mel jacobson on thu 21 oct 04
i did experiments with glass in clay pots back in the sixties.
had a kid that made glass bottomed mugs.
he was a bit retarded. you know, dumb kid. like a fox.
anyway he solved the problem.
took a small clay saucer, filled it with silica sand.
placed his mug without a bottom in the saucer.
filled in the bottom with broken wine bottle.
fired to cone 5 in electric kiln. glass melted.
fused to the mug...about an inch thick.
he sanded/ground off the silica sand.
glass bottomed mugs.
could see very pretty light through the bottom.
he was a very proud kid.
has his own plumbing company now.
damn fine man. he still likes me. calls now and then.
has taught me some fine plumbing skills. wouldn't you know
his name is tim murphy.
i am the student now.
anyway.
glass in pots:
first and most important. dangerous for food
using pots. tiny bits of glass can chip off. the edges
are thin, and not always in perfect balance with the
glaze. (just like shino can do.) great to look at, but
i hate folks calling me with glass shards in their lips.
`fay, meowl, gots this gwass in my mouse`.
i use colored marbles. make a nice bowl, flat bottom.
add a big layer of marbles on the bottom.
fire to any temp/cone6 or higher is better.
it will almost always have big crackle. big crackle.
also not good for food.
pretty though.
people will buy it like fiends. any price.
i taught this to a couple of local potters. they sell it
like mad. one does not mention the food thing. but, that
is his problem.
to make a neat ash tray sorta pot, make a flat bottomed piece
with in/curved sides. about two inches high. real thick throwing.
fill the thing with glass. it will melt and crackle like mad.
you can use a salt shaker and sprinkle some oxide around.
it will puddle color. final pot looks like ten foot deep glass.
use pretty glazes under for affect.
celedon is really nice. high quality wine bottles/french...etc.
good glass. watch out for cheap bottles. also good window
glass works great. easy to get, cheap. (scrap at the hardware)
it is trick stuff.
used it with high school kids all the time. i would make one/slide
it into the kiln. see them when the kiln opened the next day.
`holy shit man, he man, what is that? god, can we do that, huh
mel, can we try it...how do you do it???...hey, gloria, come and see
this cool pot. man, i gotta do that. no teaching. motivation tactic.
made really complex soap dishes. great slab project./ grandma's would
swoon over them. i taught kids to give pots to grandparents.
`ok gang, listen up. the next four pots you make have to be given
to your grandparents, or a relative you like...hear me`. assignment.
make special things. they would always say...`god mel, grandma
cried, and gave me fifty bucks. grandpa just grinned`
hmmm. their first real taste of merchandising. but, more important
and why i did it...it gave the kid a taste of what it is like to have
your work really appreciated. making things, giving it away and
having people really become involved. it is what artists and
craft people live on. menandwomen. one word. craftsperson
one word.
a wonderful neighbor stopped today. unloaded about thirty pots
on her..she made the list/packed/inventory. first of the holiday
boutiques. she takes my pots. sells them all. took six books,
cards....she makes about
20 grand /take in/ on this show. she only takes 20 percent. and,
she is smack in the middle of my 50 mile circle.
she gets top retail. and then folks buy one from her, stop and
get two more from me over the next month. nice system.
in the 50 mile. she gets great pots to show, pimps me, she
makes a few bucks...has great house to show things....and
we all win. just like a big yard sale. wham pots all gone.
great promo. she is a great friend, and easy to deal with.
lots of trust. both ways. so, lots of ways to sell pots in the circle.
i don't leave the house.
and, best of all, she will buy at least 10 of the pieces to give as
gifts to her family. that is how it all started.
i would rather have pins stuck in my peepee than have a holiday
boutique at my house. all that stuff. 25 crafters. but, she loves
it. and, has some really fine jewelers, fabric artists, but some
god awful angel soaps and silly holiday decorations for sale.
but, man, does it sell. (i love great soap makers. have a new
one, on my bathroom counter...the pot and the soap/with a wonderful
natural leaf on it. smells great...looks classy.) hate to use it.
you all know that story.
anyway...joyce, if you have questions/e me.
but, i don't want you calling and have me listen to that
damn white westie bark in the phone. `say hi to mel, say hi to
mel....yap, yap, yap.
mel
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
Bonnie Staffel on sat 23 oct 04
Hey, Mel, and all. That crazed glass in the bottom of "ash trays" was quite
the rage in the early 50's for me as well. I found it interesting to try
all the then amazing things one could do with an electric kiln. I remember
I used to decorate and personalize glass tumblers. Had to watch through the
peep hole to turn it off when the glass seemed to shimmer and tremble. Also
slumped/stretched those wine and coke bottles into who knows what to use
them for. We even made a clay grille and filled the openings with broken
glass. Our problem at that time was to find some separator for the glass
from the kiln washed shelves. Finally found sheets of mica/isinglass as
most useful. The periodicals I subscribed to as well as information found
in the library explored many ways of working with an electric kiln.
Warm memories,
Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel
http://www.vasefinder.com/
Potters Council member
| |
|
