Any potters around?

[MoreCheerfulMonica]

Looking for some advice. I'm a keen but very much amateur potter. Everything we make in class is earthenware, fired by the tutor. I'm getting rather depressed at how quickly anything I put in the garden (even though we were assured it would be weatherproof) deteriorates. Either the glaze flakes off or the piece cracks and breaks, or both. Pieces used indoors don't fare much better; they seem to crack or chip if you so much as look at them askance.

What's likely to be the problem? My bad workmanship (although I don't really think so as everything survives the initial firing) or problems in the firing?

My mom was a potter.
I thought the main thing to do with durability was the temp of the kiln (hotter = less likely to crack).
Do the others in your class have same problems? Then you know it's the materials or methods, not You.

Thank you. Yes, that's my hunch, that the tutor isn't firing things at the right temperature. I will ask other class members, but I'm usually the only person making things to use (rather than ornamental stuff) so it's harder to compare.

Good luck. I vaguely remember my mother going on about how she needed a better quality kiln (hotter) to make stuff that was reliable to use as our everyday bowls/cups etc. Also the glazing turns out different depending on the temp/duration.

Yup, firing at low fire temp is definitely going to make them less durable. And I would say utter madness to say that they would be ok out in the garden.
When they are fired at a low fire temp they are not actually 100% water tight which is why you have to glaze the bottom of your pots (you do not do this when you high fire as the clay itself becomes vitrified at the higher temp). So putting a low fired piece of work outside in these colder temps the freezing temps will make them crack pronto.

To make things for outdoor use I was told way back in the day you ideally have to fire at cone 10 which is hoooooooooot; most stone ware potters fire at Cone 6. My guess is that you are currently firing at Cone 06 which is pretty standard at low fire.

Most potters fire at Cone 6 as I said; so shop around and see if you can find another course that fire at that temp because there is nothing more frustrating when the medium does not suit what you want to do.

I have my own studio these days so I am a very lucky lady but for years I did not. I faced exactly the same frustrations as you but the other way round - I want low fire since I work exclusively with underglazes so I want to preserve the colours. Yes, I loose out on durability (but not too hideously really) but I also ensure that I do not drown in pottery in my own home since it slows me down and I get the opportunity to refresh my personal mug supply. Since my taste and abilities are continuously evolving that is not necessarily a bad thing in my book!

The down side however is that now I am slowly beginning to think about selling I know that I cannot charge as much as I could for Stoneware.

I have added a couple of pix of mine so that you will show me yours?
I love me some pottery porn you see!

Thanks for the further advice (which confirms my fears/suspicions). I'll be able to ask some intelligent questions about cone temps!

Your work is beautiful, ChocDee. My stuff is very distinctive and I don't want to out myself, but will take a photo or two and post them later.

You're welcome! What I forgot to say in my essay... what I did for year before I got my own kiln was to make my own stuff and save up until I had enough until I had enough to fill a kiln on my own so I could fire at my own desired temp.

But!!! If you decide to go down this route you have to buy your own clay that is suited to high fire and glazes that match that temp.

The essay was very informative! Are those pots thrown or slip glaze? The lidded pot in particular I like very much.

What I dislike about the making process is that the firing is out of my control. There are other things I dislike - the fired work often comes back with sharp bits of grot from the kiln (can't remember its proper name) on the bottom, which must be avoidable as it doesn't happen with the stuff one buys in the shops, and it often takes weeks to get things back - and it's dispiriting that some things are already damaged. I am going to try a different class in the New Year.

Slip cast, I mean, obvs.

Aaaah my dear; welcome to the world of pottery and the Mighty Deity of the Kiln God who has been observed revered in China since ancient times!
I'm afraid that with pottery you are always working with the knowledge that you can and will loose some of your work due to a lot of different factors during firing. I am a self taught potter so am no expert but here are just a few that I have contended with and still do to this day:

Different thickness of the clay. Even to this day I sometimes can find this difficult to judge especially when throwing larger pieces like the jar. Down where the transitioning between the foot and the wall of the jar is happening it is very thick which on this one I got away with it but on another has caused large stress cracks during the final fire. If it had been any thicker it would have totally exploded away and maybe even damaged other things next to it in the kiln.
Practice makes perfect!

The clay not having been dried slowly and equally enough. When your finished piece is ready to dry it is so important that it dries slowly so that the outer and thinner parts do not dry too fast and shrink too rapidly before the 'inside' has a chance to keep up. Sometimes the cracks caused by this can be minuscule and are only apparent after firing.

Opening the kiln too soon. So bloody tempting!! But let the kiln cool slowly.

I had a lot of frustrations back when others fired my work and I feel your pain. If you get the chance - surreptitiously sweep both sides of their kiln shelves. A lots of dust and grit can accumulate on them and will fall into your pots when they stack the kiln. I had one person who regularly filled the kiln with dirty hands so ended up with dirty thumb prints on a lot of my stuff that was rather sad....

For the rough bits on the undersides of your pots - use a dremmel or a sanding stone. Since with low fire you have to glaze the underside everything has to stand on little pointy stilts otherwise it would melt into the shelf.

When you glaze your work make sure that your glaze is thoroughly whisked. Use a drill with a stirry thingie attachment if you are dipping and then once it is dry I would smooth over any lump and bumps with either your finger or something else suitable.

I used to have that exact problem with my glaze being gritty and I thought firing would sort it and melt it out but it didn't.

Right, so at the end of yet another essay I would just like to say - stick with it! It is a wonderful hobby that has its frustrations; but is so worth it! And as you can see from my ramblings - it is wonderfully obsessive!

Oh and thank you for liking my jar - if you look at it funny and for too long you realise that actually the pretty flowers look like vaginas. So that's nice.

All of my pieces for outdoor are made using stonewear clay and fired at a much higher temp. I use different glazes too which are designed for much higher firings than earthenware glazes.
Hope your next class is better.
happy potting!

How lovely to find fellow potters on MN

I have been doing pottery on and off for years but only just started to make any progress as a lot of adult pottery classes I had been to didn’t do much actual teaching. My current teacher is brilliant and I am finally learning new techniques and making actual progress.

ChocDee your pieces are gorgeous!

oh chocdee I thought your beautiful flowers looked like dancing elegant backing singers. Now I see bubble blowing vaginas.
exquisite!

Thank you for the compliments and the encouragement. But this is Mumsnet. The pattern will henceforth be known as:

'Ejaculating Vaginas - I Am Woman! HEAR ME ROAR!'

Oh crikey. Now those flowers look different for me, too! ::blush::

I'm actually quite adept at mixing the glazes (we use a stick blender) as so many seem to solidify from week to week. The bits of grit I'm grumbling about are the debris on the shelf from previous firings, that then gets fired onto the next batch of pots. Sadly the kiln is offsite so I can't sweep the shelves.

Years ago, I used to sculpt in clay so I'm enjoying working with clay in a different way.