Centa Uhalde on thu 13 apr 06
Hello,
I am wondering if anyone could comment: I'm wanting to design art pottery;
possibly a "line," along with making non-functional sculptural vessels; the
former aimed for production. I am not a production potter, I have bad wrists
and I'm not a very good potter, so the forms would likely be a combination
of hand built and thrown that would then be cast. Once I have prototypes, I
imagine finding a factory to cast them, and produce them. I have two glazing
ideas for surface decoration.
Excuse me if this is a silly question, but can anyone relay from their own
experience or know of any "template" that might present an overview of the
steps an individual would take in developing a business along these lines?
Or, is it like life itself, there is no instruction manual?
I am not a glaze technician. I can mix ingredients but lose patience if
things get too technical. I'm just not that interested in that part, so
would enlist help to get things up to spec, etc.
And an aside question: I would like to incorporate decal images onto
sculptural vessels; preferably that are fired on, but would like to have the
images (that I make) made into decals. Do you know of a reliable source for
this type of thing, and can anyone tell me the process for firing on decals
these days.
Thanks,
Centa
Fredrick Paget on thu 13 apr 06
>Hello,
>
>I am wondering if anyone could comment: I'm wanting to design art pottery;
>possibly a "line," along with making non-functional sculptural vessels
>..snip.......
>And an aside question: I would like to incorporate decal images onto
>sculptural vessels; preferably that are fired on, but would like to have the
>images (that I make) made into decals. Do you know of a reliable source for
>this type of thing, and can anyone tell me the process for firing on decals
>these days.
>Centa
>
Decals- First of all, I am not able to vouch for the reliability of
any of the following, but they are in business and you will have to
make up your own mind about that.
It depends on how many copies of each original image you want. You
can go to a traditional decal vendor such as Bel or Wise
and have an order made of a big
sheet with multiple copies of smaller images all on one sheet. Then
cut them up .
If you just want a few there are at least 3 or 4 places in USA that
are now making ceramic decals with color laser printers and the
Zimmer process. They get about 25 to 35 dollars a sheet for a large
sheet 11 x 15.5 inches. They will make as few as just one. Here is
one I saw at NCECA:
Here is another:
The traditional silk screened image ceramic decals will be cheaper
per sheet but you have to take a large minimum order quantity.
If you want to set yourself up to make your own decals you can get
going in the Zimmer process for roughly $36000,
There is another color
laser process coming out of Italy that has not reached the US yet
that will be cheaper. (). It
also can be had in a high temperature stain that likely does not
contain lead.
If you just want one color (any color) you can set up to make your
own with an ink jet printer and the public domain process described
on my home page- see below - for roughly $500, if you have a computer
already. But you will be getting into the tech that you have said you
prefer to avoid.
Almost all of these processes use china paint type pigments that fire
at a low red heat - cone 019 to 015. They are lead based and are not
food safe.
If you make your own you can use higher temperature Mason stains and
if you choose the right ones they can be food safe especially if a
clear glaze is used over them.
Almost all decals are applied on glazed and pre-fired ware. Then
fired again as above described. There are complete directions for
applying decals on several web sites. Here is one:
--
From Fred Paget,
Mill Valley, CA, USA
fredrick@well.com
Charter Member Potters Council
Where it has scarcely stopped raining all winter and now it is spring
and still raining.
The hills are starting to slide down on houses. One poor man buried
alive and killed in his back yard when a hill slid down on him
yesterday.
Flooding in the lowlands, and more rain predicted tonight. Roads
closed all over the place.
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