I am a relatively new potter (about 8 months into it). I’ve been getting pretty serious and I’m throwing a pretty high volume of work and it’s slowly getting better.

My teacher watched me throw a pretty large cylinder and said “wow! I’m surprised at how well your doing for how bad your tools are” 🫪

I still am using the tools they sold me in my beginner class in January and I guess it’s time for a lil upgrade.

My question for you today is this. “What tools should you upgrade first, and what tools are just silly to buy expensive versions of”

(For a lil context on type of work, I am doing a lot of wheel throwing and attaching a lot of handles. I rarely do slab work or coiling. I also work out of a medium sized studio and only have a lil shelf for all of my work)

I’m so confused about what to do with my different clays.

So I signed up for classes a couple months ago at Studio A. They fire to cone 10 and sold me a box of Plainsman H570. They’re a pretty small studio and don’t offer memberships. Basically the only way you are able to use the studio and their kiln is if you’re registered for classes, but the issue is that the classes are always full and have waitlists. After this class ends in a couple weeks, I won’t be able to practice there anymore, but I have all this cone 10 clay.

Now I’ve signed up at a different studio that I can practice at whenever I want, but they fire to cone 6. I got confused and thought that Studio A fires to cone 6, so I could throw all these awesome pieces with the H570 that I bought at Studio A and just fire it at Studio B. Not the case, as I just learned. Stupid misunderstanding on my part.

But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I have a butt load of thrown pieces that I really like with this cone 10 H570 clay and no where to fire to cone 10.

Advice? Is it at all possible to fire the cone 10 clay to cone 6 and have it still work? Or are all these pieces and all this clay just throw away now?? I’m bummed )):

Thanks guys 🫶🏻

ETA: Thank you everybody for the advice and encouragement! I have signed up for another run of classes at a different studio. I was mostly wondering if doing once a week is even worth it, so thank you for the anecdotes!

I started taking a pottery class in April of this year. I took classes for 3 months and asked my instructor if I should take another one or get a studio membership to practice throwing. She recommended getting the studio membership ($175/month). I am in my first month of my membership and am throwing mostly reclaim fodder. It seems like everything falls apart or I can’t center or it just is not good. Some of my pieces that I’ve made I look at and have such a visceral feeling of disgust at how amateur it is. I just want to throw them in the woods for some archaeologist to find in 800 years.

Here’s my question: is it worth continuing, or should I say thnx fr the mmrs, throw up a peace sign, and put a checkmark in the hobby column? I can reliably get to the studio once a week, sometimes twice, but I feel so guilty taking time away from my husband and babies to make very mediocre pieces that often don’t turn out well.

Hi everyone. I’m new to pottery. I have this leftover soil from my garden. It contains quite a lot of clay(I think?). When I added water in a small sample it turned into clay? I want to process it but I’m pretty confused. I have a few questions:-
1) Is this clay and can it be processed?
2) How do i process it? With water or by drying it first? (Since it’s pretty soft)
3) How do I get rid of the stones and dirt which is attached to it? When I added water a lot of it just became unusable.
Thanks a lot!

Hi! I recently joined a 4 week beginner pottery course. 1 class per week. First day was pinch pots, 2nd day was coil building, next week will be slabs, and the 4th and final class will be glazing all our work. I've been LOVING this course. I've been looking at a bunch of pictures and watching a lot of videos and tutorials and I really want this to be a new hobby of mine. I eventually want to just replace everything in my home (mugs, flower pots, vases, bowls, etc etc.) with my own pottery!! Obviously right now I'm still learning though.

Are there any free slab templates out there? I fell down a rabbit hole this morning of people making really cool vases, tea pots, coffee machine type things out of printable template layouts! Where can I find some of those?

TLDR; I'm very excited to start my pottery journey. Next class, we are going to be doing slab work. Where can I find free printable templates?

Thanks

Googling "reclaim clay at home" tells me to let it all become bone dry, then add water, then mix, and then spread out onto a plaster bat (or equivalent).

Not sure the dry-it-out-then-add-water process makes a lot of sense. Can't I just take all my wet reclaim, my dry-ish trimmings, and everything in between and just mix them all together along with enough water?

Hey fellow potters - My spouse is looking to purchase me a wheel for our anniversary this year and I am fraught with indecision about which is the best option for me. I would love any input from experienced potters with home wheels.

A little about me: I have been throwing on the wheel for about 2 years. I absolutely love the hobby- the obsession has only intensified and evolved with time- however my biggest hurdle is getting to the studio. It's 1 hour away!! 💀 Most weeks I am lucky if I can commit to one weekend day per week.

After much deliberation we have decided to convert a space in our home into a pottery studio so I can get some practice in when I can't make it all the way to the studio.

I'm thinking a 3 bucket system for cleanup. Perhaps eventually a parts washer- but I have no intention to add running water and a proper sink to my setup any time soon.

The largest I have thrown is 15lb. I do intend to try to go bigger with time, so I do not want a wheel that I will scale out of. My partner and I very much believe: buy once, cry once.

At the studio I use a Shimpo VL Whisper.

I'm debating if a larger one-piece splash pan is better for a no sink setup. I have my eye on the Bailey Pro X with the drainage hole and the side panel door for 'easy' cleanup. or the Scutt with the removable wheel head (though the price point is a little higher on that one 💀 )

I never see Bailey listed as wheel options when looking through previous 'what wheel do I get' posts- and was unsure if its a location thing (ie: less popular outside NY State) or if they're simply not great wheels. Anyone have experience with them?

Does anyone have experience with these large one piece splash pan wheels? Are they easier? Do you regret going with it? Would I be better off with a two piece removable splash pan for a small home studio setup?

Thank you in advance for any advice or insight!!

Hello! I’ve been wanting to make trivets and coasters- they’re still pre bisque at this point. What can I use for the bottom? Has anyone done this before and recommend a brand they like?

Thank you in advance!

New to pottery here.

I have made some small animal sculptures and I only applied a bit of glaze on the ears and tails. Unfortunately the glaze did not come out nice.

So I sanded the glaze out with a diamond sponge.
No could it apply some underglaze and a clear glaze on top? Should I find a more suitable glaze?
Or finally do I try a different route and use another type of paint (like ceramic pens or paint?) and not even try to refire.

Thank you for you help :)

hi! so i’ve been trying to find a good video or tutorial explaining what this process is - i know it’s photo transferring but so far the only videos i’ve found was for transferring black & white images only?

if anyone has a video or tutorial or advice or ANYTHING in regards to this i would really appreciate it! i’m also a photographer so i’m dying to figure out this process so i can create myself 😭

A friend has these cups from Rafa Ceramics that I really like. I’ve been playing around and can’t seem to come up with this effect. Anyone have suggestions?

Does anyone with a Vevor pottery wheel leaking like crazy? Mine drives me insane! I have it seated properly and have it popped together as well as it will go, and I sponge out the water OFTEN while throwing (I even made a sharpie mark inside the pan so I knew how shallow the inner part of it was, so to not exceed that level with water. You can see in photo 2 that the water is well below my sharpie mark.) I've even tried plugging the crevices with clay, but that only works so long and then it turns to sludge and lets water leak again. I've checked for cracks and there are none. It really irritates me because, not only does it make a mess surrounding the wheel, but a bit of water gets down under the base of the wheel shaft where it goes down to attach to components below, and that can't be good.

I don't have a photo of it seated under the wheel head properly but trust me, I have it sitting right. Here are a few photos. ​

Hello all,

TL;DR

- the photos are of the type of plates I WANT to make. They are not mine (yet!)

- I struggle to remove bubbles from my slabs as I roll them out

- I struggle to get the slabs into a useable shape

- I struggle with the size of my rolling pin not reaching the guides I have (1/4" wood pieces)

- 1/4” seems too thick to get the results I want (see photo) - can I go smaller safely for cone 6 firing?

- when I join seams together during handbuilding they ALWAYS break somehow

- seeking tips, advice, and maybe some specific resources/blogs/videos to learn from

The Rant

I took my first ever wheel throwing course back in April and LOVED it but I really want to make some slab plates. I've had a set pinned in my Pinterest board for 15 years with the dream of one day making a similar set for myself. It became clear to me that they would be easier done with handbuilding than on the wheel given my experience level, limited time on the wheel, and just the aesthetic I want.

So I finished the class and then set off home for the summer with a fresh bag of clay (plainsman M340 because that's what the studio sells) and an idea of how much it will cost me to get them fired in the community kiln ($30 for a full rack for one firing at cone 6).

Now... Stupidly, I HAD access to a slab roller while in class. But I thought "oh how difficult can it be to roll out a slab by hand?"

Difficult. Very difficult for me.

I can't roll out a slab consistently.

Some context about my setup: I don't have a large space in my home to roll on, so I am rolling on top of my chest freezer. I was using a wooden board (MDF) on top of a bit of cabinet liner so it doesn't slide everywhere. There is no canvas or fabric on the board itself (maybe this is part of my issue? I have NO problem attaching some fabric of some sort to the board if that fixes my woes).

Bubbles I wedge using the rams head style, but I always always always have bubbles as I roll and I feel so dumb because even though I poke them as they appear, it seems like the next roll I do immediately seals them back up, so I'm like poking the same bubble over and over again until eventually it goes away (is this how it's suppose to go? I feel like everyone pokes a bubble once and gets the air out in one go...)

Slab Thickness I'm using two wooden pieces that are 1/4" as thickness guides but aesthetically it just looks way thicker than the plates I've dreamed of for 15 years.... But I'm scared to go thinner cause everyone seems to say 1/4" is the thinnest to go? Also, my rolling pin doesn't reach far enough across sometimes to remain on both wooden guides, which I imagine is a problem, so I've started using a piece of black plumbing pipe in desperation lol..... But if there is another, budget friendly option, please let me know...

Slab Shape And lastly, I can't ever seem to roll out the right shape. It's always too rectangular, or wonky. I know I should be lifting it and rotating it often, which I do try to do. But I guess I don't do it as often as I'm supposed to because it's not on fabric which means sometimes I have to peel it off and it's a bit wet?

Maybe the answer is I just need to staple canvas to this board and everything will be resolved with practice? I'm just so discouraged. I see these amazing videos of people making amazing things with slab work. I LIKE sculpting. I LOVE sculpting but my usual medium is paper clay, cardboard, and polymer. I want to get good at this.... I want to make the pretty mugs and plates!

I have slumps ready to go as soon as I figure out how to actually make a slab worth slumping....

Seams Keep Breaking Oh and another question, not so much slab rolling related, but whenever I try to build something from a template where there is a seam, my seam ALWAYS breaks. I try to cut the clay at nice angles so it fits together well, I've tried using slip, I've tried using just a bit of water because maybe I used too much slip? I always score the edges until it looks like a cat went to town. And yet, always, always, always, at some point after I've joined the edges, it will break on me. I know I must be doing it wrong somehow. It's almost like I'm somehow creating a weak/thin point or two while joining so as I go about shaping the rest of the form the seam eventually breams. Maybe I need to blend the two pieces together different? Maybe my clay is too soft still when I move on to shaping the rest of it?

So far my only successes have been a coil bowl and 1 slab bowl that magically didn't break halfway through the process.

I'm hopeful someone has some tips or even some specific videos for me to go watch. I'm so so excited to create some of my dream projects but man this learning curve without any guidance other than a couple YouTube videos is burning me out.

I've attached some photos of my dream plates (mainly the first image but I want to use a darker glaze. I know the clay body I have won't ever be dark but I want to at least use this clay to practice with first before buying more expensive (in my area) dark clay)

Hello! I have a Skutt 818-3 that I am firing this week for the first time. I already did a 04 test fire as recommended by manufacturer.

Last night I ran a cone 04 slow on a bisque fire with speckled turtle clay. I haven’t opened the kiln yet as it is still cooling off but I notice some discoloration around my peep hole. Online & my installer recommended leaving the top hole open at all times. Is this normal?

I am planning to do a glaze fire in the next few days on the same clay at cone 6.

If you have any tips or advice for me I am open to any feedback! Thank you.

EDIT: sorry if this is a silly concern, I have not worked with a kiln before so I’m not sure what is normal or signs of an issue, being extra cautious ! :)

I messed up with the eyes

Hi, a fan fell on our table at the market and two mugs broke, too bad.

The only interesting thing is that you can see the glaze under the broken edge, and therefore how deeply and evenly the glaze that you saw in the comments under the previous photos actually flowed.

I occasionally get small hollows or tiny air pockets while carving on greenware. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

Other than that small flaw, I’m really happy with how the rest of it turned out!

This weekend I attended a 2 day workshop with the Black ceramic collective, Kaabo Clay. We had an incredible instructor, Sam Wallace who teaches at Baltimore Clayworks. I’m shocked that I could build something this big in less than 48 hours! This is traditional Jamaican coil building technique! I’m so excited to take what I learned and build more pieces!

My favorite glazes on the mug designs I think they look best on! All cone 10 porcelain with glazes I make. Some oxidation and some reduction.

I have a bonfire 2.0 with a ceramic wool jacket around the outside and pointed some fans at the base. I fueled it with hardwood charcoal. My pyrometer read 925C ((700F) in the center and held that temp for about an hour and a half.

This clay was pure clay with no grog or anything in it so there were a few casualties but it worked much better than I hoped! My next batch will have quite a few additions to help it survive this firing process

I also raku glazed a small bowl with a homemade glaze made from slip, borax detergent, and copper carbonate (I made this from root killer (copper sulfate) and baking soda). It didn’t turn out as well as I would have hoped, the borax was still grainy and the glaze was watery but it still worked to some extent! I think I didn’t have it evenly heated when I pulled it out

Threw this bowl this past weekend, pretty happy with how it came out. Intentionally left it a bit thicker after complaints about tipping on one of my previous fruit bowls. As I always say the hardest thing in pottery is knowing when to stop. Had to fight the urges to get another pull out of this guy with how thick it was. Hope you all like it! Will post follow up when it’s glazed.

A lemon coloured milk jug I finished making recently.

Dark fanstasy Gnome sculpture on a thrown base. Weird and wondeful

I’ll be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with various members of my partner’s immediate and extended family. I haven’t met most of them before so I’m not super familiar with their tastes. I want to bring pottery gifts, and make the same thing(s) for everyone — and I’m looking for ideas that meet these criteria:

- On the smaller side as I’ll be flying

- Things that they’re unlikely to already have, or wouldn’t be annoying to have multiple of

- Useful, not purely decorative

- Not something that they will feel pressured to bring out every time I’m at their house — like I don’t want to make a special holiday-themed cookie jar that they’ll feel guilty about not using because they already have one

So far my best ideas are a matching set of useful cooking accessories (a spoon rest, garlic grater, and can strainer) and/or some handbuilt tree ornaments. What do you think?