Lesley
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Soft Slab Ceramics – A Guide to Working with Flexible Slabs
If you are new to making slab pottery, you may have heard the term ‘soft slab ceramics’ and wondered what it is. Soft slab ceramics involves constructing pottery out of slabs of clay that are still moist and pliable. Sometimes soft slabs are used straight after they have been freshly rolled. Other times they are…
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What is a Slab in Ceramics? – The Humble Clay Slab
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably heard the term ‘clay slab’ being used and wondered exactly what it meant. So, what is a slab in ceramics? A clay slab is a portion of clay that has been flattened into a sheet. Clay slabs are most often made by using a rolling pin or a…
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How to Make a Clay Slab – 4 Easy Ways to Roll Clay Evenly
One of the best ways to make slab pottery look well-crafted is to start off using a nice evenly rolled slab of clay. There are a number of ways to make a clay slab. In this article, I will look at 4 of the easiest techniques, and go into exactly how to roll clay evenly. …
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How Much Does a Kiln Cost? – Buyers Guide
If you want to start firing your own work, one of your first questions will be how much does a kiln cost? Buying a kiln is a bit like buying a car as there is a big price range depending on the size and power of the kiln. Kilns range in price from small tabletop…
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Is Polish Pottery Oven Safe? – Can it Take the Heat?
Ovens are now part and parcel of every household’s kitchen for faster preparation of various dishes. The biggest concern when using an oven is pondering if your ceramics are oven safe. Polish pottery is no exception to this. And if you own some pieces, you have probably wondered if Polish pottery is oven safe. Polish…
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Slab Built Mugs – 4 Ways to Make Fab Slab Mugs
Slab built mugs can be lovely to look at and a pleasure to use. And yet, making a well-crafted slab mug is a simple process. The basic technique for making slab mugs is the simple cylinder mug. Once you know how to make a cylinder mug, you can build on this and make a whole…
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How to Make Slab Pottery Mug Templates – 6 Great Designs
Whilst you can freestyle it when making slab pottery, it often works out best when you use a template. And mugs are no exception to this. So, I’ve put together this guide which covers some of the best and easiest ways to make slab pottery mug templates. I will be covering how to make templates…
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What is UNIKAT Polish Pottery? And What Makes it Special?
Polish pottery is famous for being hand-made and hand-painted by skilled artisans. It is rare to find one piece that is exactly the same as the other, as each piece is a product of an individual artist. You may have heard of UNIKAT Polish pottery and wondered what it is. Here’s what you need to…
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What do Boleslawiec Pottery Marks Look Like?
Boleslawiec pottery marks are primarily used to identify the quality, company, and country of origin. They are usually located under the ceramics base providing a reliable means to tell authentic antique pieces. However, some marks are forgeries and you can’t easily distinguish them. This is because a good amount of time and effort is spent…
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How to Identify Polish Pottery – 3 Key Features
Also known as Boleslawiec pottery, Polish pottery is among the finest and most valuable types of pottery. It originates from a Polish village called Boleslawiec, hence the name. If you are an aspiring pottery enthusiast or collector, you probably want to know how to identify polish pottery. Luckily for you, it is quite easy to…
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Best Surface for Rolling Clay – 8 Ways to Stop Clay Sticking
Rolling a nice, even slab is essential for slab building pottery. However, a common problem when learning to roll slabs of clay is to find that they stick to your work surface. This problem can usually be solved by rolling on the right kind of surface. But what is the best surface for rolling clay? …
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Saggar Firing – How to Make Simple Aluminum Saggars
Saggar Firing In the past, the term ‘saggar’ referred to a container that pottery was fired in. These containers were made of heat-resistant, refractory material. They were designed to protect the pots from the fumes, flames, and debris in the atmosphere of the kiln. Today saggars are often used for the opposite purpose. These days…