W3rk

Chumono
Messages
606
Reaction score
898
Location
MD
USDA Zone
7a
Very cool, nice clean work. FYI your website link goes to an invalid/reclaimed domain.
 

Pitoon

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,035
Reaction score
11,339
Location
Southern Maryland
USDA Zone
7b
Very cool, nice clean work. FYI your website link goes to an invalid/reclaimed domain.
Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, I know the link is not working, the website is not complete yet. I just have the domain parked at the moment.
 

penumbra

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
9,361
Reaction score
15,766
Location
Front Royal, VA
USDA Zone
6
I am really impressed. Very fine work. I don't think many people appreciate how dang hard it is to make pots this small and with such an attention to detail. Funny, I have been trying to find a mini wheel that I could use for pottery miniatures and I looked at this one but decided against it. I wouldn't mind paying for a quality mini wheel but I haven't found one yet.
I find it so difficult to center a small piece of clay that when I throw minis I throw them off the hump. But throwing them is the easy part. Finishing them as well as you have requires patience, talent and imagination.
Carry on .... please!
 

Pitoon

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,035
Reaction score
11,339
Location
Southern Maryland
USDA Zone
7b
I am really impressed. Very fine work. I don't think many people appreciate how dang hard it is to make pots this small and with such an attention to detail. Funny, I have been trying to find a mini wheel that I could use for pottery miniatures and I looked at this one but decided against it. I wouldn't mind paying for a quality mini wheel but I haven't found one yet.
I find it so difficult to center a small piece of clay that when I throw minis I throw them off the hump. But throwing them is the easy part. Finishing them as well as you have requires patience, talent and imagination.
Carry on .... please!
@penumbra thanks for the kind words. Yes, it does take a lot of time and patience to get them to look good. I even have to watch how I hold them when I'm detailing as just a nick of my nails would damage the pot. The last post is my 14th pot on this mini wheel so I'm getting used to this mini wheel now. I'm really looking forward to seeing them glazed.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to pick up a different clay (Standard #153). I'm curious to see how that clay throws on the wheel. I have not been able to find a better wheel myself. I've spent some time trying to find an appropriate motor with the correct RPM and enough torque and reversible to make my own as I have another 4" wheel head that I can use....but the search is still ongoing. I doubt we will find a serious mini pottery wheel as the demand is not there. I'll probably make a new thread when I have all the items I need to make a new one from scratch.

20210207_204018.jpg
 
Last edited:

penumbra

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
9,361
Reaction score
15,766
Location
Front Royal, VA
USDA Zone
6
Tomorrow I'm hoping to pick up a different clay (Standard #153). I'm curious to see how that clay throws on the wheel.
#153 is a very adaptable and versatile clay. I don't much care for the pinkish cast to it but it accepts all glazes and temperature ranges well. It is a very popular student clay because it is so versatile but is also used by many professionals. I know one potter that uses over a pallet (3000 lbs) of this clay annually. Preferring brown clays myself, I like standard #112, a specked brown clay, and #266 or #710 which are dark brown. Some people have problems with #266 bloating above cone 5 but I have never experienced this. I am getting ready to bust into a bag of #551 cone 6 porcelain. It seems to me that this very smooth and plastic clay body would be great for miniatures, though porcelains react differently to glazes than stoneware glazes so there may be a bit of a learning curve. I also like #108 but it requires firing to cone 8 to vitrify to an absorption rate of 1% or less. It is a deep red clay. I like to give it a few coats of ferric chloride to deepen the color, but this can only be done outside or a well well vented kiln. Carefully applied red oxide will work as well but this is a personal thing and really not needed if you do go to cone 8 as the clay darkens at higher temps.
 

Pitoon

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,035
Reaction score
11,339
Location
Southern Maryland
USDA Zone
7b
@penumbra my condolences to you and your family regarding your fathers passing.

I had the option of picking up a bag of Laguna Dark Brown, which matures at Cone 10. It is a very nice dark brown, but I don't think this dark brown clay would look so good glazed. Unglazed I think it would be perfect.......that may be the next bag to try out. And like you said about #153 accepting glaze and temperature well was why I decided trying a bag. Some glazes look better in my opinion when the glaze slightly reveals the edges on the pots.

I finally got my mini lathe working after finding out the belt deteriorated from not being used in years. I called the company I bought it from to find out it had been discontinued because the company that made them went bankrupt.....no more parts available. So I had to replace the timing belt pulleys and belt completely. So the lathe is working, but couldn't find the MT1 head stock to fit it......so waiting for that to arrive. My plan is to make some very ornate positives to make molds from. Hopefully everything pans out.
 

penumbra

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
9,361
Reaction score
15,766
Location
Front Royal, VA
USDA Zone
6
It is a very nice dark brown, but I don't think this dark brown clay would look so good glazed. Unglazed I think it would be perfect
I have used that Laguna clay but it was years ago and I only fired it cone 6. But as to dark brown clay bodies, you do have to use glazes that have a strong opacifier in them. When done right it is quite an amazing sight. Blues in particular are fabulous on brown clay. "Right" to me on a dark clay that is glazed is to show a good bit of the naked clay.
 

Pitoon

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,035
Reaction score
11,339
Location
Southern Maryland
USDA Zone
7b
I have used that Laguna clay but it was years ago and I only fired it cone 6. But as to dark brown clay bodies, you do have to use glazes that have a strong opacifier in them. When done right it is quite an amazing sight. Blues in particular are fabulous on brown clay. "Right" to me on a dark clay that is glazed is to show a good bit of the naked clay.
I think whites would also look good revealing edges on dark clays too. That dark brown just looks so good unglazed if I do get it, it will be fired to Cone 10R. Last week I ordered some rice straw to make some ash. I'm planning to make some Hagi glaze in the near future.

1612800046283.png
 

penumbra

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
9,361
Reaction score
15,766
Location
Front Royal, VA
USDA Zone
6
I think whites would also look good revealing edges on dark clays too. That dark brown just looks so good unglazed if I do get it, it will be fired to Cone 10R. Last week I ordered some rice straw to make some ash. I'm planning to make some Hagi glaze in the near future.

View attachment 353137
I applaud you. I will send you a pm to continue this soon
 
Messages
1,500
Reaction score
3,131
Location
Eastern MA
USDA Zone
6B
Really enjoying these. I'd like to start a tree small enough for them.
 
Top Bottom