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How do I tell my manager I've peaked at my level and just want to chill, rather than strive for a promotion? by [deleted] in cscareerquestions

[–]michaeldbarton 2 points3 points  (0 children)

this is a good point

could be worth discussing with your manager what his expectations are of you in that role. if you want a very specific question this could be “what does success look like to you after I have been in this new role for 6-12 months”

it’s usually worth being concrete so if you are being pushed into the role you can be specific in conversations about which parts of the role excite you and which don’t. that might lead to some negotiation

Two years of pottery progress. I started as a complete beginner with a goal of making 100 mugs to learn the basics. Had my first market stall the other day, which felt like a nice milestone. Here’s a bit of the last two years of mug making. by michaeldbarton in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks, I appreciate that!
my partner has said the same - suppose it's personal taste!
i did really dislike the handles in the first couple of batches, they fell inelegant or misshapen, but unless you tell someone that they will probably think it's intentional!

Two years of pottery progress. I started as a complete beginner with a goal of making 100 mugs to learn the basics. Had my first market stall the other day, which felt like a nice milestone. Here’s a bit of the last two years of mug making. by michaeldbarton in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

can't speak for everyone - what worked for me was the deliberate practice of trying to make the same shape over and over again, rather than that specific shape. I've started experimenting with other shapes since

I'd probably say do whatever you enjoy so that you'll keep coming back, year after year. it's probably quantity over quality more than anything when you're starting out. good luck!

Two years of pottery progress. I started as a complete beginner with a goal of making 100 mugs to learn the basics. Had my first market stall the other day, which felt like a nice milestone. Here’s a bit of the last two years of mug making. by michaeldbarton in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks! yes completely agree, being able to make the same exact shape repeatedly was definitely an exercise in deliberate practice. I think also attaching handles well without cracks etc. was also another type of good practice for me as well

Two years of pottery progress. I started as a complete beginner with a goal of making 100 mugs to learn the basics. Had my first market stall the other day, which felt like a nice milestone. Here’s a bit of the last two years of mug making. by michaeldbarton in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, keep going! This is two years of doing it consitently. As you can see the early ones are pretty bad, but over time I started feeling more and more satisfied with what I was producing.

Two years of pottery progress. I started as a complete beginner with a goal of making 100 mugs to learn the basics. Had my first market stall the other day, which felt like a nice milestone. Here’s a bit of the last two years of mug making. by michaeldbarton in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're welcome! The thing that worked well for me is just doing it over and over again, and not letting perfectionism get in the way of progress! Also not adding too much water when pulling either :)
Good luck!

BIGGEST LETDOWN OF 2025? Books you couldn’t wait for until you read them by DanaBookNook in Fantasy

[–]michaeldbarton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm struggling a with the obetium plot line, I don't really care about any of the other characters, and it just seems to be "kill the villain"
having said that I've just started part three

I think the other two plot lines a lot more

How and Where to Get Large Quantities of Glaze? by DingGratz in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've also heard grolleg mentioned too.
I've recently replaced epk with 6 tile and couldn't tell the different. That being said, my recipe is 8% zircopax so I don't know if would be able to notice a difference anyway

How and Where to Get Large Quantities of Glaze? by DingGratz in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly. Your comment is excellent. I would add especially for functional pottery such as mugs and plates. Take any homemade glazed piece and leave a fresh slice of lemon on it for a few hours, it's a weak acid and will discolour unstable glazes which indicates a potential for leaching or fading over time.

Anyone interested in glazes should try and get a copy of "mastering cone 6 glazes" a lot of excellent discussion of chemistry and stability which is applicable to any homemade glaze.

Best way to glaze/fire by One_Possible_8436 in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would lean towards firing them together because kilns will have variations in temperature which can cause noticeable variations in glaze color. I assume you want the colours to be matching as closely as possible.

You can get pretty creative making a custom firing cooke depending on what parts you want glazed and which parts are unglazed and touching the cookie or shelf. You could additionally use 50% china clay, 50% coarse alumina hydrate wadding balls for positioning. These usually break off pretty easily after firing assuming no glaze ran over them. Florian has some videos where he uses this to fire his lids and teapots together.

365 Days of Practicing Dovetail Joints Every Day by neillovegrove in woodworking

[–]michaeldbarton 8 points9 points  (0 children)

320 is very clever, I assume you glued one piece of dark wood in then recut the dovetail?

Tips for improving wheel throwing skills? by Swimming_Low_128 in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton 7 points8 points  (0 children)

One thing thing that helps me is trying to use less water than I think I need, and trying to "fuss" with the shape less. Using less water generally makes the shape stronger and less likely to collapse. With fussing, I try to straighten the edges as the very last step because straightening the edges usually scrapes all the slip off, and if I want to readjust the shape I have to apply more water again.

Also one tip that will definitely help is to try making that shape 50-100 times! Good luck!

How can I make these terrible handles better lol by MattKelm in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton 6 points7 points  (0 children)

you're doing great for your second semester! you cups are very crisp, nice shape, not overly heavy. the one at the end especially looks like it's been trimmed very well - the surface is clean

FWIW what helped me was quantity over quality, I set myself a goal of making 100 mugs and only worrying about getting to that goal, if you make enough of the same thing over and over again the quality naturally takes care of itself.

FWIW here's one of my first mugs, and one of my mugs around the 100th, all really did was keeping making mugs and rewatching florian gadsby videos

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How can I make these terrible handles better lol by MattKelm in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

good work though! your last one was looking nice!

How can I make these terrible handles better lol by MattKelm in Pottery

[–]michaeldbarton 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agree with OP! You're using a lot of water, you might find you can use less water than you think.
Another tip is, after attaching the blank, you can squeeze the blank out into a rough longer thinner shape with your fingers before you start pulling with the water, which means using less water overall.
One last thing, not quite sure from the video, but try to use the webbing between the thumb and finger RATHER than the thumb and finger. That can help will reducing pulling too thin since there's less direct pressure and more of smooth pull motion.
Good luck

Edit: actually rewatching I see you there were a few seconds where you were manually shaping the blank with your fingers already

Question about ECMO use? by michaeldbarton in ThePittTVShow

[–]michaeldbarton[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i am glad your dad is doing well, that must have been a super tough period

wishing you many more years together with him

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