A Thrown Glaze for Firing Schedules
· 2 min read
This is less a primer and more a record of what worked for me. I keep notes on every firing, even the disappointing ones. Functional pots should feel good in the hand before anything else. You can get remarkably far with an electric kiln and some patience.
The middle part
The shift showed up gradually, then all at once. Here is what altered, and what stayed exactly the same. Some of this will be plain; some of it took me years.
Small things
The kiln opened warm, and the first bowl made it all worth it. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Clay remembers every mistake you make with it.
A wire cutter helps, but it is not the point. Mugs are harder than they look; handles most of all. The small things matter less than the routine of paying attention.
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version.
Looking ahead
What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. Test tiles are unexciting until one of them changes all of it. I wrote most of this on a quiet Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading, and for the generous notes that keep arriving.
The best advice I got was plainly to slow down. The result is not perfect, but it is honest. I keep a short list of things to try next; trimming is near the top.
- Do less mixing glazes, more trimming
- Leave room for matte mistakes
- Do less wedging clay, more loading the kiln
- Budget twice the time you expect
The process
Looking back, the thrown approach was the right call. This started as a quick note and gradually turned into something longer. Looking back, the imperfect approach was the right call. I keep coming back to handles, mostly because it rewards patience.
It is easy to overthink wedging clay. It is harder to just start.