it should not. Even worse -
some customers are going to be turned off hand made pottery so it affects
other potters as well.
RR
>I have learned the hard way that heating water in a hand made ceramic
>vessel ( stoneware or earthenware) in the microwave can eventually cause
>failure of the vessel. Of course you know this too, but most folks
>don't. They are used to using commercially manufactured stuff that was
>engineered to handle the stresses involved. Correll ware, pyrex, and
>other such stuff is pretty high tech ceramic/glass engineering. That's
>what most americans are used to.
>
>It's a testament to the quality of your craftsmanship that the teapot
>survived 20 years before failing when used incorrectly.
>
>We have to educate folks on how to use hand made ceramics.
Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
Fax: 613-475-3513
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