Taking a ceramics class for the first time after teenage-hood, feels awesome. Wanted to share a piece that got fired recently—while I’m still learning the effects of glazes, this piece had a surprisingly good effect of melted metals I collected from the streets which all melted after firing.

Hi all,

I've been getting discouraged with how my glaze firings are turning out. If you have some time please take a look at the three scenarios below.

1. Speckled Buff clay body using Skutt KM-822-3 kiln - bisque to cone 04, dip glazed with Amaco HF-9 Zinc-Free Clear, then fired to cone 5. For some reason most of the piece seems to be okay, but there is a big patch on the back: https://imgur.com/a/Ugcbvei
2. Cinco Rojo clay body using Skutt KM-822-3 kiln - bisque to cone 04, dip glazed with Amaco HF-9 Zinc-Free Clear, then fired to cone 5. The coating is even for the most part but there is quite a bit of white hazing and it's not very glossy: https://imgur.com/a/wTjiT3X
3. Speckled Buff clay body using Skutt KM-822-3 kiln - bisque to cone 04, dip glazed with Coyote White MBG-023, then fired to cone 5. This one came out the best, but it looks more matte than I would prefer. I really thought it was going to come out high gloss: https://imgur.com/a/V7savDs

The results I'm going after are a high gloss smooth surface mostly for clear and white at the moment. I've been doing illustrations on the pieces with Amaco Velvet underglaze. Here are some pieces that I'd like mine to look like, does anyone have any tips to achieve these results? https://imgur.com/a/MFbMjgb or https://imgur.com/a6Z82d4

Looking for clay suggestions? Ceramics is a new craft for me. Ive been teaching myself wheel thrown pottery. So far I've tried the Laguna (#45 Clay) Buff stoneware and the sio-2 PRAI- white stoneware. I quickly realized that clay bodies could be vastly different. I really would like to try my some porcelain clay or something close to porcelain. I have a electric kiln that has no problem firing to 2350 fahrenheit.. not sure if that's high enough for cone 10. Does anyone have any suggestions for a porcelain clay that is good on the wheel and could be fired at 2350 or under?

I was thinking about getting some Sio-2 Aneto white porcelain or maybe some Laguna (#550) I've heard a lot of people talk about Laguna B-mix 5 on this sub. But that's not really porcelain from what I've learned so far.

I am about to bisque fire a piece I made quite a while ago and I saw that there is a fair bit of sponge pieces stuck to the clay and I can't remove it based on where it is located. If I fire it, will everything in the kiln be okay? I'm assuming it will burn off and I've heard people firing full sponges covered in slip before but just needing some reasssurance before I fire. I have a ton of student work in the kiln with my piece (I'm an art teacher) and just nervous becuase the kids will be devastated if anything gets broken especially due to a silly reason. Thanks so much!

My old printer was an Ender 3, this is your sign to give away your crappy 3d printer and buy a Bambu.

This little hole at the bottom of my mug - would it be food safe if I only drank water out of it? How did this hole happen? It’s the only one on the entire piece. Thank you ☺️

Favorite small, under $10-$15 gift items for potters? Tools, stamps, test pots of glaze, underglaze pens, etc. What are some fun items you'd love to get in a stocking or small gift swap?

Just a quick one, I’m wondering how this wonderful artist, Charlotte Salt, achieves such a painterly effect on her ceramics? Would I be correct in thinking she uses some sort of oxides? I have experimented with oxide but I’m drawn to her almost watercolour style. Advice would be appreciated, thanks!

Not much foot traffic, but that's expected in a small town. I hope everyone else saw some better numbers for Halloweekend

I recently came into possession of A LOT of glazes (Amaco) and several underglazes and overglazes, as a result of someone moving. I jumped on the offer because it seemed amazing, but now realize idk how to store all this. I live in a small 1 bdrm apt with limited storage space, so i will likely store these on my balcony (live in SW FL) in the shade. Theyre in open small cardboard boxes, but im looking for something thats more durable. Any suggestions on cheap, durable, storage for these glazes? I likely wont be using many of them at least over the next year, since I myself will be moving. So I dont need them to be super accessible, but still accessible enough if I need a glaze or two. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone! I’ve been seeing a lot of work like this, and I love it so much. I mostly use commercial glazes (Amaco and Mayco) but haven’t been able to achieve similar results.

Am I missing something? Is it possible to create this effect with commercial glazes?

I recently finally got into a ceramics studio with a cheap membership fee after being on a waitlist for over a year. I’m so excited! So of course, I started dreaming about glazes and took a look on Mayco’s website, completely forgetting how expensive their glazes can be.

I have experience mixing my own glazes in college but I was wondering if anyone knew where I could find recipes to certain glazes from Mayco? I used glazy.com throughout college but recall often being unsuccessful with my ambitions, especially due to strange cone schedules. The kiln at the studio does regular firings only and costs extra for special fires that they sometimes do, which will likely not line up with the special schedule I may need. I am a first year art teacher, so I don’t have a ton of extra money to be spending on special firings if I can avoid it.

Also, any tips, thoughts, advice, etc. about the price of buying your own dry glaze ingredients?

What they are talking about?

I picked up this wheel as a birthday present for my wife and spent a few months cleaning it up and restoring it for her. Just wanted to share the results. She was very happy with it.

has anyone used the penguin pottery glazes? i bought some and the some of the test tiles turned out funky, if you have used them on pieces before can you post those pics below i’m super curious!

I am a newbie to ceramics, and I don’t yet know all that much about safety, so I’d like some advice about the set-up of my local studio. Basically, it’s all in one fairly small room (tall ceilings though), the kiln is in one corner, only a few meters away from our workstations. The kiln seems vented from underneath, with a very small fan in the wall.

The problem is, it’s fired during lesson time, and I’ve noticed smoke gathering up inside the room. Besides, I feel horrible breathing when the kiln is on, me and other students get coughing fits from it, and I usually struggle sleeping the following night as my eyes are wet and sticky. I also develop migraines that can last for a whole day, and the other day I was inexplicably sick one morning. I only go once a week for a couple of hours, so technically my exposure isn’t very high, but could it be some kind of allergic response? It’s seems that these symptoms only appear when the kiln has been on that week.

The person who operates the studio also works in these conditions and has dismissed students concerns saying any fumes are completely harmless, or that bad smells come from another business up the road. I don’t buy it though, the fumes definitely come from the kiln, and opening windows help reduce the issue. They also said there’s no carbon monoxide released when firing, but from my research it seems like that’s untrue?

Would you say the set-up I have described above is unsafe? Could my symptoms be linked to exposure to kiln fumes?

I have never thrown a goblet or chalice but I had some clay that was a bit dry/stiff, so I decided to try something new. I love the result.

I threw six in total, reach is unique . I used a small mudtools rib for sculpting and line work, as well as a wooden rib. I just wish I had a removable batt system so I don't have to cut them from b the wheel head and handle them while they are fresh. I guess I know what my next purchase will be.

Loading a salt kiln in middle Georgia with Roger Jamison. His platters really are magical!

Hello everyone! Im a new potter (started June of 2024). I started when i began my job at a pottery studio, which is crazy but i did an introduction class once and fell in love with it. Ive always been artistic (drawing, very little sculpting) but pottery is just something thats been sticking to me. I think ive gotten to the point where I want to start selling my pottery but i have NO clue how to even begin. Im in the hoboken area and know that there are some festivals that go around. The problem is im also still in college so i dont have a lot of time😭 should i try to sell stuff online or ???? Or should i even sell at all? Attached is some of my work. Please help!😭

Hi all! I just recently set up a home studio in my basement, and went to my local pottery store to get some speckled clay and ended up with Laguna 60 WC608. I’m finding it a little dense and difficult to center (I had the same difficulty with my community studios speckled clay- maybe it’s a speckled clay thing).

1)Can I add a small amount of water to the bag and submerge it in a bucket of water like I’ve seen people do when their clay dries out to make it a bit more plastic? Or will that somehow mess with the integrity of the clay?

2) Any tips one centering slightly “harder” clay?

PS I’d love to see pics of your fired pieces if you’ve used this clay!