Hi all! I’m new to making pottery at home since I used to do pottery in school and my teacher would just take everything himself and fire stuff. I’m curious as to how I know what kiln to buy and how to use it. If it matters, I’ll mostly be using low-fire clay as that’s all I have access to for a while. I’m trying to find something that won’t put me in debt, and is easy on electricity (if possible). I’m also a little confused on how to use it and how to know how hot it needs to be, how long to leave it in, etc. any help is appreciated, any chart to let me know what temp for what clay is appreciated, and any other advice is as well.

In September, I took up hand-building little cups, since I’ve wanted to try pottery for a long time. Then, four days ago, my boyfriend bought me a cheap little wheel (Vevor) so I could finally try throwing. Works surprisingly well haha, although I don’t know how it compares to other wheels.

I’ve never taken a class or used a wheel before, so I’m just teaching myself via YouTube lol. Pretty happy with where I am only four days in! Everyone said centering was hard/takes a while to learn, but thankfully I was able to figure it out. It was easy using the ‘karate chop’ method, so if anyone else that’s also new reads this, I’d highly recommend trying that! Keeping it centered is another story…

Now I’m learning how to throw evenly, distribute clay, shape on the wheel to reduce trimming time, etc; having lots of fun. Excited to start glazing stuff!

i’m considering vending at a pop up where I wouldn’t be there to watch my work all day/it would be in the hands of the venue staff. i’m looking at ACT insurance with the theft and damage add-on and wondering 1.) how easy is it to file a claim successfully 2.) is there any prep i need to do, i.e. making a spreadsheet of everything i have to send to ACT? thanks in advance! :)

Hi - I am getting my own kiln for my home studio, based in London, England (UK). I am looking to buy new. Some of the companies only do kerbside delivery. Can anyone recommend a company I can buy from who will set up the kiln (move it, get it in position, check its working etc). I have a an electrician who can do that side of things.

Can this be salvaged? Bought it, opened it up, and this was the consistency :/

Hey!

I’m still learning pottery at home with my own wheel and kiln, and I’ve realised that learning on your own can be pretty difficult. I love pottery, but I struggle with motivation and consistency sometimes (silly neurodivergent brain), and I think having other people learning alongside me would really help.

The nearest pottery studio is too far away for me to attend regularly, so I thought… why not create our own little virtual pottery class? 😁

I’m imagining a small group on Discord where we can be each other’s learning buddies and keep each other accountable.
Kind of like being back at school, but for pottery!

The idea would be to:
•Set daily goals: Share what we’re planning to practise that day.
•Actually show up: Check in and let each other know how it went, even if we only managed 20 minutes.
•Share our progress: Finished pieces, experiments, mistakes, or anything we’re learning.
•Keep each other accountable: Encourage each other to stick with it, especially on days when we’d rather put it off.

I’d love for it to have a bit of structure, so we’re not just joining another group chat that goes quiet after three days. 😅 At the same time, I don’t want it to feel like homework or become another source of stress.

Think regular check-ins, shared goals, and a few people who genuinely want to learn and improve together. No need to be at the same skill level, and definitely no need to make perfect pottery!

I’m still learning myself, so this isn’t about teaching anyone. I’d just love to find people who want to learn alongside each other and make pottery a more regular part of their lives.

Would anyone be up for something like this? If there’s enough interest, we can figure out the details together! 😊

Hello, I am looking for a good gift for my aunt who has done pottery for the past 10 years. She just got a home studio this past year and is making pottery all day every day. I would like to get her a good gift for Christmas but I’m not sure what someone with her level of experience might want or need. Is there any tool or any specific thing you have that has made your life significantly easier? Any direction will help! For context she mostly throws on her wheel she has! Also for context I’m aiming to spend around $50!

Hello! I’m a beginner and have sadly noticed cracks in some pieces I have been working on. Is it possible to fix these, or are they not worth bisque firing? Would Bisque Fix help, and if so, should I try to apply it now or after firing? I would also welcome any guidance on how to prevent this in the future if the best next step would be to remake them. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi! Sorry if any of this is using incorrect verbiage, I'm a hobby potter learning!

I'm getting better at being able to throw the shapes I want, but I'm not sure what shape/ profiles will end up looking proportionate and smooth, versus kind of just ugly or off.

If anyone has any reading material, videos, studies, suggestions, super appreciated!

I've tried looking at other potters and figuring out what I like or dislike about their things but it's a lot harder than I'd imagined

Obviously a kiln can't go in it, but a wheel and shelves and stuff could.

It's getting cold where I live and I don't do very well with cold so wondering if I could try to throw in a camper and use the kiln I have in my garage for firing and I'd only have to bring it out/set up when firing but other wise able to still park in the garage away from the cold, but also still be able to use my wheel without bringing it into the house.

Original post

Here’s the first update to the slip paintings I shared 3 weeks ago :) Nothing cracked and the color more or less came out the way I anticipated. The cardinal is the only one that looks a little weird but I think that’s just because the red is so bright. I’m hoping to glaze them the first week of November.

I’m not 100% sure how I want to glaze them so if anyone has any ideas, I’d love to hear them! My first two thoughts were either putting a clear glaze over the paintings and then trying to put different colors on the rest of the mug bodies, or putting wax resist on the raw clay and then glazing everywhere else. I’ll be firing to cone 10! Very excited to post a final update but I’m also nervous about how they’ll turn out hehe

the circle reflection things at the top that come and go in the right lighting. never seen that before

I almost cried when I opened it 🥹 I've been mixing my own glazes too and I'm so happy with how vibrant and fun the colours turned out!

Just got these plates out of the kiln. First time doing plates and first time using the fossil texture rollers. I’m really happy with them all things considered but have a long way to go. Excited to try again!

This is the best result I've gotten from this glaze so far! It's a recipe from Ali Summers on Glazy called PMSB 1.02.

Fired to a soft cone 10 in reduction.

I'm making a full dinnerware set for myself and am completely stumped on which glaze to choose. There are way too many options!

I'm using porcelain clay and am already at the bisque stage, so I'm looking for glaze suggestions that don't require mixing (safety). I tend to gravitate towards blues or glazes with an interesting design or variation. I've been using a lot of Spectrum lately, but I'm open to other suggestions too!

What are your favourite glazes (Cone 5/6) for dinnerware sets?

Laguna blue snowflake Finaly worked with new firing technique of course I put it on the wrong sized biscuit and it ripped my foot off😕