Plainsman Clays

A transparent glaze is going satin: Is it the feldspar and kaolin substitutions? Or is this a tipping-point glaze? https://digitalfire.com/picture/3836

Alberta Slip as a functional, honey-transparent base: The glaze I reach for again and again. https://digitalfire.com/picture/3738

Approximate specific gravity using a scale and a graduated cylinder: It doesn't matter how high you fill it. https://digitalfire.com/picture/3004

How can a clay body made from rock-like ore produce impossibly delicate Yixing teapots? The answer appears to lie in a fascinating combination of unusual material properties and highly evolved forming techniques that challenge many assumptions modern potters have about plasticity, density and workability. https://digitalfire.com/picture/3815

This potter breaks the rules and makes impossible pots. How? Plastic, soft, sticky clay, a helper and a hybrid technique. https://digitalfire.com/picture/3826

Substituting a frit of unknown chemistry, for another in a glaze recipe, is like substituting a poodle into a dog team. https://digitalfire.com/picture/1961

EPK was unique for its stickiness and ability to gel slurries. But it is not unique enough that it cannot be replaced. https://digitalfire.com/picture/3336

Here is a worst-case porcelain engobe misfit: A sculptural yet vitreous stoneware! The difference in firing shrinkage does this. https://digitalfire.com/picture/2025

Here is what dipping engobes can do: Go on even, in one coat, stay put. This is DIY exclusive territory, no commercial products are sold that can do this. The reason is interesting. https://digitalfire.com/picture/1288

Does bisqueware need washing before glazing? No. These pieces demonstrate that the issue of absorbency is far more important than a little dust. https://digitalfire.com/picture/1578