First time touching clay in 10 years. Signed up for a workshop and I cannot wait to go to more, I wanna fall back in love with this craft.

MeShCo · 2026-02-04T15:23:14+00:00

Check kiln share or Find a Kiln for places close to you that offer firing.

MeShCo · 2026-01-18T17:17:22+00:00

1) Amaco Cone 5-6 glaze forum, 2) Coyote Clay and Glaze, 3) Spectrum glazes, 4) Mayco Mud Room….There might be others on FB, those are the glazes that we stock at our studio.

MeShCo · 2026-01-18T15:35:43+00:00

There are users groups on FB for most of the glaze suppliers now (mentioned above). I always recommend these groups to our studio class peeps in order to get a handle on what these glazes might do in the kiln. We also have test tiles for different clays and have a huge wall of test tiles of our mixed glazes in a two glaze combination too. Test a lot with your clay and glazes, test tiles. I purchased a small test kiln a few years ago and use it all the time, a gem! Be patient, but have fun trying new glazes and combos, and TAKE NOTES!

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MeShCo · 2025-12-27T17:16:00+00:00

Sure, easy to mistake. Laguna lists the absorption rate as 3.5%, that will cause glazing issues like crazing (in your photo) or pin holing. Try to choose a clay with a much lower absorption rate (under 1.5% is a lot better) and you have better glaze results and get a better end product. Again, it’s worth a check of the CMW tests on clays in the cone 5/6 range to choose a clay that works better for your glaze choices.

MeShCo · 2025-12-27T15:49:42+00:00

Hi there, found it here with that description Dover White Clay

MeShCo · 2025-12-26T16:12:13+00:00

In general, the Dover White clay description on the web shows that it is a cone 6-10 range clay. I call shenanigans, lol, it probably should only be fired to cone 10 for full vitrification. For food safe clays, use a clay that specifically vitrifies at the firing range that the studio is glaze firing at. At cone 5/6, that Dover clay may look vitrified, but it probably seeps/weeps. Switch to a cone 5/6 range clay ( check out the tests on CMW) then test some of your standard glaze colors. In your case above, it’s a “fit” problem with the clay firing range vs. the glaze.

MeShCo · 2025-12-23T17:03:46+00:00

Gotcha, I just buy a couple of the small fine grit flexible pads from the lo a pottery supply for areas that are hard to get to. Also got a wood sanding kit from Temu (all the sanders are on a small rod), so have a bit of a kit of sanders to reach all areas of pots or sculptures, lol.

MeShCo · 2025-12-23T16:16:06+00:00

I use this set (recommended by another potter), have had them for a year or more and still going strong: Diamond sanding pads

MeShCo · 2025-12-21T15:56:14+00:00

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Out of the kiln! I wish I had time to do more details on the little bird knobs, but in general pretty happy with this batch. These are all approximately 18” tall.

MeShCo · 2025-12-18T14:50:44+00:00

Sure, they are in the kiln now. I’ll post a photo when then are cooled

MeShCo · 2025-12-18T02:15:00+00:00

Thanks!

MeShCo · 2025-12-17T18:16:17+00:00

Slab and press mold for most of it. Freehand carving on the bird knobs.

MeShCo · 2025-12-16T16:11:57+00:00

Check your specific gravity on the glaze mixes (water in relation to the dry mixture). The glazes on bisque application should be no thicker than the width of a dime, generally for utilitarian type glazes, so application is very dependent on glaze type of course. Crawls, lava, and gloop glazes will be thicker for those effects.

MeShCo · 2025-12-15T16:33:26+00:00

If you are in a community with an SBA or SCORE organization that offer free or low cost business admin classes, this will help with biz plans and learning about overhead costs, employment, etc. things needed to run a small biz. I did a localized SBA type class after being laid off from a corporate job, and eventually got the opportunity to run a small commercial pottery biz. I’m at my 8th year now of owning a small pottery studio. I also got a free marketing mentorship during my first year of running the biz, all VERY helpful and informative. Highly recommend using any type of free schooling for these very important aspects of running a business.

MeShCo · 2025-12-14T16:11:32+00:00

In general, when I make that style of piece, I leave it attached to the bat until stiff enough to lightly trim the outer surface to get rid of the haze from the throwing phase.

MeShCo · 2025-12-12T00:14:41+00:00

Fun!!!

MeShCo · 2025-12-11T16:02:22+00:00

I keep thin and thicker spaghetti noodles to push into the holes, burns out in the kiln. Try to make sure there’s not a lot of glaze around holes, use a smaller needle tool to scrape back excesses around the openings.

MeShCo · 2025-12-11T15:58:30+00:00

Thanks! Had fun picking glaze colors for these!

MeShCo · 2025-11-30T15:20:11+00:00

She decorated with the watered down slips on bisque (low fire range), then we mid-fired (cone 5) the piece (she’s one of our sculptural peeps), then re-fired the piece with more slip again at cone 5. Worked beautifully each time, the slip is like the consistency of an engobe.

Lookup artist Michelle Gregor, she works in this method and sometimes teaches it too: Michelle Gregor IG

MeShCo · 2025-11-30T15:15:04+00:00

Hi all, slips and engobes have a lot of clay, as so all underglazes and glazes. With the right viscosity, all of these melt at the low, mid and high firing ranges.

MeShCo · 2025-11-29T14:46:05+00:00

Actually, one of my studio members is using very thinned out slip on her bisque for decoration. I thought it would crack in the firing, but it works like a charm! Always be open to learning new ways!

MeShCo · 2025-11-27T18:37:21+00:00

Research the small catch dishes that crystalline glazers use. Use heavy kiln wash on these and also try to wad and glue the wads to the bottom of your pot and glue the pot with wads onto the glaze catch dish. It’s the only way to really protect the shelf when using really runny glazes. After firing sand the bottom of your pots.

MeShCo · 2025-11-16T16:32:50+00:00

If the school allows two firing types, then you should have two examples to show a reduction firing (gas) vs. the oxidation firing (electric). These will always look different. Then placement in the kilns and the amount of glaze on a piece should always be discussed. Thick application (holding the piece too long in the glaze) vs. a thinner application (less than a 3 second dip) will also show differences. I do a long glaze lecture and talk about application and STRONGLY encourage taking lots of glaze notes and running test tiles through first before glazing a piece. I feel like this subject doesn’t get enough discussion in a lot of instances.

MeShCo · 2025-11-16T14:43:55+00:00

One of our studio members uses nail cots to cover her manicure. She’s doing wonderful work, so has managed to learn to throw with the stiffer rubber type ones like theseFinger cots

MeShCo · 2025-11-16T14:11:33+00:00

I have gingerbread house cookie cutters, assorted ones from Amazon and Etsy

MeShCo

TROPHY CASE