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Clay Art

http://lsv.ceramics.org/scripts/wa.exe?HOME

At first, Clay Art might seem a little mysterious, especially if you’ve never been part of an email discussion group.  You sign up at the LISTSERV page which will let you receive and send messages to the group.  It has about 4000 subscribers and plenty of wide-ranging discussion.  Messages are archived at potters.org and the yahoo group will also let you view messages but not post messages to the group.  There are many clay experts that peruse the list and offer excellent insights.

• Topic Range: Extensive
• Amount of Discussion: High
• Organization: Low
• Aesthetics and Features: Low/Depends on your email system

Ceramic Arts Daily – Forum

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/index.php?/index

Ceramic Arts Daily is a great site for potters and ceramic artists.  There are plenty of great resources and they recently added a discussion forum.  It is well moderated, organized, and visually pleasing.  There are close to 2000 members with many well known potters and ceramic artists.

• Topic Range: Broad
• Amount of Discussion: Medium
• Organization: High
• Aesthetics and Features: Very High

Pottery.About.com – Forum

http://forums.about.com/ab-pottery/start/?lgnF=y

About.com has a whole subdomain about pottery and ceramic art.  The forums are well organized and you can upload files as attachment and post a message as a guest.

• Topic Range: Broad
• Amount of Discussion: Medium
• Organization: High
• Aesthetics and Features: Medium

Claystation Forum

http://www.claystation.com/forum/forum.php

Claystation offers a lot of great features and gives community members many options to interact with each other.

• Topic Range: Broad
• Amount of Discussion: Low
• Organization: High
• Aesthetics and Features: Very High

Dave’s Garden

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/allfiredup/all/

Dave’s Garden is actually a gardening site which has a number of discussion forums, one being for Pottery, Clay and Ceramics.

• Topic Range: Broad
• Amount of Discussion: Medium
• Organization: Medium
• Aesthetics and Features: Medium

Yahoo Groups

Full list of groups in the Ceramics category: http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Entertainment___Arts/Fine_Arts/Visual_Arts/Ceramics

Pottery Basics

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/potterybasics/

Pottery Basics is a Yahoo Group with over 1900 members.  Membership Required (You have to be a member of the group to see the messages, attachments, and other features.)

PotterBarter

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/potterbarter/

Potter Barter is a Yahoo Group with over 2700 members that focuses on buying and selling pottery equipment.  Membership Required.

Ceramics3

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ceramics3/

About 1500 members.  Membership Required.

Slip Dipper Ceramics

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/slipdippersceramics/

About 1300 members.  Public – you don’t have to be  a member to view messages.

NakedRaku

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nakedraku/

Over 1000 members.  Membership Required.

Google Groups

Clay Craft

http://groups.google.com/group/claycraft

WookKiln

http://groups.google.com/group/woodkiln

Social Media

Facebook

Ceramics (Entertainment and Arts)

Ceramics (Business)

Pottery (Entertainment and Arts)

Pottery Critiques (Common Interest)

Listorious (Twitter Lists)

Ceramic Pottery

Potters

Smaller Pottery and Clay Communities

Crystalline Glaze Forum

http://s3.excoboard.com/crystal

UK Potters Forum

http://www.ukpotters.co.uk/forum/

Pottery Chat

http://potterychat.org/

CraftBanter – Pottery

http://www.craftbanter.com/forumdisplay.php?s=8f342457656b0abdca1c78ce1b7bb325&f=12

CraftsForum – Pottery

http://www.craftsforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?45-Pottery-ceramics

Craftster – Pottery, Ceramics, Polymer Clay

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=359.0

CeramicsArtists.com Forum

http://www.ceramicsartists.com/Forums_Main.aspl

Statuary Place

http://www.statuaryplace.com/dicussion_frame.html

WetCanvas – Clay

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=342

Clay Arts Utah

http://clayarts.websitetoolbox.com/

Deviant Art – Ceramic Maniacs

http://ceramic-maniacs.deviantart.com/

Deviant Art – Ceramic Art

http://ceramic-art.deviantart.com/

Conclusion

There are many great communities for potters and clay artists.  A lot can be learned by asking questions to people that actually work with clay and it can also be very rewarding to help those in need.  This is a pretty good sampling but there are probably more clay communities out there on the web.  If you know of another great group leave a comment and let us know!

speckled bisque

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Feel free to use them however you wish.  If you use them for a website or some other commercial purpose please acknowledge Pottery Making Info.

• The Video feed has some new sources and is running the new Pipes engine.
• The Working Artist/Potter Feed has been drastically improved.  There are now over 170 blogs that are incorporated into the feed.  Initially this caused a very slow load time (at least 40-60 seconds) but after doing a little research I found a helpful hint from Hapdaniel and his idea to use a Google spreadsheet.  This reduced the load time but other options are still being explored to improve the feed.
• A Delicious widget has been added to the left column of the site.  Delicious is a social bookmarking site.  Now it will be much easier to share interesting or useful sites while surfing the ‘net.  When a bookmark is added to the Pottery Making Info Delicious Bookmarks, it will show up automatically on the site.
• There is also a whole new Links page devoted to Delicious Bookmarks.  It should become more interesting as new sites are added.
• An “AddThis” bar has been added to some of the pages on the site.  This was done after the Sociable buttons seemed to stop working.  The blog might also get an upgrade in “share buttons” soon but at least the sociable buttons still appear where they’re supposed to be.
• Two images were added to the home page.  Maybe it’s a little less boring now?
• There were also a few minor design tweaks… probably too minor to notice.

Let me know if there is anything else that can be added or improved!

Mixing a glaze powder with water allows you to apply the glaze to bisque ware quickly and easily.  It is a relatively simple process.  The main steps, in more detail below, include: measuring water, mixing the glaze powder with the water, sieving, adjusting viscosity or density and letting the glaze sit for a while before it is applied.  There are many variations and some people execute these steps in a different order.

First of all, follow the instructions that came with the glaze if you are using a premixed powder.  Many commercially prepared glazes can now be purchased as dry powder in 10, 25, or 50lb increments.  Generally, dry glaze powder is formulated for dipping and pouring, while premixed liquid glazes are formulated for brushing (3,20).  The following instructions assume that you have a glaze in dry powder form which is mixed well and ready to be mixed with water.  If you are not using a whole batch of premixed powder make sure it is mixed well before taking part of the powder to mix with water.  Some of the glaze ingredients might settle to the bottom of the container during transport (20).  There are also many suggestions for keeping the glaze suspended in water or improving brushability.  These suggestions include Flocs (7), bentonite (3,11), epsom salt (13), brushing medium (10), CMC (11) and Macaloid (13).

Glaze Mixing Safety

Glazes are most dangerous in powder form because they can create dust which can be inhaled very easily. Some glazes also contain toxic chemicals.  Always wear a NIOSH certified respirator or mask and mix the dry powder outside or in a well ventilated area.  Many people also recommend using rubber or latex gloves while working with a glaze (7).  Don’t put your fingers near your eyes,nose or mouth while working with the glaze (16).  You can also use safety goggles to make sure glaze doesn’t get in your eyes (20).
Also: don’t eat the glaze powder!

Materials and Equipment

glaze mixing materials and equipment

1. Clean buckets and lids
2. Water (proper amount for your glaze)
3. Glaze powder
4. Hand held drill
5. Jiffy/Hanson/Turbo/Drywall Mixer or paddle
6. Sieve (with proper mesh for your glaze)
7. Respirator
8. Dust Mask
9. Safety Goggles
10. Rubber/Latex Gloves
11. Paint Brush
12. Spatula, Rib, or other tool
13. Hydrometer or Viscosity/Zahn Cup
14. Rags/Sponges

Glaze Mixing Instructions

Every glaze is different and everyone seems to have their own way to mix them.  This is a basic outline but feel free to try things your own way or change the order of the steps.

Measure out Some Water

Measure water into a clean container with a volume at least 25% (20) more than your final glaze volume.  Great Clay recommends using a 3-4 gallon bucket for 10 lbs. of powder (7).  If you bought a premixed glaze it will probably tell you how much water to use.  It’s easier to add more water later if the glaze isn’t thick enough so it is recommended that you start with 90% of the total water required (20).    Every glaze is different so the amount of water will probably be different as well:

Many people recommend 11 fl. oz. of water for every 1lb. of glaze powder (3,10,20) or 8 oz. for spraying, or 7 oz. for brushing (3).

Great clay recommends 1/2 pint of water for every 1lb. of glaze powder (7).

Laguna suggests:
dipping – 10.5-11.5 oz water, 0-2.3g bentonite, to 1lb dry glaze
spraying – 7.5-8.5 oz water, 1.1-3.4g bentonite to 1lb dry glaze
brushing – 6.5-7.5 oz water, 4.5-6.8g bentonite, 2.3-3.4g CMC powder to 1 lb dry glaze.
(11)

Some typical examples for spectrum dry glazes include:
10lbs. of cone 06/04 clear gloss glaze – 6.25 pints of water
10lbs. of cone 4/6 opaque gloss glaze – 5.25 pints of water
10lbs. of cone 4/6 clear gloss glaze – 5.25 pints of water
10lbs. of cone 4/6 Reactive Hi-Fire glaze – 5 pints of water
(1)

Glaze mixer states that most glazes are about 50% water so for every 1000g of powder you would add 1000mL of water (5).

Add Glaze Powder to the Water

drill mixer, water, glaze powder

There are a couple ways to do this.
It’s ideal to add the glaze powder to the water instead of water to the glaze powder but you can add a little water at a time to the powder until you get the right consistency (7).

You can dump the powder into the water without stirring and then mix when all the powder has become wet (6).

You can also pour or sift/screen/sieve the powder in gradually as the water is mixed or agitated (5,10,11).

Mix the Glaze Powder and Water

mixing glaze with the drill mixer

The glaze needs to be mixed really well to prevent problems when applying the glaze to bisque ware.  You can begin mixing your glaze with a stick (8), toilet brush (22), whisk (12) or something similar but Spectrum doesn’t recommend manual mixing (20).  Attachments such as a drywall mixer (4), Jiffy/Hanson mixer (7), Turbo Mixer (10), or just a simple paddle (20) can be attached to a hand held drill to mix the glaze.  (Don’t drop the drill in the bucket!)  You can also use a kitchen blender to mix smaller batches, just don’t use the blender to make any more smoothies after mixing the glaze (12).

Put the Glaze Through a Sieve

pouring glaze into the sieve

The glaze will most likely have small lumps of glaze that aren’t mixed completely with the water.  Putting the glaze through a sieve will eliminate these lumps.  Sieves come in different mesh sizes.  The number represents the number of openings per linear inch in the screen (19) so the higher the number, the more fine the screen (4).  Using an 80 mesh sieve seems to be the most common suggestion but check your instructions since suggestions range from 50 mesh (6) to 100 mesh or finer (4,10,13).  Some glaze instructions might specifically tell you NOT to sieve the glaze (10).

If you don’t have a Talisman Sieve or something similar, you can push the glaze through the sieve with a rib (3), brush (22), spatula (15), or your hand with a rubber glove (4).

pushing glaze through the sieve

Sieve the glaze at least once (4), or twice (5,22) or even three times (2,6).  Just make sure there are no lumps left in the glaze.

Check Density and Viscosity

The glaze needs to be the right density and thicknesss because if it is too thick or thin it can cause problems when it is applied to the bisque or when it is fired (20).  Many people use a well known liquid as a comparison to get the glaze to the right thickness.  For example, a glaze might need to be about the same consistency as cream or heavy milk (7), whole milk, heavy cream, half and half, etc.  You can use a viscosity cup or “Zahn cup” to measure the thickness or viscosity (20,22).

glaze hydrometer

You can also check the density or “specific gravity” of your glaze with a hydrometer if you have one.    For checking glazes a hydrometer that measures specific gravity in the 1.000-2.000 range seems to be the best option.

Temperature is also a variable in measuring specific gravity (9) and most hydrometers will tell what temperature they are calibrated for.  It is easy to get a false reading on a hydrometer (12) and some say that hydrometers aren’t reliable, especially with a suspension like a glaze (14) so you can also measure a certain volume of the glaze, weigh it, and then divide that number by the weight of the same amount of water to find the specific gravity (9).  Specific Gravity, after all,  is just the weight of the liquid divided by the weight of the same volume of water (20).

Every glaze is different and might require a unique density.  The application technique you decide to use can also help you decide the density of your glaze.  For example, Laguna recommends the following for their glazes:

measuring specific gravity of the glaze

color dipping: whole milk — 1.611 (55 Baume)
clear dipping: half and half — 1.465-1.48 (46-47 Baume)
spraying: heavy cream  —-  1.706 (60 Baume)
brushing: slightly thicker than cream  — 1.813 (65 Baume)
(10)

Spectrum recommends dipping glazes have a specific gravity between 1.50 and 1.70 and brushing glazes in the range of 1.45 to 1.60 (20).

Check with the company that makes your glaze if you are using a premixed glaze.  For example, Standard Ceramic Supply provides a standard gravity for individual glazes.

You can also use the knuckle test to see if your glaze is about the right consistency.  If you dip a clean, dry finger in the glaze it should cover your finger but you should be able to see the lines in your knuckle (4,8) or the glaze should cover the skin but bead on the fingernail (18).

Glaze mixer suggests a glaze consistency similar to cream but also recommends applying the glaze to a bisque pot and then chipping some of the glaze off to confirm that the glaze is the proper thickness (5).

Once you have tested your glaze and found the right density you can weigh a certain amount of the glaze and then make sure the same volume of future batches have the same weight (12).  This will help you get more consistent results.

Adjust the Density or Viscosity

If the glaze is too thick/dense you just have to add water, a little bit at a time, until you get the proper density/viscosity.  It takes less water than you think to change the density (6,9).

If the glaze is too thin you can let the glaze sit overnight and then scoop or skim off some of the clear water that rises to the top (17) or add more dry powder (9) if you have some left.

Let Stand for 24 Hours

Once you mix your glaze you should let it sit for a while before you use it.  This allows all the particles in the powder a chance to soak up the proper amount of water.  You can do a final check on the viscosity and or density to make sure the glaze didn’t thicken too much overnight.  Or some people just wait to check the density/thickness until they are ready to use it.

Mix and Apply to Bisqueware

Stir or mix the glaze before you apply it to the bisque ware and do it consistently throughout the application process.  Some glazes have heavy particles that can settle out quickly (20).  It is especially important to monitor the density or thickness of a dipping glaze because the bisque pieces can suck up extra water as they are dipped (20).

Store the glaze in an air tight container and make sure it is clearly labeled (5).  Also make note of the glaze density or thickness after you have tested it so you can get consistent results the next time you mix a glaze.

If you mix glazes a different way or have any additional tips leave a comment below.

Other Resources

Standard Ceramic Supply: water suggestions, Specific Gravity
Hydrometer Conversion Table
Online Conversions
Material Safety Data Sheets
3M Mask/Respirator Selection Guide

References

1. http://www.baileypottery.com/glazes/spectruminstructions.htm
2. http://www.bigceramicstore.com/information/makingglaze.htm
3. http://www.bigceramicstore.com/information/MixingGlazes.htm
4. http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_2771_make-clay-pottery-glazes.html
5. http://www.glazemixer.com/howtomixaglaze.htm
6. http://www.goshen.edu/art/DeptPgs/glazMIX.html
7. http://www.greatclay.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=DGMI
8. http://jennygulchpottery.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/glazing-pottery/
9. http://jessehull.com/2008/01/26/specific-gravity/
10. http://www.lagunaclay.com/glazes/dry-glaze-mixing.php
11. http://www.lagunaclay.com/support/dry-glaze-mixing.php
12. http://www.lakesidepottery.com/HTML%20Text/Tips/Mixing%20and%20Using%20Glazes.htm
13. http://www.nmclay.com/Customer_service/DRYGLAZEMIXING.htm
14. http://www.potters.org/subject45630.htm
15. http://www.potters.org/subject76701.htm
16. http://pottery.about.com/od/applyingglazes/tp/beforeglaz.htm
17. http://www.pottery-magic.com/pottery/glazes/recipes/mix_glaze.htm
18. http://shop.clay-planet.com/usingglazes.aspx
19. http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/chemistry/stockroom-reagents/learning-center/technical-library/particle-size-conversion.html
20. http://www.spectrumglazes.com/tips.html
21. http://www.standardceramic.com/glazehandout2.pdf
22. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLIGelEX9VY

Quick Facts

• Address: clayartwebguide.com
• Produced By: Vicki Hardin / Clay Art Pottery
• Domain Name Registered: March 9, 2002
• Alexa Rank (?): Approx. 1,500,000
• Inbound Links (?): Approx. 75

Overview

Clay Art Web Guide - Home

The Clay Art Web Guide is a large collection of ceramic and pottery links.  In it’s own words:

Clay Art Web Guide is a leading online ceramic portal serving the clay art community since 2000. We serve over 20,000 visitors a month on a wide variety of clay related topics in over 60 categories with more than 3,000 unique listings.

Submitting a site requires a one-time payment and the directory seems to be well maintained so visitors don’t have to sort through a bunch of worthless links.  Links are sorted into categories and usually presented in order of submission date, most recently submitted sites are first.  A few of the larger categories seem to have sites listed alphabetically.

Features

• Over 3,000 links organized in almost 70 categories.
• The “Newly Listed” page shows the most recent sites that have been submitted.
• There are a few good articles submitted by experienced potters or ceramic artists.
• You can create a ceramic listing on the “Classified Ads” page for $5 per month.
• There is a list of Amazon pottery books in the “Bookstore” and a blog with many listings for workshops, openings, and events.
• You can submit a ceramics site to be listed in the Clay Art Web Guide for a one-time payment:
  • $15 will get your site listed in one category and requires a reciprocal link on your site.
  • $25 will list your site in two categories and does not require a link to the Clay Art Web Guide.

Final Thoughts (?)

• Content Quantity: C (There isn’t a lot of unique content on the site other than the links.)
• Content Quality: B+ (There are some good articles and most of the links are worth checking.)
• Navigation: A- (Pretty clear and intuitive for such a large collection but links in each category are only viewable  by most recently listed first.)
• Presentation: B- (Pretty clean layout, there are a lot of ads per page but most are related to the content and not overly annoying.)
• Interaction: D (There isn’t really a lot to interact with.  You can contact the site owners through email to make suggestions or add your link.)

Overall: B-

Pottery Making Info is easing into the world of Social Media.  If everything is working as it should, you will see some links in the top right corner of each page.  There is a link to the Pottery Making Info Blog (or “news section”) and a link for the blog’s RSS Feed.  The other two links will take you to the Facebook and Twitter pages for Pottery Making Info.  One of the goals of this site is to provide information to the pottery making masses and Facebook and Twitter seem to be great tools to help achieve this goal.  So if you already have a Facebook and/or Twitter account you can stay up-to-date with what’s happening at Pottery Making Info.

Pottery and Ceramic Blogs

There is now a list of all the blogs found in the Potter and Ceramic Artist Feed.  There will be more blogs added to the feed and list as they are discovered.  If you know of a ceramic artist or pottery blog you can submit it here.  The only requirement to be included in the feed is that the blog be mostly about potter or the process used to create it.

Pottery Making Info Logo

New logo for Pottery Making Info

A temporary logo has been created for the site.  When there is more time and more important things are finished, it will be improved into a more exciting and attention grabbing image.  Perhaps something with flames?

If you have any suggestions leave a comment below.

Or go to the Facebook or Twitter page!

The initial goal of this “working artists” feature is to provide an easy to access source to show what other artists and potters are doing.  Whether it be for inspiration or to learn a thing or two from other artists and potters, you should be able to find the freshest clay work from around the globe.

If you, or someone you know, work with clay and you would like to add a blog to the feed contact Pottery Making Info.  Include the artist’s name and the blog address.  There aren’t a lot of requirements.  Your blog should be mostly about your process or the finished work you create as a potter or ceramic artist.  Your technique, materials, firing method, post frequency, blog software, experience, skill level, or location do not matter.

Eventually the blogs and artists will be listed on the site so it will be easy to see which blogs are already included.  There are also some Pottery Making Info graphics in the works so be on the lookout…

NCECA is the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (facebook page). Every year there is a huge conference for educators, students, artists, and industry-type people.  This year the 44th annual conference was in Philadelphia from March 31 – April 3.

Here you will find links to analysis, reviews, pictures, and stories from the 2010 NCECA conference.

Personal Accounts

Clayart:  Kelly in Ohio, Priscilla, Elizabeth, Antoinette, Bill, Lillian, Cheryl, Dolita, Tony,

Potterybasics (you must be a member of the group to view): Nancy, Dana: day1, day 2, day 4,

Ceramic Arts Community

Photographs

Flickr: tagged with “nceca”, recent search results for “nceca”, woodfirer, May Luk, zapoldesign, niso30, odhusky, earline_green,  j_bussman, libbyrosof, funcpottr,

Rachel Campbell’s site, Party at Steve Tobin’s studio, Linda Stauffer’s site, Pre Conference by Dave Thomas, Chris Morgan,

PotteryBasics (you must be a member to view): NCECA Philly 2010  album,

Videos

slideshow, Kim Young Soo, cup sale, dis/arming domesticity exhibition, opening ceremony, Baltimore Clayworks Exhibit,

Social Sites

Twitter: NCECA on twitter, tweets about NCECA,

Facebook: posts about NCECA,

Presentations

Social Networks, The Clay Studio: List of exhibitions, Flash and Ash,

Blogs

Mary Obodzinski: day1, day2, day3, post conference, Ceramic Thought, Christa Assad, these2words, sawdust & dirt: nceca envy, glen adamson part1, part2, Slipcast, Harmony Chapman, Meagan Chaney, Pinchpots, Pots & Dishes, homefry sketchbook, Adam Yungbluth, Art for Non-art Students part1, part2, The Art Blog part1, part2, Connie Norman,

Surely there are more reactions, pictures, and accounts of this great event.  If you know about a 2010 NCECA link that is missing leave a comment or contact Pottery Making Info.

There is now a Links page with a number of good links to ceramics and pottery sites. In the future more links will be added to this page and more specific link pages will be created. If you have a site that could be added to the link pages contact Pottery Making Info.

A small script has been added to some of the pages and at the bottom of the blog posts called Sociable.  It should make it easier to share interesting things you find here on popular social sites.  For example, if you want to tell all your friends on Facebook that you think this update about Pottery Making Info is really cool, you could click the little Facebook square at the bottom.

There have also been a few small cosmetic changes.  The “greater than” bullets that used to show up in the news section are now gone and the news section looks more like the rest of the site.

More changes are on the way.