AUGUST 2000

Teapot spouts: When you are ready to apply a spout to a leatherhard teapot body, cut through the spout base at an angle, position against the pot, mark the placement and …

JUNE 1998

Eight rules to pot by (from the Tasmanian Potters Society, 1980):

1. Sit on buttocks - not on the end of your spine.

2. Relax. Tense muscles cause neck problems.

3…

July 1995

Stencils cut from plastic lids of containers such as yoghurt, ice cream, margarine etc last much longer than paper stencils.

To remove "stuck lid" after glaze firing - place lidded form in freezer for 20 minutes, remove and immediately immerse the lower portion in very hot water…

October 1990

Air currents in a studio can make uniform drying difficult, particularly with large pieces. Try putting a cardboard box over the piece.

Having a soak (or the holding of the firing temperature) can be very useful in a glaze firing. A soak may last from 15 minutes to 3/4 hour or more.

Includes: Keep some slip in an old squeeze sauce bottle | A large coil pot starts to slump | Runs of wax can occur | Large garbage bags | Transferring your design | Wet, squeeze out and freeze foam blocks | A potato peeler | Blutack a cheap masking material | Clean telephone calls | Tinting hot wax | breaking down dry clay

To stop lid sticking when firing Earthenware

Add 60ml (1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons) Alumina Hydrate to 125ml wax to create a special wax for firing lids on pots. When the wax burns off, the powdered, refractory alumina hydrate will stay behind, leaving a chalky resist.

Including: Avoiding "S" cracks, Before adding handles, use of Talc powder, Elastic bandages usage, vegetable peeler use

Collective Wisdom

When pouring glaze on to tall, narrow-mouthed pots, it is difficult to balance the pot safely over the catching bowl.

Collective Wisdom

Make yourself a "bead tree", as suggested by Alma Andrews (see illustration).Make a cone of clay about 10-13cm high, either by throwing it on the wheel or pinching or coiling it by hand.

Collective Wisdom

Have some fun experimenting with patterns made by weaving strips of paper painted with coloured slips or underglazes then placing them onto a wet slab.

Craquelure in glazes (see picture) is often a desired effect and is usually called “crackle”. It is mainly caused by the different shrinkage rates between the glaze and the clay during the firing process and results in a minute network of cracks in the glaze surface.

Includes: Children's crayons, Expired plastic credit card uses, Steel drill bit uses, Oiled stamps, Stamping decoration ideas, Smooth foot rims, Restoring leather hardness, Driftwood tools

Including: Mending Cracks in both leather hard and bisque ware, Reglazing tips

Use kiln stilts! Kiln stilts consist of metal rods that prop up a pottery piece off the shelf, and a durable one may be used multiple times.

Sometimes a glaze or firing does not produce the desired result - the colour is either too bland, the texture is not found, or there are too many errors.

Just a list of my favourite few tips and techniques. I hope they come in handy. Ed

A problem with firing pots sometimes is that their lids can get stuck on from the glaze or firing process. To avoid this happening use Vaseline to line the rims of the pot and lid.

Don’t throw trimmings into a plastic container and let them sit for a week or so to dry before reclaiming. Reclaiming works best when the clay is bone dry. Here is a simple technique to speed the drying process.