Even if you use a kiln with an electric controller, it’s a good idea to use pyrometric cones when firing. But there are different types of cones and these are used differently. If you’ve just started firing your ware, you have probably wondered how to use pyrometric cones. This article is all about how to…
Making pottery pre-dates the invention of the pottery wheel by many thousands of years. One of the most extensively used methods for making early pottery was the coiling technique. Early historical coil pots have been found across the globe. Many of the techniques currently used to make coil pots date back to pre-historical times. This…
Coil pottery is a diverse technique that has been adapted to suit the styles of a wide range of ceramic artists. This article takes a look at some famous coil pottery artists and their own individual way of hand-building pottery. You will see that the methods used and the ceramics produced vary widely between each…
I sometimes find myself in a position where I don’t have the exact color glaze that I want. Recently I wondered if I could mix different types of glaze together and what would happen. So, I looked into the question of combining glazes and this is what I have found…. You can mix different types…
Kilns are insulated chambers that use fuel or electricity to reach high temperatures. When something is heated in a kiln it is described as being ‘fired’. There are different types of kiln to fire different materials. For example, there are kilns designed specifically for ceramics, glass, metal, brick, metal clay, and enamels. This article is…
When making smooth coil pots, the coiling method is used to construct the pot. However, the coils themselves are smoothed away, rather than left as part of the decorative design of the pot. You can make smooth coil pots either with a template or without. This article will give you a step-by-step guide for each…
Burnishing clay is a technique that gives pottery a smooth soft sheen without using a ceramic glaze. It involves rubbing the clay with a hard object, like a smooth pebble or the back of a spoon. The rubbing action compresses down the surface particles of clay, aligning the clay platelets. This creates a reflective surface.…
Glazing greenware used to be the norm. However, more often, these days, pottery is fired twice. It is bisque fired first to make it ceramic. Then it is glaze fired for decorative reasons and to make it usable as dinnerware or as a water-containing vessel. However, not everyone bisque fires their pottery. Some potters do…
The world of clay is full of terms that might sound a bit odd when you first encounter them. If you are new to ceramics, you might have found yourself wondering ‘what is fired clay called?’ Here is an overview of three main terms that are used to refer to clay that has been fired. …
If you are reading this article, you probably want to know how to smooth the surface of your pottery. So, you may be surprised to hear that sanding pottery is actually a source of disagreement amongst some potters. The reason for this is that when you sand pottery, you inevitably create clay dust, which contains…
This article is a step-by-step guide on how to make easy coil pots. The basic coil pottery technique is versatile. Once you have got the hang of coiling you use these skills to make all sorts of hand-built pottery. However simple coil pots can in themselves look great, especially if they are well made. So,…
Some kilns need to be wired directly into an electrical supply. Other kilns can be plugged in using a standard domestic plug. If you are using the latter, you may be wondering if you can use an extension cord with a kiln. This article is about the do’s and don’ts of using an extension cord…