Potters with physical challenges Discussions - Electric Mid&Hi Fired Ceramics2024-03-29T09:53:16Zhttps://cone6pots.ning.com/group/potterswithphysicalchallenges/forum?feed=yes&xn_auth=nopottery after back surgerytag:cone6pots.ning.com,2016-05-09:2103784:Topic:1316532016-05-09T17:47:26.515ZLana Weedhttps://cone6pots.ning.com/profile/LanaWeed
<p>I signed up for main group way back when it was a start up. I have not been active until now. I first posted in the main discussion area and was notified I should post here! Any one out there with a spinal/back fusion? I had a PLIF at the S1 L5 position of the back.</p>
<p>I am recovering from a major back surgery and wondered if there were any others out there willing to talk about recovery and re learning to work around the fact that you can't bend at that joint anymore.(the joint is just…</p>
<p>I signed up for main group way back when it was a start up. I have not been active until now. I first posted in the main discussion area and was notified I should post here! Any one out there with a spinal/back fusion? I had a PLIF at the S1 L5 position of the back.</p>
<p>I am recovering from a major back surgery and wondered if there were any others out there willing to talk about recovery and re learning to work around the fact that you can't bend at that joint anymore.(the joint is just above your plumbers crack) I am in my 7th week and still waiting for the bones to fuse so I am not doing anything other than lay in a recliner, walk, do PT and take meds. Its going to take 6 to 8 months for the bone healing but I should be able to handbuild in a month or 2 if my partner helps me. No lifting, bending, twisting.</p>
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<p>This section added by George Lewter to facilitate closing of original discussion.</p>
<p>Reply by <a href="http://cone6pots.ning.com/profile/37xups1561bmd" target="_self">Andrea Brown</a></p>
<p>Hi Lana,</p>
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<p>I've just joined and the first thing I saw was your post. Welcome to the club. I have L4- S1 fused. Mine was done in October last year. I was going crazy by the 6th week and was starting to get back to the pottery. Have you had cat scan done yet? By late November I was back to doing it all. Wedging, throwing, picking up buckets of glaze. Everything. At that stage I was told by neurosurgeon that I could work for about 2 hours at a time and rest for 20mins or so. I don't want to say that you should be doing it the same way. I still have problems but this has been my 3rd surgery on the same area, and no the reason is not that I've done anything wrong. The first was the initial fusion 10 years ago, the second was 2 months later when a sliver of the vertebrae chipped off and was pressing on nerves I couldn't walk! Now the third was a herniated disc which was pressing on the sciatic nerve. I've always had a weak back. Best advice - walk lots and then some more, it really does help get the healing going. Get yourself to a good biokineticist. They will help stretch your muscle which have been shortened by the surgery, and they will give you stretching exercises to continue with on a daily basis. I still have pain, mostly due to the weakness on my left side, but the pain is manageable and it does not affect my potting too much. When it's bad enough I take painkillers and rest a bit more. I find that I work from early morning until around 3pm, then I lie down for the rest of the day. </p>
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<p>My best wishes for a speedy recovery, and please don't hesitate to talk if you need to.</p> Glazing while visually impairedtag:cone6pots.ning.com,2014-06-28:2103784:Topic:1080512014-06-28T18:52:38.740ZRodney Allen Roehttps://cone6pots.ning.com/profile/RodneyAllenRoe
<p>As I've mentioned before I am considered blind for legal reasons. I have some central vision and no peripheral vision. The deficits that interfere with making pots are a lack of depth perception, altered color vision, abd real problems with brightness and contrast.</p>
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<p>Throwing isn't much of a problem since it is "in the hands". Glazing on the other hand is a headache. I've gotten interested in raw glazing and single firing. What I've run into is a problem glazing the…</p>
<p>As I've mentioned before I am considered blind for legal reasons. I have some central vision and no peripheral vision. The deficits that interfere with making pots are a lack of depth perception, altered color vision, abd real problems with brightness and contrast.</p>
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<p>Throwing isn't much of a problem since it is "in the hands". Glazing on the other hand is a headache. I've gotten interested in raw glazing and single firing. What I've run into is a problem glazing the interior of deep pieces. I pour glaze into the pot, swish it around and then try to pour it out without spilling it down the sides. That hasn't worked out very well. Drips and runs can't be cleaned off as they can with bisque ware.</p>
<p>I've solved the problem of exterior glazing by placing glaze in a container deep enough to invert the pot and immerse the pot up to its foot. (I've been making a foot on everything in order to have something to hold and a visual line that shouldn't be glazed.) Still, I intend to get the equipment together to spray glazes. I like the look of blending of one glaze into another.</p>
<p>What I'm looking for is a suggestion for glazing the interiors of pots. Since I can't see how near the top the glaze is when I pour it into the interior I have run the pot over which has meant inverting it and pouring glaze down the sides trying to even up the coverage. Likewise, I can't see the glaze coverage in the interior, especially when I've created a neck on the pot or choked the top. I've taken a sponge and sponged glaze onto area where I think there might not have been coverage.</p>
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<p>Any ideas?</p> Wedging and Hand Issuestag:cone6pots.ning.com,2012-08-13:2103784:Topic:680002012-08-13T14:32:53.078ZKathy Ransomhttps://cone6pots.ning.com/profile/KathyRansom655
<p>I just read an internet discussion where potters were talking about reconstituting dried clay and some suggestions were offered for ways to wedge the clay that were a little less taxing physically. One person suggested getting students to do it as part of their learning which is a great idea if you happen to have students! </p>
<p>For the rest of us, my method of choice is to save my scraps from slab building (I use my clay fresh from the box and nicely pre-wedged for the slabs), in a 1 or…</p>
<p>I just read an internet discussion where potters were talking about reconstituting dried clay and some suggestions were offered for ways to wedge the clay that were a little less taxing physically. One person suggested getting students to do it as part of their learning which is a great idea if you happen to have students! </p>
<p>For the rest of us, my method of choice is to save my scraps from slab building (I use my clay fresh from the box and nicely pre-wedged for the slabs), in a 1 or 2 litre plastic case with a tight lid. I spray my scraps with a little water as I add them to keep them nice and moist. When I have a case of scraps, I switch and coil build until I use my scraps up, wedging the coils by rolling them out, folding them and re-rolling them a couple of times. I spray them with water as I go which gives me nice soft coils to work with.</p>
<p>This is also a great way to 'wedge' clay and can be used for large amounts of it, depending on how strong you are <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HApNjUnI9U4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HApNjUnI9U4</a></p> Throwing Clay after a Stroketag:cone6pots.ning.com,2012-05-12:2103784:Topic:628952012-05-12T14:21:21.751ZAnn Rodenberghttps://cone6pots.ning.com/profile/AnnRodenberg
<p>Sorry I was not able to retrieve the rest of the discussion I started. At any rate, I taught 3 classes a week, 2 adult, beginning to intermediate class as well as a children's handbuilding class along with demo veneus in my geographical location.</p>
<p>It has taken me the last thre years to get where I am today in using clay bodies I can handle. I am still looking for that elusive clay body which I have been searching for to futility. I know it is out there for me.</p>
<p>My journey back…</p>
<p>Sorry I was not able to retrieve the rest of the discussion I started. At any rate, I taught 3 classes a week, 2 adult, beginning to intermediate class as well as a children's handbuilding class along with demo veneus in my geographical location.</p>
<p>It has taken me the last thre years to get where I am today in using clay bodies I can handle. I am still looking for that elusive clay body which I have been searching for to futility. I know it is out there for me.</p>
<p>My journey back to clay has been slow and I have learned a lot about myself and that was I did not have very much patience with myself. I am happy to report I am way over that. </p>
<p>I had a long military career in the Air Force and perhaps that allowed me to adapt and overcome.</p>
<p>Next time I will include photo's of some of my work past and present work.</p> Throwing Clay after a Stroketag:cone6pots.ning.com,2012-05-12:2103784:Topic:627132012-05-12T14:06:09.985ZAnn Rodenberghttps://cone6pots.ning.com/profile/AnnRodenberg
<p>Hi All,I have been throwing clay since the 60's with pretty good results and taught 3 adult and a childrens classes every week. However, 8 years ago I had a stroke which took me out of the business of clay for many years. The past three years(coming around)I have noticed many things I cannot do any more, such as throw big pots, certain clay bodies I do have the strength in my arms and hands to center clay let alone cone it up on my wheel left me very frustrated and was forced to look into…</p>
<p>Hi All,I have been throwing clay since the 60's with pretty good results and taught 3 adult and a childrens classes every week. However, 8 years ago I had a stroke which took me out of the business of clay for many years. The past three years(coming around)I have noticed many things I cannot do any more, such as throw big pots, certain clay bodies I do have the strength in my arms and hands to center clay let alone cone it up on my wheel left me very frustrated and was forced to look into many…<a class="continue-link" href="http://cone6pots.ning.com/xn/detail/2103784:Topic:62636?xg_source=activity">See More</a></p>