February 2004 Newsletter, and Tip 60
Duncan Discontinues Some Product Lines
Duncan is discontinuing several glaze lines, and cutting back on colors in
some other lines. If you have some favorite colors, this is your chance to
stock up on them before they are gone. We will sell our stock on hand,
then remove the items from the website as we run out. However we may be
able to get colors from our distributors even after we have sold out. So
let us know what you are looking for.
The following lines have been completely discontinued:
ST Stonewashed
RI River Rock
SA Sandstars
SN Satin (except 351 Clear and 355 Orange Fizz)
CY Courtyard Art
HF High Fire
The following colors have been discontinued (but the rest of the line is
intact):
*Envisions Glaze: IN1046
*EZ Stroke Underglaze: EZ029, EZ045, EZ046, EZ049, EZ060, EZ062
*Concepts Underglaze: CN001, CN002, CN003, CN004, CN005, CN006, CN611,
CN613, CN621, CN623, CN631, CN633, CN641, CN643, CN651, CN653, CN661,
CN663
*Art Glaze: AR726
*Sparklers non-fired: SG883, SG884, SG885, SG886, SG887
*Ultra metallics non-fired: UM960, UM961
*Granite Stone non-fired: GS644, GS947, GS951, GS952, GS953, GS954, GS955,
GS956, GS957, GS958
*Liquid Pearls non-fired: PL177, PL182, PL207, PL208, PL216, PL221, PL228,
PL230, PL231, PL234
*Bisq-Stain Acrylics non-fired: OS554, OS557, OS561, OS562, OS566, OS577,
OS578, OS585, OS587, OS588
*Accessories: AS960, AS975, AS976, AS977, AS978, AS979, AS980
Also, 5 and 50 Gallon sizes were discontinued in many colors, as well as
gallons in some colors.
To look up colors, use the Glaze Index or type the number into the search
box at the top of every page.
Glaze Index
GLAZE GALLERY NEW! Help us build up our Gallery!
Let's face it, we all hate color chips! Particularly for glazes that are
mottled or vary depending on thickness and such. Wouldn't it be better to
see a whole piece covered in a glaze? I'm not sure why manufacturers don't
offer this. So we are putting together our own Glaze Gallery. If you have
any pieces glazed with one of the commercial glazes we sell, please take a
digital photo and send it to us! Some people are doing
wonderful things with layering of commercial glazes.
Visit the Glaze Gallery
TIP/Project 60: Impressing Words With a Custom Rubber Stamp
This project comes from Kellie DeFries in San Diego, CA. She threw 50
plates for her wedding party, and used a rubber stamp to impress the
lyrics to an old hank Williams Sr. Song. (Before continuing you might want
to view the plates.)
See Kellie's Wedding Plates
How She Did It
I found these plates very impressive, so I asked Kellie how she made them.
Kellie: "I printed the text in a graphics program called: Freehand.
Attached the text to a spiral line. Printed out a laser copy. Sent it to
California Rubber Stamp Company. 4 hours and $85 bucks later, I have an
AWESOME 8 inch by 8 inch rubber stamp. And I asked them NOT to mount on
wood, to be more flexible with the clay, so it is just a piece of rubber
stamp material. AND.... it is almost CLEAR, so I can see where to position
the stamp in the base of my plate. Once it is placed on, I gently rub with
my fingers until all has been smushed into the clay. Lift it off to reveal
MAGIC!!
After the wet clay gets dry to the touch I press in the stamp. If it is
tooo wet, it smears, if it is toooo dry, it won't press in all the way,
and won't show up. Timing is everything in clay! ( I am a fan of the BLOW
TORCH for these impatient moments of mine! )"
Then as a final touch, she used ink on the stamp to continue the design
onto the packaging boxes.
A few other tips. She used a smooth clay with little grog, which is
important to pick up the detail in the stamp. If the stamp got too wet she
would simply rinse it off and let it dry. Because she needed a smooth
surface on the plate, she used a translucent glaze. Translucent glaze is
darker where it is thicker. So it is darker where it pools into the
letters. For non-functional pieces you could use stain or glaze and wipe
it off the surface, leaving it in the letters only.
Note: Type "custom rubber stamp" in a search engine and you will
find many companies selling these types of stamps.
Kellie also made her invitiations in clay!
See the final glazed product, plus the invitations
Clay: A Studio Handbook
Clay: A Studio Handbook by Vince Pitelka is one of our top selling books.
Introduced about 2 years ago, this thick book is hundreds of pages of
words, covering all aspects of making pottery and being a potter. Loaded
with tips, it is often referred to as a favorite by professional potters.
Yet the instructions are simple for beginners. Vince has been teaching
pottery for years and it shows!
Read more about Clay: A Studio Handbook
Setting Up Your Ceramics Studio
Setting Up Your Ceramics Studio is a new book by Lark. This is a picture
book, with hundreds of photos taken from 12 successful potters' studios.
The studios range from very small to very large, but each is full of ideas
you can use to organize your studio, and make it a place you love to
visit!
Read more about Setting Up Your Ceramics Studio
Stayin' Alive
Stayin' Alive is the newest book from Robin Hopper, a professional potter
with 45 years experience. This book is basically a survival guide for
making your living in clay. Legal and business advice, as well as
philosophical strategies for the artist.
Read more about Stayin' Alive
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Copyright 2004 Cindi
Anderson, BigCeramicStore.com May be reprinted if credit is
given.
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