/r/Pottery

Photograph via snooOG

🏵 Welcome to r/Pottery! 🏵 -------------------------Before posting please READ THE RULES!!!!-----------------We have a Wiki with Frequently Asked Questions - before you post a question that gets asked a lot, please check here first.---------------We have a Discord server come and chat with other clay enthusiasts! -----------------------Please enjoy this potter to potter sub for the creation of handmade kiln-fired clay! For other clay types, visit r/clay

This is a potter to potter Sub-Reddit. Anything and everything related to throwing, hand-building, sculpting, glazing, firing, and appreciating ceramic art.


Join our Discord!

[download discord or use the web app]


Rules

â—Ź No Promotion

This sub-reddit is for talking about, and sharing pottery. Not promoting businesses, blogs, pages, or social media.

We have a pinned "Self Promotion" post where you can post your info if desired. If you are wanting to sell your wares, try r/ArtisanGifts instead.

â—Ź Keep it civil

â—Ź Keep it relevant

â—Ź Absolutely No Spamming

â—Ź No pottery identification posts


Trying to appraise your piece of pottery? Please post at a more appropriate subreddit such as /r/whatsthisworth.


Try /r/clay for other types of clay like polymer & air-dry clays.


Useful Links:

â—Ź Pottery Wiki

â—Ź r/Clay

for non-ceramic clays like polymer clay & air-dry clay

â—Ź Glazy: Glaze Database

â—Ź American Ceramic Supply Co

â—Ź Highwater Clays

â—Ź Clay King

â—Ź Ceramic Arts Daily

â—Ź Continental Clay

â—Ź Clay Planet


If you don't see your submission right away, don't worry, it is probably just in queue waiting for a moderator review. (Especially for young accounts)

/r/Pottery

181,679 Subscribers

2

Skutt Thomas Stuart Elite..motor turns off for a moment when going from fast to slow

Skutt Wheel...motor turns off when going from fast to slow?

Is this normal? When going from high speed to low, the drive motor audibly turns off until the wheel slows down to the speed the pedal is set, then it turns back on.. End result is the speed changes downwards are not instantaneous. Takes a second or two for wheelhead to slow down and then the motor kicks back on to keep it going. Not a deal breaker but just wondering if anyone knows if this is normal..thanks. Ive got an elite skutt thomas stuart edition without upgrades.

1 Comment
2024/10/15
02:53 UTC

2

Are there any Black Friday deals for pottery wheels?

I’m looking to invest in a good pottery wheel - Shimpo or Pacifica or Brent. They’re obvious quite pricey so I’m wondering, have there ever been Black Friday deals on these? Hoping to save a bit if I can!

1 Comment
2024/10/15
02:24 UTC

7

Sunflower Bowl

Christmas gift for this year, i’m likely going to touch it up with a little more detail off and on as i see needed but i’m happy with how it turned out so far! Also made a chubby little bee to “pollinate” the flower.

0 Comments
2024/10/15
01:32 UTC

42

Have you ever demo’ed at a craft fair?

I’m signing up for a craft fair in November and they’ll have electricity available. I have a small portable pottery wheel and I’m kind of thinking it might be fun to demo throwing while my husband manages any sales. Has anyone here ever tried this? Is it a terrible idea? If it’s not, any tips?

4 Comments
2024/10/15
01:28 UTC

2

Postage Charges UK for Pottery bits and bobs.

Hi All, just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for places to buy items for pottery that don't charge much for postage? I don't mind paying ÂŁ5 a pop if its a big order, but for things like sponges and a couple of glazes I don't really want to double the costs. Does anyone know somewhere that doesn't charge as much, or should I just suck it up? Am not dissing the businesses charging this postage BTW, I know why and understand. I'm in Birmingham, UK - but haven't found any local places that sell any items for ceramics nearby. Thanks for any help!

4 Comments
2024/10/14
20:12 UTC

23

It’s growing on me…

What I took this out of the kiln I wasn’t sure, but it’s growing on me now I think! 🤔

3 Comments
2024/10/14
20:10 UTC

4

Pencil not fully burning off in firing.

Hello, it appears that some pieces are coming out of the kiln and the pencil marks are still visible and appear to be reacting with the glaze or under glaze in some way. Fired to 1000 degrees with 30 min hold. This has only happened a couple of times when customers have used pencil to sketch out ideas. Any idea why this may be happening?

6 Comments
2024/10/14
19:29 UTC

3

Help Needed, Tuning PID values for small kiln

So, I'm working on creating a Raspberry Pi kiln controller for a Paragon Q-11-p small kiln. The kiln has no switches, just plug it in and it goes full tilt until it triggers the internal safety around cone 6. 

I've been using https://github.com/jbruce12000/kiln-controller/blob/main/README.md to build the controller. I've gotten to the point where I can run it. I tested the thermocouple and it works (it throws a few random error readings at crazy numbers, but most readings are on point).

I ran a kiln-tuner program which is supposed to heat the kiln to 500F and provide PID values to adjust the main program. I ran this an it worked for about 15-20 seconds before it started throwing error codes because the temp was too high. I watched as the temp quickly rose to 175F in a matter of seconds. The program never cycled off the SSR so I had to resort to unplugging the kiln and rebooting the Raspberry Pi.

I then tried to run the kiln program, however, it says the idle temp is 0.0F. And when I run a quick test it turns on the kiln for 1-2 seconds, reads a temp of 100F, and then ends the program as complete. 

Does anyone know where I am going wrong? Are the default PID settings just too aggressive for such a small kiln that heats so fast? I've tried replacing the thermocouple and have had the same results.

3 Comments
2024/10/14
19:22 UTC

214

For my 3rd lesson, i made a love potion bottle 💖 Can’t wait to glaze & fire it!

8 Comments
2024/10/14
19:17 UTC

71

Cone 10 reduction loading….

Just need a few more pieces to fill, so I can fire Wednesday!!

2 Comments
2024/10/14
18:52 UTC

5

Tried to make the “Maxwell” meme cat.

few months ago i started a pottery class and decided for my “figure” project to make the maxwell cat meme for it. posted a picture to a cat based subreddit and forgot there’s an entire subreddit dedicated to you guys, so i figured i’d share it here too. hope you like it. (took way longer than it should have tbh, but that’s my fault)

1 Comment
2024/10/14
17:52 UTC

6

Why? Can I fix it?

3 Comments
2024/10/14
15:20 UTC

1

Help with a special first pot I made with my daughter

On my recent trip to Turkey. I made a pot on a wheel along with my 2 year old daughter. We had never done this before and it is super special to me. I have no experience with pottery and would love to keep it forever.

The people at the ceramics museum asked my to let it dry for 2 days (consistent with what I read on this sub's wiki). Now I am back in the US but I don't know how or if I have to bake it in a kiln to ensure it is 'complete'. I looked up on google, but couldn't find the right response (may be I didn't know how to frame my search query right).

Could any of you fine people help and guide me what the next steps should be?

4 Comments
2024/10/14
17:47 UTC

5

Does anyone know what these are?

These crystals form on the sides of my plaster board and I have no idea what they are or why they form. They’re really easy to just brush off but I’m just confused as to what they are

16 Comments
2024/10/14
17:26 UTC

2

Anyone else ever encounter issues with Mayco Green Tea glaze?

Fired a bunch of mugs and used Mayco's Green Tea stoneware glaze on a number of them. They look great and the pieces don't not have any visual indications that there would be issues but I'm finding that this glaze seems to be possibly crazing in varying degrees when I test my pieces to make sure they're not going to leak. I have other mugs that have different glazes on the same clay bodies and from the same firings that are just fine so the kiln tech and I don't think it's a firing issue. And after testing all of my mugs, it seems to be isolated to this glaze. Has anyone else encountered this? They also only seem to be leaking from the bottom of the mug and not a ton. Just enough that bottom is quite damp after holding water for several hours.

I posted a photo to show the only indication I've gotten that crazing might be the issue. Saw these in this area of one mug. They disappear if I wipe away whatever is seeping out.

https://preview.redd.it/50j6lp31zqud1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1b923b9a9c83e1064d53c5cb02a6fefc5e860e6

5 Comments
2024/10/14
16:17 UTC

2

Looking for a slightly warm white clay body

https://preview.redd.it/1ltdtwf0wqud1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=7bf989037e9fdceca55e13b8a20aebe2d4c7fe2b

Any suggestions for something like this? Looking to use it on the wheel. Not porcelain please.

2 Comments
2024/10/14
16:03 UTC

25

Let there be water!

After almost two years with no running water in my studio- let there be water! Really excited about this new addition. The three bucket system has worked well for me in the meantime but now the game has changed. Just a PSA for any other fellow potters without running water in your space.

6 Comments
2024/10/14
15:44 UTC

192

Fresh white slip on red clay might be my favorite moment

Stepped away from making pots for a few years and whoa did I miss it.

2 Comments
2024/10/14
15:09 UTC

2

Bat recommendation

I know each material has its pros and cons but I’d love to purchase a bat that is versatile.

I can usually only make it to the studio once a week so I wrap everything in plastic tightly and hope it’s ready when I come back the following week. I might have sometime to drop by and spray smaller pieces if needed.

I used masonites bats to make a dinner plate set and now that are warped and difficult to use. I’d like bats that are versatile and last longer than masonite.

Thanks!

5 Comments
2024/10/14
14:27 UTC

16

Question: Glazing a flat wall-hanging fish

Hello all! I typically wheel throw, but recently Ive dipped into some hand building. I made a wall-hanging fish and I had a question on glazing:

Is it okay to fire him flat with wax on the backside or should I use multiple beds of nails? Some kind of bisque platter? I’m worried about glaze running off the fish onto the kiln shelf. Your advice is appreciated! R

2 Comments
2024/10/14
13:32 UTC

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