Using clay that’s in good condition makes pottery making a lot easier. To keep it in good shape it’s important to know how to store pottery clay. Here are some essential tips on storing clay, so it’s in tip-top condition. You can store pottery clay either in a dry state or a moist state. If…
If you have bought some pottery clay you may be wondering whether it will go bad and if it has an expiration date. Well, the answer to that question is good news. No, pottery clay does not go bad, in fact if you store it well, it can last indefinitely. Clay can harden, or go…
Buying clay from a pottery supplier is easy, but learning to make clay from dirt is incredibly satisfying. If you have ever been curious about how to find and process your own wild clay, this article is for you. How to Make Clay from Dirt For ages, I thought that you could only harvest natural…
Clay is a natural resource that is mined from the earth and processed. Once processed it can be made into useful objects and beautiful things. Clay goes on an amazing journey from being dirt in the ground to pottery on your table. Here are the 8 incredible stages of clay… Raw clay is mined from…
Stoneware is a very durable ceramic material and lots of kitchenware and dinnerware are made out of it. It’s great for prepping and serving food. But if you like to bake or roast, you may well be wondering if stoneware is oven safe too. Most stoneware dishes are oven safe. In fact, stoneware is often…
Before you heat something in the microwave, it’s always a good idea to check if the dish is microwave safe. But what about stoneware? Stoneware is one of the most commonly used ceramic materials for kitchen and dinnerware. But is stoneware microwave safe? The short answer is ‘yes’, commercially made stoneware that has a ‘microwave…
If you are starting out making pottery, or if you want to buy some ceramic dinnerware, you have probably heard the term ‘stoneware’. But what is stoneware and what are the advantages of using it? As a potter, I use stoneware clay every day, so I thought I’d write a helpful guide covering its best…
It seems to me that everything tastes better when you eat or drink from handmade ceramics. But how do you look after it and is pottery dishwasher safe? In this guide, I’ll be looking at some of the dos and don’ts of washing your pottery. But first, to quickly answer the main question about dishwasher…
If you want to make pottery that you can eat off or drink from, you need to use food safe clay. The problem is that it can be confusing because there are a lot of different types and brands of clay available to purchase. This article looks at what types of clay are food safe…
Silica dust is a real concern for lots of potters. But just how long does silica dust stay in the air, and how concerned should you be?
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…
If you work in a cold pottery studio or workshop you may have encountered the problem of frozen clay and glaze. When exposed to frigid temperatures, such as the winter climate, clay and glazes tend to freeze. This is because they have moisture as a component. Moisture, which is basically water, expands to form crystals…