Pottery for beginners can be very exciting. It can also feel a bit overwhelming. It can seem like there is a lot to learn. And like most hobbies, the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. But pottery is really just about making things out of mud! All you really need to…
When you are firing pottery in a kiln, you need to control the temperature that the kiln reaches. You also need to control how long it takes for the kiln to reach that temperature. So, what is a kiln sitter? There are three main types of kiln controller. They are the fully manual controller, the…
When I first started firing my own pottery, I was very cautious about how I loaded the kiln. I’d heard that greenware pottery could touch when it was being fired, but I didn’t quite trust this was true. After a while, I wanted to know if I could bisque fire more pottery in one load. …
When I bought my kiln, I was so excited to use it, I didn’t think too much about kiln maintenance. But kilns are like cars, they have parts that wear out and need replacing. And the more you use them the more quickly they will need replacing. Also, like a car, if you look after…
Buying your first kiln is exciting, but it can also be confusing. A lot of times when you look at listings for used kilns, the information in the advert can be patchy. However, even buying a used kiln can be a big investment. So, it’s good to have an idea of what to look for. …
If you are starting your pottery journey, you may be wondering just how to glaze pottery at home. Is it possible? What are your options? You will be pleased to know that it is completely possible to glaze pottery at home. This article is all about the different ways to glaze pottery both with and…
When I first started glazing my own pottery, I wondered how long should glaze dry before firing? I was well aware that greenware can explode in the kiln if it is fired when damp. But what about glazed bisque ware? Glaze contains water, so does that water need to be given time to evaporate before…
Raku pottery can look lovely. However, it is porous and fragile. The question of whether raku is waterproof has been debated for a long time. There has been much debate around whether can raku be food-safe. This article looks at these issues and considers whether there are effective ways to seal raku pottery. There are…
Copper matte raku, also known as copper fuming raku is a low fire technique that can produce iridescent multi-colored pottery. It involves the application of a simple copper oxide wash to bisque pots. These are then raku fired and put into a post-firing reduction atmosphere to create a vivid array of rainbow colors. There are…
Finding that your pottery clay has gone moldy is very common. Clay needs to be kept moist to stay workable and it contains organic matter. These are perfect conditions for the growth of mold. So, what can you do if you open up your bag of clay and it’s growing green and black mold? Here…
With time pottery glaze can dry out. The water content will evaporate and the glaze can either become too thick to apply. Or it can even become a bit hard and crusty, like old paint. The question is, can you add water to glaze to make it thinner? After all, glaze, particularly commercially made glaze,…
My electric kiln has a digital kiln controller. When I bought it, I thought, ‘great I don’t need to bother using cones’. But I bought it from an experienced potter. And he advised me that it’s always good to use pyrometric cones with an electric kiln controller. These are some of the reasons he gave…