Finished pots A Table Full of Glazed Pottery

It you sign up for another CONSECUTIVE eight week session the price drops 8%, you get another 25 pounds of clay, and if you have any make-up classes they carry over to your new session.

Renewing or Not?
Please, let me know!

Please decide weather or not you want to renew three weeks before your session ends. That will provide enough time to hold your space for you or give it to someone else.

Please read it all.

There is a lot of information on this page. Please read it all and then explore the links at the bottom of the page for inspiration.

MyQ Trimming and Signing Pots

News for Current Students

Class Cancellations

Fireborn's Wednesday morning pottery class follows the Pittsburgh Public Schools postings on KDKA. If they have a 2 hour delay, so do we. If they are closed, so are we.

Evening classes are not affected by the public school schedule. I will post evening class cancellation here by four o'clock P.M.

Firing Schedule

All pots glazed as of 2-7-10 were fired as of 2-17-10. Please wait until your next class to pick them up.

Next Semester

Next semester begins March 2,3 and 4, 2010

Contact me by email if you wish.

Current Students Information

For your information (click links):
General Stuff You Should All Know
(so take some time and read this page)
Flow of Pots Through the Studio

Class 1, you make a pot. By class 2 it will be dry enough (leather hard) to trim and sign. When it is fully dried it will be called greenware. Greenware will dissolve in water. By your fourth class (or two weeks after you trim your pots), your greenware will be bisqued. The bisque firing is the first firing and goes to about 1850 degrees F. Your bisque ware will NOT dissolve in water. During class 4, you can glaze your pot. Glazing begins at 8:30 P.M. Next, your pot is glaze fired to 2400º F. After being glaze fired, your porcelain pottery will be safe to use in a microwave, oven and dishwasher, and you will enjoy it for many years to come. Each week, you make more pots, trim pots from the previous week, and glaze your bisque ware.

Signing and Dating Pots

All student pots must be clearly identifiable at all times. Freshly made pots get a paper label with your full name and the date they were made (Smith 8-2-02). After you trim your pots, sign the bottom with your last name and the date they were trimmed. Pots lacking identification will be discarded. Suggestion - Keep a journal of what you make so you can track your work. A journal is also useful for glaze notes.

Waxing

Wax the bottom and up a full 1/4 inch from the bottom of the pot. If your pot has a lid, see Dan for special instructions on waxing lids. Clean your brush well, close the wax jar and change the water when you are done. It you spill wax, change the paper on the workbench. If you want a good waxing brush, you should bring your own. Use the green wax on the bottom of your pots. The yellow wax is for lids but don’t use it without getting special instructions.

Glazing

No glazing before 8:30. Each week, glaze ALL your bisque ware. We don’t have room to store your bisque ware for weeks. They will be fired as is, so do a good job glazing and sponging. After glazing, allow 10 to 15 minutes to clean up. Wipe tables, bucket lids and work surfaces well and leave a clean studio.

Buying Clay

Please buy clay at the beginning of class and pay right away. I can’t keep track of IOU’s. Students will receive a 25# bag of clay at the beginning of their eight-week session. Additional clay is $25 a bag. Maximum clay usage is 3 bags per 8 week session. Firing and glazing of all work completed during class time is included in the class and/or clay fees. Take home clay is $12 a bag plus firing fees.

The clay price is based on the assumption that 25 pounds of clay does not translate into 25 pounds of pots because some clay will be lost in throwing, trimming and collapsed pots. If you could actually get 25 pounds of pots out of 25 pounds of clay I would need to charge more to cover the actual costs of firing. Classes are designed for learning. There are limits to the size of the work you produce and the amount of clay you can purchase. There are additional charges for exceeding the limits.

Reclaiming Your Clay

Squash clay onto the plaster bat so there are no sharp edges and put your initials on it. The fan may get turned on, so don’t let your clay get too dry. Bag your scrap and wedge it before using it again.

 

Notebook

A small notebook is helpful in keeping track of where your pots are in the studio cycle and how you glazed your work.

Trim Wheels

I’ll clean the floor around them. Don’t sweep during class because it makes dust.

Cleaning Up Your Wheel

Clean your wheel, especially under the wheel head and then sponge up the dribbles and clay globs on the floor around your wheel. Wash splash pans in the sink. Scrape bats. Splash pans should be set on the wheels. Foot pedal should be set up on the wheel, too, so the floor can be easily cleaned.

Splash Pans

Dump your water down in the sink. Put only dregs through the screen into the slop bucket.

Pottery Tools and Supplies

Locally there are two places, both in Carnegie and right next door to each other. Standard Ceramics and The Clay Place are both on Walnut Street, between the railroad tracks and the Chartiers Creek. See Map. For mail order try Axner in Florida

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Please bring your own bucket.

Class ends at 9:30 sharp. Please be cleaned up and ready to walk out the door at 9:30.

To maintain studio flow: ALWAYS, every time you come to class, trim everything, glaze everything, and take home everything of yours.

Water buckets are easier to use when full. Don’t overflow splash pan; check it as you work and empty it as necessary. Dump the slurry in the sink, dregs go through the screen and into the gray slop garbage can.

When removing splash pans and wiping off wheels, clay sometimes dribbles onto the floor. Please use a towel or sponge to clean the floor around your wheel.

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Making Better Pots

It is normal for people to have trouble keeping their pots on center. With each new pot, see if you can get a little farther along before the pot gets off center and you lose it.

Centered pots are easier to trim than off centered pots. It you plan to trim a pot be sure the lip is level. Cut the lip off with your needle tool to level it if you need to.

Off center pots can be beautiful, but you will have to trim them on the wheel when you first make them to get them down to a decent weight.

The clay must be adequately wedged. It there are lumps or air bubbles in the clay it is hard to center. Even if you do manage to get it centered - as soon as you stick your thumb into the clay to open it up you displace the lumps and bubbles and the clay gets off center again.

The clay must be adequately lubricated. If the clay gets dry it twists and wrinkles. That happens because of the friction and drag caused by your hands sticking to the spinning clay. Conversely, too much water is a waste and a detriment. It fills up the splash pan and makes your pot too soggy and weak.

Always spin the clay before you put your hands on it. First apply gentle pressure and then more force. When you let go of the clay – do it slowly. Don’t quickly release your pressure or the clay will get off center.

Don’t make jerky movements or twitch. Any sudden movements of your hands or changes in the wheel speed can throw the pot off center.

Avoid thin spots in the wall of your pot. Keep your finger pressure steady and the gap between your fingers even as you pull up the clay.

Work small first. If you can’t execute a technique or form with two pounds of clay, you won't be successful with 3 pounds.

Make your throwing lines close together. They should be about 1/8 of an inch apart.

Making good pots: Use more lubrication, that is water, but remember to empty the splash pan before it overflows. First spin the clay, then touch the clay gently, slowly applying more pressure. Don't twitch or jerk your hands, use steady pressure. Don't goose the foot pedal either. Sudden changes in wheel speed jerk the pot off center. When pulling up, throwing lines should be close together. To achieve this, pull up slowly relative to the speed the wheel is turning. The slower the wheel spins, the slower you ascend. Slow the wheel speed as you ascend and get close to the top of the pot. Also, slow the wheel speed when you work on wide or delicate forms. Don't make the lips too thin and wimpy.

Making better pots: Work quickly. Maximum of 15 minutes per pot. Make the pot grow with each pull. Don't waste time on off center pots. Trash the pot as soon as it gets off center. Keep the walls uniform in thickness. Never create a thin spot in the middle. Weigh your clay. Begin with 2 pounds of clay. When you can make a good 2 pound pot, try using 3 pounds and making larger versions. Practice making tall cylinders. Don't save them, practice making them taller and thinner!

How to make beautiful pots: Master the above. Look at pots in galleries and books. Sketch the forms you like. Use tracing paper for symmetry. Bring your sketch book to class and use it! Use ribs when you throw to get clean, flowing curves. Give yourself the authority to be bold and decisive. Wimpy is always bad! Work in sets. Make 5 similar things. Evaluate and discard the weak forms and pots. Come to class with a plan. Know what forms you want to work on. Ask for help when you need it.

Throwing Exercises

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Aesthetics

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Glazing

We glaze from 8:30 to 9:30 so please wax your pots and be ready to glaze on time. Remember to clean your brushes, put the lid on the wax jar and get fresh water for the next person who waxes. Because of storage consideration you need to keep your work moving through the studio so please glaze each week. I supervise glazing from 8:30 to 9:30 and leave the throwers upstairs to work independently.

WHY DO GLAZES RUN?

Glazes melt when fired to maturity and form a coating of glass on the surface of the pot. The glazes melt slowly, and as they melt they bubble like thick syrup.

As they get hotter and hotter, the glazes become more fluid, similar to the consistency of honey. Eventually, if over fired or too thick, the glaze will become so fluid it will run off the pot onto the shelves.

When fired to maturity, some glazes are inherently more fluid (runny) than others. Example: Copper Red

When application of the glaze is thick, glazes are more likely to run. When glazes are applied unevenly, resulting in thick and thin spots, the thick spots will be more likely to run.

Some glaze combinations become extremely fluid where they overlap. This is known as an eutectic. Example: Chun and Titanium Blue

Poor glazing results in poor pots.

The Problem:

When glaze runs off your pots, it ruins your pots. When glaze runs off your pots, it sticks to and damages our kiln shelves.

The Solution:

Avoid runny glazes until you are proficient at glazing. Avoid glaze combinations that form a eutectic. Ask if you are not sure! Apply glazes with a uniform and appropriate thickness. Use runny glazes on the rims and insides of pots only. That way, if they run, at least they won't stick your pot to the cookie or kiln shelf. Label all glazed pots so we know what glazes are on them and can put them in the most favorable spot in the kiln for that glaze. Wax the entire bottom of each piece and 1/8 to 1/4 inch above the bottom on the outside of the piece. Waxing makes it easier to clean off glaze that must be removed from the waxed areas. Dust porcelain pots with a damp tea towel.

All glazes must be thoroughly stirred before using. Inadequate stirring will result in areas where the color of glaze does not develop because it is too thin.

When dipping glazes, submerge piece quickly, count one second, and remove pieces quickly from the glaze.

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Technical Information

Porcelain Clay: There are many kinds of clay, like earthenware, stoneware, and the most beautiful, porcelain. Porcelain is glassy and non-absorbent when fired to maturity. We fire to cone 11, which is about 2400 degrees Fahrenheit. Our pottery is as durable as restaurant ware!

Porcelain is white in color. It is the most expensive clay. When glazed with a translucent or clear glaze, the whiteness of the clay makes the glaze appear brighter than it would on stoneware. Stoneware has iron in it that produces speckles and causes the glaze to darken and get muddy in color. Porcelain gives glazes a smooth, clean, brilliant glaze surface.

Firing: We fire to cone 11 (2400 degrees F.) in a 100 cu. ft. gas kiln. The kiln is made of steel, and lined with firebrick and ceramic fiber. We fire in a reducing atmosphere which promotes the development of certain colors such as the celadons and copper reds. When reduction is induced during the firing, the fire is partially deprived of oxygen, and combustion is incomplete. Hungry for oxygen, the fire breaks chemical bonds to obtain the combined oxygen.This releases free carbon (visible as smoke).The chemical reaction strips oxygen from the coloring oxides present in the glaze. These elements are thus reduced to their metallic state. The intensity of the colors produced vary according to the percentages of oxides present, the character of the base glaze and the amount of reduction obtained.

Safety: Fireborn pottery may be used in a dishwasher, microwave and oven. Avoid sudden, extreme changes of temperature. You can place porcelain in a 325 degree oven and then increase the temperature. When you remove an item from the oven, place it on a pad of wood, cloth or cork, not on a cold tile counter top. All our glazes and our clay are lead and cadmium free.

Glazes: At Fireborn Studios we formulate our own glazes. Usually we begin with with recipes from books of traditional glazes and then rework them to use contemporary materials. We fine tune them until we get the desired color and correct glaze fit. We do thousands of glaze tests and experiments.

Raw Materials: The materials we use are mined. Many of the materials are sedimentary. As a deposit is excavated, the composition of the material shifts. Change is a constant and it affects our glazes and clay. Occasionally, one or two of our glazes is giving us problems. We constantly have to change our firing methods and glaze formulas to keep our glazes consistent, and even then there is some shift over time.

Glaze Color: Our glazes are finicky! Each glaze works best in a specific area of the kiln where there is a particular atmosphere and temperature. Visualize the flames in the kiln swirling around the pots. Just like in a campfire, the flames are constantly changing as they lick the pots. This firing process produces beautiful variations which add character and make each piece unique.

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Clay: Clay is found in sedimentary deposits and soil. There are many types of clay. Different clays have different physical and chemical properties. The properties potters are concerned with are color, shrinkage, plasticity, and maturation temperature. Porcelain matures at cone 9 to 12. Red earthenware clay matures at much lower temperatures of cone 1 to 4. Earthenware is porous when fired to maturity and gets its warm terra cotta color from lots of iron in the clay. Stoneware clay is quite plastic, has less iron than earthenware clay, and matures at temperatures of cone 7-10. It has little porosity and fires to a warm tan or brown color. It can be a good throwing body straight out of the ground. Porcelain is white because it has almost no iron it in. It matures at cone 9-12. It is not very plastic by itself and requires the addition of ball clay or some other Plasticine to be a good throwing body. It also requires the addition of about 25% flint and 25% feldspar make it mature at cone 10 or 11 and to make glazes fit well.

There are many other types of clay. Most clay bodies potters work with are actually blends of various clays, feldspars, flint and Plasticine. There is much to learn about digging clay, and formulating clay bodies. Clays are formulated to have the desired color, firing temperature, plasticity, shrinkage and porosity the potter requires for the type of work s/he wants to produce.

Glaze Chemistry: Glazes are similar to clays in their chemical composition but have more fluxes. A flux is something that causes things to melt at a lower temperature. The fluxes in glazes are things like calcium, sodium,and potassium and are sourced from things like lime, whiting, feldspar and talc. They flux the lumina and silica in the glazes and cause the glaze to melt into a glass and fuse to the pot's surface. Metallic oxides like red iron oxide, copper carbonate, cobalt carbonate, rutile and titanium dioxide give glazes their color. When the glaze gets hot in the kiln and melts, chemical reactions take place. The heat, atmosphere in the kiln, metallic oxides and other glaze materials all affect the color and look of the fired glaze.

Firing: Firing can be divided into high, mid-range and low temperature firing, and oxidation or reduction. Energy sources are wood, gas, oil and electricity. Low temperature firings are done from 1200 to 1900 degrees Fahrenheit. Mid-range is from 2000 - 2200. High temperature firing is between 2200 and 2500 degrees F. Electric kilns produce an oxidizing atmosphere. Kilns that burn fuel may be fired in oxidation or reduction. To fire a kiln in reduction, you need to starve the fire of oxygen so you get a smoky fire. A smoky fire has incomplete combustion and the smoke contains carbon monoxide and unburned carbon. Reduction firing affects the colors of the glazes.

The temperature and atmosphere you fire in will have a big effect on the color and feel of your glazes and clays.

Low fired pots are porous and will absorb liquid and foods. They can be used on an open flame for cooking and were used that way by early humans. High fired pots are strong, hard and nonabsorbent. They are subject to thermal shock and will crack if used on a stove top, but are good for oven use and food storage.

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Reading List

Clay and Glazes for the Potter by Daniel Rhodes This is the potters' bible of technical information - a must read if you want to be a serious potter. If you have questions about clay and glazes, or just want to want to understand the chemical and physical side of pottery, read this book.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. A young orphan boy living in a 12th Century Korean pottery village becomes fascinated as he watches a master potter at work. Devotion to one's craft, and dedication to hard work are core values learned by the boy. He eventually becomes apprenticed to the master potter. The technical detail in this Newbury award winning novel is accurate and informative. You'll want to mix your own slips and try doing inlay work. See the link on Korean pottery (under Links).

The Road to Miyama by Leila Phillip. A young woman goes to a rural Japanese village and learns the aesthetic and traditions of Japanese studio potters.

Oriental Glazes by Michael Bailey. An analysis of glazes based on the percentages of alumina and silica, as opposed to the typical "unity" formula approach. It also explains how to take a tenmoku glaze and shift it into teadust, iron red, khaki, or iron saturate.

Visit a Factory If you want to visit some pottery factories and see how they make pots, there are two nearby in East Liverpool, Ohio, 50 minutes from Pittsburgh. You can visit Hall China in the morning and catch Homer Laughlin in the afternoon. There is a bridge across the Ohio River at East Liverpool. To get to Hall, cross to the north side of the Ohio River and go right about 2 miles. Homer Laughlin is on the south side of the Ohio River and to the west (downstream) about 2 miles. They both have seconds outlet shops with lots of great deals. Call for more information. Hall's phone is 304-385-4103, Homer Laughlin's phone 304-387-1300 Make reservations for the tours.

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Ending your session:

Please decide weather or not you want to renew three weeks before your session ends. That will provide enough time to hold your space for you or give it to someone else.

Option One: Don't end your session. The price drops 8% for a consecutive session. And if you have make-up classes they will carry over into a consecutive session. Otherwise you lose them.

Option Two: Notify Dan that you will be ending your session. Spend your last class trimming, glazing and practicing throwing pots, but don’t save anything you throw that day... because you wont be around to trim it. Pots thrown 3 classes before the end of your session will be ready to glaze on your last class. Pots made during your next to last class will be ready to trim on your last class. Pots thrown on your last class will not get trimmed and are just for practice.

After your last class you may have work in process, such as pots that are not bisqued or glazed yet. You may choose to return for an add on glaze session to finish up; you may choose to pick up your bisque ware in 2 weeks, take them home, and save them until you sign up for another session months later; you may decided to discarded unfinished pots. It's up to you.

You can call and schedule an additional glaze session ($15). Those sessions will be at 8:30 on a night I have class, which are currently Tuesday and Thursday. Because shelf and storage space is limited, extra glaze sessions should happen 2 to 3 weeks after your regular session ended. Pots that are left at Fireborn for more than a month after your session ends will be discarded. 

Unclaimed Pots

At all stages of production shelf space is an issue. I encourage you to trim and glaze each week and not let pots collect on the shelves. Also after your session ends, there will be bisque ware and glazed ware making its way through the studios cycle. I hate to throw abandoned work in the dumpster, so please come get your pots within a reasonable amount of time.

Price List and Make Up Classes 11-1-2009

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Make-up Classes

This is the policy: We try to be flexible. If you want to make up a missed class, you may do so by scheduling class on another day of the week, space permitting. For example, if you regularly attend Thursday’s class, you can make up during a Tuesday class. Please call to reschedule. You will need to fit your make-up classes within your eight week session. Please note that if you sign up for another consecutive eight week session your make-ups flow forward with you.

This is the reality: Usually one or two people don't show up for class but I can never predict what will happen and usually people don't call and tell me if they will be absent. All classes are currently full, so you can just come in to do a make-up any day I have classes... and take your chances on someone else not showing up.

The standard pricing policy for tuition at art centers and schools is that if you miss a class you lose it. We offer limited flexibility here. We have to draw the line on attendance somewhere or things get completely out of control. We obviously can’t sell classes on a come whenever you want basis or some evenings one or two people would show up and other times the class would be overflowing.

We feel we have the best class situation in the area. We are flexible, our classes are small, you are in a functioning artist’s studio, not a classroom, and we have the best equipment and the best glazes around.

Whereas all the other places that offer classes are nonprofit and get grant money to subsidize their classes, Fireborn is privately owned and we need to watch our bottom line. The economic life of an artist is tenuous at best. However, we still charge less than other institutions and offer you more. Please don't put me in the awkward position of having to deal with requests to deviate from this policy or use our friendship to put me at a disadvantage.

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Size and Production Limits

Classes at Fireborn are about learning, not production. Advanced throwers wishing to do production and make pots for sale or large sized pots should consider another facility. This is because space is limited and because of financial considerations.

This should not affect any students who make a variety of forms of different sizes and complexity, and who spend time on detail. Nor should it affect beginners. This policy is, however, intended to curb production by people making as much as they can as fast as they can and as big as they can, or trying to run a pottery business out of my studio. Professional potters should look elsewhere for studio space.

As a guide line, in an 8 week class you should not use more than 60 pounds of clay.

The chart for oversized pots is posted in the studio by the trim wheels. All oversized pots are to be paid for on the day they are thrown. Please note, I am not trying to make money from oversized pots, I am trying to eliminate them. They don't fit on my shelves. Space is limited. Pots that nest or stack are the most manageable.

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Links to World Wide Pottery Information

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