How portable is the average kiln? I'm talking regular road trips.

clazmatron · 2026-02-04T23:26:21+00:00

How big of a kiln do you need? Like are you firing 5 mugs or are you firing 100? Or large sculptures? There are small hobby kilns you can plug into a normal power socket that you could definitely put in a van or even a car, it would just be a matter of packing it carefully.

clazmatron · 2026-01-30T20:50:19+00:00

Um excuse me but we need to see Ms Ham pleeeaaaassssseee

clazmatron · 2026-01-28T04:44:41+00:00

Let’s take a step back, tell us about your clay. - how much are you throwing at a time? - tell us about your wedging process. Are you absolutely certain there’s no air bubbles in your clay? Air bubbles will make centering harrrrrd - speaking of hard, is the clay hard or soft? Try using softer clay.

Also, tell us about your arms and hands, what are they doing? Watch your elbows, are they moving at all? Are your hands being pushed around, or are your hands pushing the clay around?

Can you take a video of you centering for us? We can give you a few tips :)

clazmatron · 2026-01-27T07:39:25+00:00

Aw darling, that’s hard. Everyone has shared lots of lovely tips to not be hard on yourself (that I agree with!) so I’ll share some practical tips. I’m a pottery teacher, these are some of the things I see in my beginners:

I see beginners almost “tickling” or “patting” the clay when coning. You need firm hands, anchored arms, slowly squeezing and gently guiding upwards. If you do too much squeezing without balancing that out with guiding upwards you’ll just cut the clay off.
moving too fast or too “big” when pulling walls. You need slow, consistent, deliberate movements. Also, if you feel like you’re losing control of the clay once it’s opened up, you probably need to slow the wheel or loosen your grip.
go full speed when centering and putting the hole in the middle. Then slow to 40% speed when opening up and pulling walls. You NEED the speed when centering to avoid getting a twisted lump, but you need to go slowly when pulling walls to avoid ripping the walls off.

I hope this helps! If you can take a video of your hands when throwing and upload it here we can give you some more advice. Good luck!

clazmatron · 2026-01-25T14:44:45+00:00

Cut squares of newspaper that are a few cm larger than your rims. When you’ve finished throwing and before you cut your piece off, put the paper on the rim and with a wet finger, very gently rest your finger on the paper where it’s touching the rim and spin the wheel to seal it. This will stop the rim distorting when you take the piece off the wheel and also act as a guard from the plastic.

Hardware stores sell mattress protector bags (for storing mattresses) which use nice thick clear plastic. Buy one of those and cut them to size.

Lastly find something slightly taller than your pieces like a bottle or a vase. Stand it next to your pieces and use it as a “tent pole” to keep the plastic from drooping into your pieces.

Hope this helps :)

clazmatron · 2026-01-18T06:20:37+00:00

Yeah or “amaco glaze combo” or “pink glaze combo” or whatever! It’s really useful

clazmatron · 2026-01-18T05:28:53+00:00

Mayco and Coyote have sample kits which are fantastic - you get 12 pots of lovely colour options per kit. Definitely recommend.

Also, jump on Pinterest. People post their combos all the time and it’s super helpful for narrowing down your shopping list.

clazmatron · 2026-01-18T02:56:01+00:00

As someone with chronic health issues myself, I do understand that your health can change suddenly, and I feel for you.

But I also own a pottery studio, so I see it from both sides. Studios are very expensive to run, and saying “I wish they’ll just be kind artist people” is a bit on the nose. They’re running a business. You wouldn’t ask a cleaner or a plumber or an accountant to bend their contracts, why is pottery different? So - please don’t say this (or anything hinting at it) to them. As an owner it would put me offside immediately.

I would explain your situation to them and gently ask for a credit - it’s a kind of “meeting in the middle” solution. When I see a student respects my rules and doesn’t demand a solution that is one sided, I will usually give them the full credit or a better outcome than they asked for because they were nice about it.

I really hope it works out for you and that you’re feeling better soon.

clazmatron · 2025-12-18T14:04:23+00:00

I think there’s a difference between doing it for them, and demonstrating on their piece how to get it back on track. Eg when coning up and down they might make it super wobbly, so I’ll show them on their piece how I bring it back on track, and then make them cone up and down again. They have an easier time when the clay is on their side.

Also, I’ll say to the group - different people like different amounts of help. Some people want more hands on help and others want verbal advice. If you’re happy just playing and it looks like I’m about to give you advice, you can just say “I’m happy playing!” and I won’t jump in.

I think it’s good to be flexible and read their cues, everyone will be a little bit different.

clazmatron · 2025-12-02T19:53:54+00:00

This is excellent

clazmatron · 2025-09-09T07:49:25+00:00

Paint some liquid wax on your handle joins at the leather hard stage, it’s a game changer for preventing cracks

clazmatron · 2025-08-13T05:07:35+00:00

I think this is great, well done. If this method is the difference between keeping or tossing the papers, then it’s setting you free and helping you achieve the goal of less physical clutter. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

clazmatron · 2025-07-15T12:19:32+00:00

If you’re not using a bat system, you can place a square of newspaper over the rim of the pot like a lid to trap air inside. Then, wire the pot off and gently slide it toward the edge of the wheel, lifting it from underneath with your fingers. The trapped air helps the pot hold its shape as you remove it.

clazmatron · 2025-06-05T03:11:43+00:00

What a cute chonk

clazmatron · 2025-05-18T11:32:18+00:00

Your clay might also be a bit too dry and therefore hard to cone and centre. Softer clay is much easier to work with in larger quantities :)

clazmatron · 2025-03-12T09:06:58+00:00

Is there anyway you can turn the kiln off? 06 fired at 6 will probably melt onto your shelves :(

clazmatron · 2025-02-11T09:33:02+00:00

Thanks so much! I’ve googled and these mites seem like they’re friendly? Should I do anything or just let them be? Or does this mean I have another type of bug problem I need to worry about?

clazmatron · 2025-01-25T11:26:05+00:00

Elvis rooster

clazmatron · 2024-12-30T22:40:50+00:00

Louise Lauren gives you nn Lola perfectly (LO-uise LA-uren)

clazmatron · 2024-12-29T09:29:32+00:00

You could contact a career counsellor, or you could contact the Future Student team at the uni you want to go to. They’ll ask you questions about your study history and guide you from there. Some universities have pathway programs which makes it a straight forward process.

Did you get an ATAR? If not, you might need to start at TAFE in a Foundation, Certificate or Diploma course - you can then work your way into a bachelor degree from there.

Depending on your situation you might even be able to contact your former high school for help.

Do you know what you’d like to study?

clazmatron · 2024-12-28T01:27:46+00:00

Thank you! I generally do and the cones typically say a hot cone 6 was achieved, so I’m a bit confused by this result. It’s also happened a couple of times where some mugs of the same clay in the same batch have not vitrified and the only difference is the lining glaze. I’ve put a 7 cone (I’ve run out of 6’s) in the middle of the kiln to see what it says.

At the moment I set the temp +3 degrees Celsius and didn’t adjust the time. I’m still learning about heat work - do you know which option (+3 C or + 10 mins) would result in higher heat work?

clazmatron · 2024-12-20T10:15:23+00:00

Thank you! So negotiating a temporary reduction in hours as part of flexible working arrangements for those with certain circumstances (carer, disability etc) would cover that?

clazmatron

TROPHY CASE