Erik Evans's Blog (5)

Making is Thinking

While researching material for the latest newsletter, I stumbled on this gem from StudioPotter.org.  It's a well-written defense of digital printing and new technologies in the ceramic studio.  If nothing else, this graphic included in the article is relatable to many of us on a number fronts, I'm sure.…

Continue

Added by Erik Evans on May 31, 2018 at 8:00am — No Comments

Here Kitty Kitty

I often decorate my pots with brushwork.  Pursuing an ultra thin line, I've found my cat's whiskers work the best.  They're not purrfect (that's right, I said it), but they produce some interesting results.  

Taped individually to a stick, I dip the whisker into some fairly viscous underglaze, then lay it down on the pot.  No dragging, just gentle press and…

Continue

Added by Erik Evans on August 11, 2017 at 7:31pm — 2 Comments

How I Make Glaze Test Tiles

I must admit, I've never been terribly disciplined about my test tiles through the years.  I'm pretty good about taking careful notes; too many times I've been burned by shoddy notes.  However, I do tend to slap those careful tests on whatever's laying around.  The result is a box full of well-documented, mismatched shapes and shards.…

Continue

Added by Erik Evans on September 14, 2016 at 5:09pm — 1 Comment

How I Mix Bentonite / Store a Glaze That Settles

If you ever used bentonite, you know it's a bear to mix into a glaze.  It tends to clump together in solution.  It doesn't want to play well with others.  I've tried a number of things over the years to get around this.  I thought I'd share this latest method that works for me:

I first look for the dry clay in my recipe, usually EPK.  Even if it's a small percentage of my recipe, I measure this out first, and place it in a resealable plastic bucket (I bought mine in the paint…

Continue

Added by Erik Evans on May 12, 2016 at 7:30pm — 6 Comments

Glaze Ladling Techniques

This is an interesting tutorial, of sorts, illustrating the finer points of using a glaze ladle. If nothing else, it demonstrates that something so humble can be finessed into an art form. I dig that.

http://www.bambootools.com/decorating/hishaku_detail.htm

Added by Erik Evans on April 13, 2016 at 10:19pm — No Comments

Videos

  • Add Videos
  • View All

Use These Links to Support Us

Low cost flat lapping disc can be used on you potters wheel if you, drill bat pin holes in it, and provide a trickle of water to cool it. At amazon.com, 120 grit for aggressive material removal. Click the image to purchase 

Members have had great things to say about John Britt's new book, Mid-Range Glazes. Click the image to buy from Amazon.com

Purchase Glazes Cone 6 by Michael Bailey, The Potters Book of Glaze Recipes by Emmanuel Cooper, or Making Marks by Robin Hopper, all available at amazon.comMastering Cone 6 Glazes by John Hesselberth & Ron Roy is now out of print.

Harbor Freight is a great place to find unbeatable prices for better HVLP spray guns with stainless steel parts and serviceable economy models, as well as detail guns, all tested by our members for spraying glazes, as well as compressors to power the guns. As yet no one has tested and commented on the remarkably inexpensive air brushes at harbor freight.

The critter siphon gun is a spray alternative that is well liked by some of our members, and is available at amazon.

Amazon is also a competitive source for photo light tents for shooting professional quality pictures of your work. They also have the EZ Cube brand favored by several of our members. You might also want to purchase the book Photographing Arts, Crafts and Collectibles . . .

If you are up to creating videos of your work or techniques you might want to invest in a flip video camera

Following are a few scales useful for potters. Ohaus Triple Pro Mechanical Triple Beam Balance, 2610g x 0.1g, with Tare $169.00

And finally a low cost clone of the OHaus. The Adam Equipment TBB2610T Triple Beam Mechanical Balance With Tare Beam $99.62

ebay is a great alternative for many tools and the equipment used in the ceramics studio - kilns, wheels, extruders, slab rollers are often listed there both new and used.

Tips for Members

If you just want to spout off, it is best accomplished as a blog posting. If you want to get more guidance and ideas from other members, ask a question as a new discussion topic. In the upper right corner of the lists for both types of posting, you will find an "+Add " button. Clicking it will open an editor where you create your posting. 4/16/2014

© 2024   Created by Andrea Wolf.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service