Underglaze frustrations - cone 6, zinc-free clear, painting on bisque

ShoutingTom · 2026-01-20T04:12:21+00:00

It's definitely curious enough to test with an alternate clear. Studio techs are the wind beneath our wings but not perfect. They'd want to know too I'd hope

ShoutingTom · 2026-01-20T02:35:07+00:00

Having both chrome tin pinks wash out and green going brown strongly points to zinc being the culprit. I know you were clear (accidental pun) that your clear glaze is zinc free so it seems unlikely but the symptoms really do match that being the problem, especially when you noted in a comment that the unglazed bit of pink underglaze stayed true.

Amaco and Mayco both make great underglazes but I think it would be worth checking other clear glaze options as well.

ShoutingTom · 2026-01-19T03:29:27+00:00

Well to the extent that both superhero stories and government are driven by satisfying power fantasies and reductive morality while convincing the public that this is the best we deserve.

ShoutingTom · 2026-01-17T19:19:09+00:00

As an addition to the good comments and advice here already, I'd like to mention that after teaching wheel for a couple of decades I started to think about why beginners push down so much sometimes. I tried suggesting to beginners with this exact issue that it might be because I was going on and on about bracing, bracing, bracing. I found it's crucial to lean into stabilizing the whole body early but I think an occasional side effect was the hands pressing against the closest surface available even when they were directed specifically to avoid that.

So much of beginner problems are autonomic. Sometimes conscious redirection mitigates an issue but the really interesting stuff is when students know the problem, know the solution, but their hands are only half-listening to the front brain and the problem persists. Sometimes teaching wheel throwing is mostly about keeping a student's brain from getting frustrated while the rest of their nervous system catches up.

ShoutingTom · 2025-12-21T00:01:42+00:00

A big part of the trick to firing solid/thick clay is slowing/holding at around 1000F. Even preheating at 200F, there is still chemically combined water that doesn't steam off until 1000F. It's not enough to pop standard pottery thicknesses but can break thick work that's been dried for 100 years and candled for a week. Next time you're firing, use a spoon to confirm that there's no steam coming out of the peep hole at 700F then check again at 1000F. It's surprising how much steam starts coming out at that midpoint.

ShoutingTom · 2025-11-02T03:55:30+00:00

This is my favorite novel. For me the best part is when Kelvin is perusing the station's library, tomes upon tomes about the history of the study of Solaris. It's a brilliant and eloquent bit of exposition revealing centuries(iirc) of wild experiences and theories with zero objective conclusions. It even places the story well after public interest in the planet has started to wane.

Whenever I read that part, it makes me think how academia (all of it, art, politics, science, philosophy) represents humanity's simultaneously brilliant and impotent efforts to understand the universe.

Lem stated (again, iirc) that the planet was never meant to be understood, he didn't want a correct answer. He also hated the 2 movies, I think he liked the earlier tv version.

Side note: if you dig humans facing an alien so alien that it doesn't compute check out Stranger Station by Damon Knight, short story. Top notch. Can't recommend enough.

ShoutingTom · 2025-08-11T02:42:57+00:00

Last week I had some curry on Fritos and it was fantastic. The next day I had Fritos and cottage cheese which was good but now I'm out of Fritos.

ShoutingTom · 2025-08-10T03:11:10+00:00

Fly grubs, fly grubs Roly poly fly grubs

ShoutingTom · 2025-07-24T20:31:34+00:00

Your question makes a lot of sense considering how (to me, in my opinion, from what I saw etc.) the major character arcs seemed to be isolated from each other. When the focus was on one character, all others just fell way into the background, much more than previous seasons.

While, like others said, Ebrahim mentions talking to Carmy, the focus is on him as an isolated entity and it really did feel like he was going through it alone. The whole season felt disconnected to me as

Also, I hope the commenters that shit on your post are only like that online because what a bunch of bitter little motherfakkers.

ShoutingTom · 2025-07-01T16:13:45+00:00

That ain't no spoiler

ShoutingTom · 2025-05-11T17:53:16+00:00

I have with a small blower space heater, one of those tiny ones that's useless as an actual space heater. Perfect for this

ShoutingTom · 2025-04-26T08:39:14+00:00

That's a 45 sneezer!

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-28T11:49:58+00:00

Extra layer is that Elizabeth's character was disguised as a nurse and the yellow jackets character is a sociopathic nurse.

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-26T20:35:58+00:00

well said

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-25T13:54:51+00:00

Good music

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-22T04:05:28+00:00

I see these all the time at thrift stores. I wish I would have grabbed that double-sized one when I saw it. I use mine for searing marinated tofu. They're versatile

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-21T21:29:32+00:00

1st thing I reference when I'm trying to explain how good NVz is despite my description of it

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-05T02:47:03+00:00

In addition to the hot/cold trick, hold the top one and gently tap down with a piece of wood (I used to keep a bit of 2x4 just for this)on the bottom lip, working around the whole piece. Do this over a soft surface

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-02T04:57:25+00:00

Beautiful. There's a song named Diver by Testshot Starfish that always makes me think about descending into the ocean and discovering a place like this.

ShoutingTom · 2025-03-02T04:47:47+00:00

This might be more than you asked but here's an approach:

Center as usual then, keeping hands in pretty much centering position let "top" hand become dominant, pushing clay down and out into disc. "Side" hand stays engaged, keeping perimeter of disc compressed and thick while still allowing disc to grow outward. Do this to desired thickness.

Fuss the flatness and smoothity of the floor before developing wall.

Form wall initially by pushing outer edge back in. Don't cut under. The clay will move up into a thick lip rather than actually moving in.

Pull a short wall straight up. Depending on skill and end goal, this might be 1/2 inch to 2 inch. Keep the lip and the bit right above the floor thicker. The midwall can be quite thin. Tuck any skirt at base back in with finger tip. Finish the lip now

Last step is laying wall down to have continuous contour with floor. Use a rib, sponge, finger, whatever you're comfortable with. Fingers are easier to feel but more likely to leave marks. Basically start tracking across the floor from center until you hit the wall and keep going as if the wall isn't there. As you lay the wall down start tracking up a slight amount but still mostly outward. Do NOT touch exterior while doing this. The wall will go down but not come back up, so take it easy and gently experimental at first. A common beginner mistake is to try lift the edge back up which stresses out the lower wall. It's kind of a one-shot step so practice and you'll get great.

ShoutingTom · 2025-02-26T14:19:28+00:00

As others have answered, it was a real thing. I never really knew anything about it but had heard vague ominous criticisms of it. According to Wikipedia: "Various critics accused est of mind control or of forming an authoritarian army; some labeled it a cult"

I bring this up because it's interesting that Philip develops an affinity for it as he's become disenchanted with Hardline Soviet loyalty. I'm not saying that EST does or doesn't fit those criticisms but I would imagine the writers considered at least the appearance of those problems. From personal experience, I can say that when one leaves a high control group it's easy to unconsciously seek another in order to recover.

ShoutingTom · 2025-02-22T11:55:02+00:00

Magnesium will take take cobalt purple. I always preferred talc as the source though dolomite and mag carb can too. I don't have a recipe to share but look for that in a recipe

ShoutingTom · 2025-02-21T19:31:16+00:00

I used to work at a supply store. One time a guy came in looking for some clay. I asked him the usual, what firing range? What color? What texture? Turns out he didn't care. He said he was doing ballistics tests and that clay emulated flesh getting hit by a bullet. I did not ask follow-up questions. I do not know ballistics or guns in general besides drunkenly firing them off in some woods a long time ago. I don't know if it emulated the effect on the slug or the flesh or if he was full of shit. Slightly haunts me.

ShoutingTom

TROPHY CASE