Sunny day in the studio

It was a day of glazing and slip making in the studio. I always sort of dread doing it but once I get into it I enjoy it. Besides, who doesn't like unloading a batch of glazed ware! I had a bunch of alphabet cups to glaze, some plate sets, and a few crocks to glaze.

I spray all my wares with iron oxide. Sometimes I glaze over the whole thing and sometimes just the inside and lip.

The plates are sprayed with iron oxide and the texture is wiped off leaving it heavier where the texture is recessed. Same with the cups.

Here are the alphabet cups ready for the kiln. They will fire to ∆6 in a computer controlled L&L. 

As you can see the plates are completely glazed while the small bowl has exposed iron oxide which will vitrify at ∆6 and make a nice smooth durable finish all on its own. 

Slip casting is great. It allows me to design pieces and later just go through the motions of making without thinking about it too much. It fits my personality very well. Making slip from recycled clay on the other hand is tedious and back breaking. I mix up 120#'s of clay at a time and add 60#'s of water and a couple of deflocculants, soda ash and sodium silicate. This batch has been sitting for the past week waiting for me to have the time to sieve it. Since the recycled clay is made up of many different clay bodies so there is sometimes grog and sand I want to remove. A Talisman sieve does the trick.

I use a corded drill with a paint stirring attachment to mix my slip.

Here is the talisman sieve. I use an 60 mesh screen. It kind of works like a giant food mill.

Properly deflocculated slip. 

A clean shot of the sieve. They are made in New Zealand and are available a most pottery supply houses. 

It was rough being in the studio today due to it being such a beautifully sunny day out! But we had the doors open and felt the warmth of the sun! Aw spring!

When I got home my boy Noah and one of his friends were out chasing the goats around in the sunshine! It was a good day. Tomorrow we are going off island to get clay in Seattle and other supplies.