Ceramic
Frits Substitution Chart
kindly supplied by Frank Gaydos The frits listed on this page are divided into two sections: The first section is a cross reference of some available frits showing where you can substitute among different brands. The second section shows a breakdown of each frit into the Silica/Alumina Ratio, the Molecular Formula,and a Percentage Analysis.... Read More
June 12, 2019
Pyrometric Cones (Orton Standard)
Temperature Equivalent Chart (when heated at 150oC/hr*) Warning! Do not view cones above earthenware temperature with the naked eye as this may cause cataracts. View through welders goggles – sunglasses are not suitable as they filter out UV, but not the infra-red, which is the damaging wavelength in this case! Cone No. Centigrade Fahrenheit Visual Color... Read More
June 12, 2019
Robert Yellin
Ode to Japanese Pottery, Sake Cups and Flasks Review by Steven Goldate Having known Robert Yellin through his website on Japanese ceramics e-yakimono.net for some time now, I eagerly awaited the arrival of his hot-off-the-press book Ode to Japanese Pottery. I was not disappointed. On opening the package, an enticing setting of sake cup and bottle peered... Read More
June 12, 2019
Rock Glazes, Geology and Mineral Processing for Potters
Author: Steve Harrison Review by Damon Moon Material Matters – Steve Harrison’s Rock Glazes, Geology and Mineral Processing for Potters: A Personal Approach. Hot and Sticky Press 2003. ISBN 0 – 9750530 – 0 – 0. Available from http://ian.currie.to/sh/Steve_Harrisons_books.html. ‘For potters must be close to the earth where their materials are; pots are of the earth... Read More
June 12, 2019
Jack Doherty – Porcelain
Review by Steven Goldate Jack Doherty’s Porcelain is another in the ‘Ceramics Handbooks’ series by A&C Black (Published in the USA by the University of Pennsylvania Press). It’s a neat introduction to the topic for the student, hobby artist or budding studio potter. Doherty introduces us to the material via its origins in China’s Tang dynasty (618-906... Read More
June 12, 2019
Zillij in Fez
Written by Louis Werner Photographed by Peter Sanders Reprinted with kind permission of Saudi Aramco World. The 17th-century Nejjarine Fountain, retiled and repaired by two generations of master zlayjis of the Benslimane family. Photo Credits: Peter Sanders/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA Dressed in a flowing brown jellaba and peaked gray tarboosh, Abdelatif Benslimane wanders the narrow lanes of Old Fez, his eyes... Read More
June 12, 2019
Throwing Curves
The Life and Art of Eva Zeisel. Canobie Films. Directed by Jyll Johnstone. 60 mins. Eva Zeisel is a name many may not have heard, an artist and designer many may not be aware of. Despite this, many may have seen her designs, may have been touched by her work. Many will certainly be touched... Read More
June 12, 2019
A Problem With Cobalt?
Article by Jeff Zamek, author of Safety in the Ceramics Studio & What Every Potter Should Know. Piet Stockmans, ‘100 Vases’ exhibition Sotheby’s (London, UK), 1998. Stockmans is well known for his exclusive and innovative use of cobalt blue. Website: http://www.pietstockmans.com Cobalt oxide and cobalt carbonate are ceramic raw materials widely used by potters. They are frequently found in... Read More
June 12, 2019
Why On Earth Do They Call It Throwing?
An investigation into the origin of words, by Dennis Krueger Images courtesy Edouard Bastarache. When a person changes professions one carries the knowledge and experience of the profession left behind into the new profession. In my case the old profession was German language and literature; the new one, pottery. I knew that language, like any... Read More
June 12, 2019
Tokoname, Japan
The Pottery Path – A Walk Through the Pottery Town of Tokoname Introduction Welcome to Tokoname “Yakimono Sanpomichi” or Pottery Path. The “Yakimono Sanpomichi” is a path which started as a natural tour of the various points of interest in Tokoname in about 1972. This path is filled with old traditional houses, workshops and buildings... Read More
June 12, 2019