Beginning Wheelthrowing week 3: glazing

No videos this week, but below is a PDF document with some notes on glazing your pots. Remember to wax the bottom!:
Notes on glazing


During 2-hour practice this week:

• Finish leatherhard bowls from last week & put on shelf to dry
• Finish bone-dry bowls & put on "ready to bisque" cart
• Glaze any bisque pots & put in kiln room for glaze firing
• If you have time, practice making bowls on the wheel (throw 8 1-pound pieces of clay, keep 2)

Next class, we'll look at making mugs on the potters wheel.

See you Thursday!

-Jay

Beginning wheelthrowing practice times

FYI,

You're welcome to come in and use the ceramics studios at the Retiz Union Arts and Crafts Center any time the ACC studio's open and there's no class in session.

-Jay

Beginning Throwing, week 2: throwing & finishing bowls

Hi folks,

For your two-hour practice session this week, make at least four bowls. Keep the best bowl, and recycle the others.

Tip: Drying and finishing your pots

• Let piece stiffen on the bat (or use hair dryer)
• As soon as the piece is stiff enough to handle without distortion, flip it over so the bottom can dry
• Dry slowly; wrap in plastic to keep moist (newspaper square top and bottom)
• Remember to label your piece with your name and the date while it's on the shelf
  
• When piece is leatherhard (about the hardness of cheddar cheese):
• Tap the bottom so it bulges inward slightly
• Roll the bottom edge
• Write your name and the date on the bottom
  
• Put the piece back on the class shelf (unwrapped) until it is bone dry
  
• When piece is bone dry:
• clean up rough spots with a metal rib or fettling knife and a damp sponge
• put the piece on the "to bisque" shelf for bisque firing
  

Next class we'll talk about:

• glazing and decorating
• softening clay
• reclaiming clay

Cheers,
Jay

Beginning Throwing Week 1 practice

Hi folks,

For your 2 hours of practice time this week, please attempt to center 8 1-pound balls of clay by next class:

• Wedge all of your clay
• Weight out 4 lbs of wedged clay & knead it;
• Divide kneaded clay into into 4 1-lb balls;
• Center each ball of clay; spend no more than 10 minutes per piece. You may try to shape it into a bowl if you like;
• When you've centered all 4 pieces of clay, wedge them back up with the rest of your clay and repeat this whole process 1 more time

If a piece collapses on the wheel, cut it off and start again with a fresh ball of clay; don't try to rework the collapsed piece.

Please refer to the last blog post for notes and videos on wedging, kneading, & centering.

If you kept a piece you made during class, unwrap it during your practice time so it has a chance to dry a bit. Remember to wrap it back up, label it with your name, and put it back on the shelf before you leave.

Next class, we'll look at the rest of the throwing process, and how to finish a bowl.

Cheers!
Jay

Ceramics: Start to Finish - first class (5 PM Thursday, July 8)

Hi Folks,

Here's what we'll be doing for the first Ceramics Start to Finish class:

• Waivers & name tags
• What we'll be making: Bowls, mugs & bud vases
• Get clay & rent a locker
• Wedging & kneading demo & practice
• Centering demo & practice
• Practice session sign-up

Also, if you can, please bring a small towel with you to class.

Here are some resources that might help get you going. Please take a look before class if you get a chance:

A closer look at kneading
Video of English potter Simon Leach on how to knead your clay using the spiral method. This is a bit different from the method we practiced in class, but the general principle is the same.

Wot kneading again!
Video of English potter Simon Leach kneading from a different angle.

Tips on centering
Video of English potter Simon Leach on how to center your clay

demo notes: wedging
Step-by-step notes on how to wedge and knead your clay (Adobe PDF).

Here's a video of Simon Leach making a bowl from beginning to end:
SIMON LEACH - Close up - GP bowl !!

See you Thursday evening!
Jay

Register for Intermediate Wheelthrowing Monday Jan. 11 at 10 AM

Hi,

This Spring I will be teaching an intermediate throwing course on Tuesdays from 5-7 PM. During This 7-week leisure course, we'll review the shapes we made in Beginning Wheelthrowing (bowls & mugs), plus a few more besides (tentatively, bud vases, big bowls, plates, & pitchers)

Hope to see you there!

-Jay

Pottery course descriptions posted! Registration opens Jan. 11 at 10 AM

Hi Folks,

Mark your calendars: Registration for Fall leisure classes will open Monday, January 11^th and classes will start on Tuesday, January 19^th, after the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

I will be teaching Beginning Throwing Thursdays 5-7 PM for those new to making pots on the wheel, and an intermediate throwing course Tuesdays 5-7 PM for those who have already taken Beginning Wheelthrowing or equivalent.

Both courses are 7 weeks long and end just before spring break.

Cheers,
Jay