The Dirt
Here's a bit about the process. There are a lot of steps from dirt to dishes, and a lot where things can go horribly wrong. See the Burning Questions page for an example.
I'm going to try to update this page with more real information about clay and the process - and maybe I'll post a few more "Horrible Accidents". Because failure can be funny. I'm going to make a video on the Assassin's Teapot, and hopefully get to post it here. FUN!
Forming the Clay on the Wheel
I don't have fancy videos, or even good pictures. This is a just thrown jug. At this point, touching it can dent it. It took another week before it was firm enough to trim.
Trimmed and Decorated
Once the piece is firm enough to handle, it's trimmed on the wheel to even sides and carve out the extra weight on the bottom. After trimming, I added the extras, like the rivet bands and the image tracing.
Bisque Firing to Set the Clay
This is after the first firing. After first firing, most changes cannot be made. I could still make small adjustments, by sanding or using a diamond bit dremel tool, but it's pretty much set now. First firing changes the clay structure - from here, it will never be soft clay again. This lets me glaze the item, the water and chemicals soak in, but don't dissolve the clay.
Glazing
Glazes are mixtures of clay powder, silica (glass forming) and colorants. Most colorants in glazes are oxides that change color in the intense heat of the kiln. This is a poor picture, because most of the glazes are tinted with a color close to what they'll be after firing. The dark green at the bottom is the best example of how drastic the change is: the grey glaze turns dark green. Glaze colors are not like paints. You can't mix red and blue together to get purple. If you like this color, but maybe a bit more blue - that's a totally different glaze.
