What is Reddit's opinion of The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes: Glazing and Firing at Cones 4-7 (Lark Ceramics Books)?

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I second buying books from the country you’re in! I tried to teach myself some throwing in high school using a book published in the UK, and it turned out that much like driving, we typically throw in opposite directions. Plus, I’d only “taught” myself bad habits that I had to be broken of once I was in college. Seek guidance as early as you can! Apart from helping your work vastly and saving money, there’s a lot of dangerous stuff in a ceramics studio that needs to be handled with care. For beginning (or continuing) with glazes, The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes: Glazing and Firing at Cones 4-7 (Lark Ceramics Books) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1454707771/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabt1_xciRFbR6TQJZH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

The Complete Guide to Mid Cone Glazes

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Mid-Range-Glazes-Ceramics/dp/1454707771

To pre empt other questions that you’re going to have, previous answer:

Hey - these are all really great questions - lets go through them.

"Worth mixing own glazes for newer potter? Cost benefit?"

Hells yes. Learning how to mix your own kiln wash + a basic clear for starters is a really smart thing to do. I broke down the cost of an earthenware clear in the FAQ, which works out to be half the price, and then some, because you've got leftover glaze ingredients: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pottery/comments/mzo4ls/comment/gxsb6t7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

You can totally mix your own green glaze - here's how I did it with the glaze above: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ceramics/comments/lejzav/oxides_tests_on_slip_glaze_methods_base_recipes/

Highly recommend that book that I used - Greg Daly's "Developing Glazes" because it goes over oxides + base glazes + testing in an incredibly thorough way.

fyi: kiln wash - the ceramic arts network site is currently down, but hopefully this link will work in time: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/The-Many-Layers-of-Kiln-Wash-How-to-Find-the-Best-Kiln-Wash-for-Your-Firing-Temperature-and-Methods

John Britt is also a great go to - he has a trove of youtube videos + the book "mid fire glazes": https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Mid-Range-Glazes-Ceramics/dp/1454707771 along with a facebook group.

It's worth reading through the Q&A FAQ, and my posts/comments too, reason being that all I do with this account is help folk with pottery/ceramics questions, and there's some gold there that possibly answers your questions before you ask them :)

"I live in a mid-sized Midwestern city without a large number of pottery suppliers - where would you look to buy ingredients?"

Greg Daly recommends US Pigment: https://uspigment.com/

The buyer beware there is that their mason stains aren't from mason, they are not a recognised distributor, and if you want help from mason, get mason stains from their distributors: What US Pigment are great for is glaze ingredients, particularly frits, earth oxides and inclusion stains.

The other way you can do it is check out the distributors for large USA based ceramic companies: Skutt, Laguna Clay + AmacoBrent which they all have on their websites. Between those three, you're gonna find something.

Dust management: mop, don't sweep, but what about vacuum? What about dust on surfaces that can't be easily mopped?

If you're concerned about dust, that's fixed by not making dust in the first place - you're throwing wet clay, clean any stray wet clay before it dries. You're turning leather hard clay - collect and reclaim before that dries. Get into the habit of spending 15 minutes at the end of the day cleaning and organising the studio - which is what Turning Earth (approx 150 members in one of the largest collectives in London) makes a rule for everyone. So, if you haven't already, get sponges to clean - the car wash ones like so: 🧽 and buckets for cleaning/reclaim, and you're done. Whenever you're making, always have water and a sponge by you to clean as you go.

More info re: studio setup: Vince Pitelka handouts: https://www.vincepitelka.com/handoutsinformation/

Clay studio safety: https://www.vincepitelka.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Clay-Studio-Safety.pdf

Buying a proper respirator: https://www.vincepitelka.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Buying-a-Proper-Respirator.pdf

(there's also a great one on cones - but worth going through the archive of handouts as it's a goddamn goldmine).

"Apparently our Skutt KM-818 can fire up to cone 10, but I've heard it can reduce life of elements / the kiln - in general given we aren't experienced enough to know differently yet, should we be targeting cone 4-6 "mid fire" with our clay / glazes?"

True. " If you fire your kiln once a week for one year to 1280ºc would be equal to three years of 1200ºc firings so stoneware firings will shorten your elements life considerably" from the fine kiln repair and parts folk AA kilns: http://aakilns.com/kiln_elements.html

So, I'd be having a good chat with a clay supplier about what you want to do, what you're after, what samples they have etc etc etc, then you work your glazes around that. Mid fire is also good for colour if you want to use underglazes etc - they can burn out at higher temps. My understanding is that the bulk of beginners start out with b-mix, which is a mid fire clay too.

Also, Skutt c/o the FAQ: Did you know that if you have a Skutt Kiln, that you have free customer service for the life of that kiln which is awesome and comprehensive, and probably far better than any answer you're gonna get here? Doesn't matter if you bought it secondhand, they pride themselves on customer service. Contact them: https://skutt.com/contact/skutt-support/ If you want to get really skutt nerdy, there's an excellent interview on Tales Of A Red Clay Rambler podcast.

Speaking of podcasts - Tales... + For Flux Sake, a glaze podcast and other really great ceramic podcasts fall under the Brickyard Network: https://www.brickyardnetwork.org/. Highly recommend For Flux Sake re: glazes, who are the folk behind Ceramic Materials Workshop:

https://www.ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/

Also agreeing with others here re: u/oldforgecreations and his cone 6 recipes, given that he's done the ceramic materials workshop course which comes highly recommended.

"I've made three 25 pound plaster bats board for reclaiming and wedging, and they all feel like they're taking forever to dry / cure and could be easily scraped / gouged with my finger nails?"

Trick here with reclaim: get yourself some pure cotton sheets from the op shop, and rip to larger than your plaster. Make it a rule to always put the sheet down before clay. Then, whenever you want clay off the plaster, lift the sheet. Makes it super easy to flip the clay, put wetter clay underneath what is already there, take the sheet + clay and put into plastic, then take out again and keep reclaiming if you're going away for a while...it's damn handy. Also means no plaster in clay whilst reclaiming, not that I've ever had that problem.

That's a lot to take in - but good luck.

Hey - these are all really great questions - lets go through them.

"Worth mixing own glazes for newer potter? Cost benefit?"

Hells yes. Learning how to mix your own kiln wash + a basic clear for starters is a really smart thing to do. I broke down the cost of an earthenware clear in the FAQ, which works out to be half the price, and then some, because you've got leftover glaze ingredients: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pottery/comments/mzo4ls/comment/gxsb6t7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

You can totally mix your own green glaze - here's how I did it with the glaze above: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ceramics/comments/lejzav/oxides_tests_on_slip_glaze_methods_base_recipes/

Highly recommend that book that I used - Greg Daly's "Developing Glazes" because it goes over oxides + base glazes + testing in an incredibly thorough way.

fyi: kiln wash - the ceramic arts network site is currently down, but hopefully this link will work in time: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/The-Many-Layers-of-Kiln-Wash-How-to-Find-the-Best-Kiln-Wash-for-Your-Firing-Temperature-and-Methods

John Britt is also a great go to - he has a trove of youtube videos + the book "mid fire glazes": https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Mid-Range-Glazes-Ceramics/dp/1454707771 along with a facebook group.

re: "I live in a mid-sized Midwestern city without a large number of pottery suppliers - where would you look to buy ingredients?" Greg Daly recommends US Pigment: https://uspigment.com/ The buyer beware there is that their mason stains aren't from mason, they are not a recognised distributor, and if you want help from mason, get mason stains from their distributors: What US Pigment are great for is glaze ingredients, particularly frits, earth oxides and inclusion stains. The other way you can do it is check out the distributors for large USA based ceramic companies: Skutt, Laguna Clay + AmacoBrent. Between those three, you're gonna find something.

Dust management: mop, don't sweep, but what about vacuum? What about dust on surfaces that can't be easily mopped?

If you're concerned about dust, that's fixed by not making dust in the first place - you're throwing wet clay, clean any stray wet clay before it dries. You're turning leather hard clay - collect and reclaim before that dries. Get into the habit of spending 15 minutes at the end of the day cleaning and organising the studio - which is what Turning Earth (approx 150 members in one of the largest collectives in London) makes a rule for everyone. So, if you haven't already, get sponges to clean - the car wash ones like so: 🧽 and buckets for cleaning/reclaim, and you're done.

More info re: studio setup: Vince Pitelka handouts: https://www.vincepitelka.com/handoutsinformation/

Clay studio safety: https://www.vincepitelka.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Clay-Studio-Safety.pdf

Buying a proper respirator: https://www.vincepitelka.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Buying-a-Proper-Respirator.pdf

(there's also a great one on cones - but worth going through the archive of handouts as it's a goddamn goldmine).

"Apparently our Skutt KM-818 can fire up to cone 10, but I've heard it can reduce life of elements / the kiln - in general given we aren't experienced enough to know differently yet, should we be targeting cone 4-6 "mid fire" with our clay / glazes?"

True. " If you fire your kiln once a week for one year to 1280ºc would be equal to three years of 1200ºc firings so stoneware firings will shorten your elements life considerably" from the fine kiln repair and parts folk AA kilns: http://aakilns.com/kiln_elements.html

So, I'd be having a good chat with a clay supplier about what you want to do, what you're after, what samples they have etc etc etc, then you work your glazes around that. Mid fire is also good for colour if you want to use underglazes etc - they can burn out at higher temps. My understanding is that the bulk of beginners start out with b-mix, which is a mid fire clay too.

Also, Skutt c/o the FAQ: Did you know that if you have a Skutt Kiln, that you have free customer service for the life of that kiln which is awesome and comprehensive, and probably far better than any answer you're gonna get here? Doesn't matter if you bought it secondhand, they pride themselves on customer service. Contact them: https://skutt.com/contact/skutt-support/ If you want to get really skutt nerdy, there's an excellent interview on Tales Of A Red Clay Rambler podcast.

Speaking of podcasts - Tales... + For Flux Sake, a glaze podcast and other really great ceramic podcasts fall under the Brickyard Network: https://www.brickyardnetwork.org/. Highly recommend For Flux Sake re: glazes, who are the folk behind Ceramic Materials Workshop:

https://www.ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/

"I've made three 25 pound plaster bats board for reclaiming and wedging, and they all feel like they're taking forever to dry / cure and could be easily scraped / gouged with my finger nails?"

Trick here with reclaim: get yourself some pure cotton sheets from the op shop, and rip to larger than your plaster. Make it a rule to always put the sheet down before clay. Then, whenever you want clay off the plaster, lift the sheet. Makes it super easy to flip the clay, put wetter clay underneath what is already there, take the sheet + clay and put into plastic, then take out again and keep reclaiming if you're going away for a while...it's damn handy. Also means no plaster in clay whilst reclaiming, not that I've ever had that problem.

That's a lot to take in - but you're on the right track, and good luck - look forward to seeing what you get up to!