I am wanting to get started doing some test firing with tiles to understand firing clay better. Does anyone use a tabletop kiln like this for small ceramic pieces? I’ve done a lot of enameling but not in this kiln. I got it off marketplace a few months ago.
Pictured is a piece I made in college.
I haven’t done ceramics in 11 years. I took classes all through college but for some reason never learned about firing.
I primarily used Laguna b mix. I have a potters wheel and kiln and want to learn as much as possible about firing and glazes and such. I am opening my own art shop in early 2027 where I will be selling my vitreous enamel jewelry and needle felted art pieces. I want to get back into ceramics and sell that as well.
I am looking for resources or crash courses on firing and glazing. I want to be able to use bright colorful glazes or stains on pieces and also be able to use glazes that do their own magic in the kiln.
Am I correct that Laguna b mix is primarily high fire? I did some low fire pieces at school and I don’t believe the clay vitrified all the way as the bottoms of the pieces got moldy. I want to avoid that! Can I use bright colorful glazes in high fires or is that generally for low fire clays? There is so much to learn. 😰
My Grandma has been going downhill a lot mentally this year. I know she’d under a lot of stress. She’s 78 and dealing with my 75 year old Grandpa with Parkinson’s. She’s chronically dehydrated and doesn’t eat enough. She’s lost so much weight. Her skin color looks so unhealthy and her skin is so transparent. The thing I’m really concerned about though is she is forgetting so much lately. It was little things here and there but lately it’s been a lot and I keep mentally questioning it. I figured it’s probably just the major stress she’s been under lately. Then a friend came by today and after she left she sent me a message and said she is really concerned about my Grandma with possible dementia. She mentioned she could tell my Grandma has gone downhill a lot since she last visited a couple of months ago. I’m at a loss on what to do. I am the only family my Grandparents have nearby. Everyone else lives 2,000 miles away. My Grandma is so touchy about topics of aging and her health and I don’t know what to do but I am getting really concerned.
I’ve made beads in soft glass and would like to learn how to make little figurines and pendants. Aside from going to physical places and taking a class, are there other resources? Online classes/tutorials that can be purchased? I have a wide basic knowledge of glass as I’ve worked at a full scale glass blowing studio for the last 16 years but lamp working is quite a bit different.