Belltower Bugler - Volume 5
Jess Out of Studio
I will be out of the studio this week Monday, July 25- Friday, July 29 and will not be replying to emails or texts. If you have an emergency, please email Micah HERE. Dr. Amy will be out of the studio for two weeks as well.
Self-Service Clay:
As many of you have found, the clay closet is now self-service. This means you can get your own clay at any time. On the door of the clay closet you will find a clipboard with a sheet to fill in with your name, date, and clay type. Please be sure to log it at the time that you get a bag of clay. I will charge your card when I am able to process the sheet. Remember that clay is $25/bag now. Porcelain is $40/bag.
Clay Restock
We are getting an order of clay this week on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. It should include the following:
Trinity White Stoneware: 500 lbs (looks gray, but fires to a light buff color, just like the clay we’ve been using) Our supplier has been out of our usual studio clay, so we got this for wheel throwing until we can get a restock of Standard 240 with grog
Standard 760: 200 lbs Sand Brown (does not have speckles that show up under glaze)
Standard 112: 400 lbs Speckled Brown
Laguna Speckled Buff: 500 lbs
Standard 710c: 300 lbs Dark Brown (looks red, but fires to a deep brown color)
Standard 213 Porcelain: 200 lbs (This particular clay body will be $40 per bag because it is significantly more expensive for us to purchase.)
Belltower Market: August 27
We will be having our first market for studio members to sell their pots on Saturday, August 27, 10am-4pm. Tables and tents will be located in front of the coffeeshop & studio, and on the coffeeshop patio. Members will not be charged a booth fee, but are asked to contribute 10% of whatever they earn at this show to the studio. If you are interested in participating, please contact Robin Marsh, who is coordinating the event HERE.
Key Fobs/Coffeeshop Hours
Due to the fact that our coffeeshop has changed its normal hours to 7am-3pm every day, we are providing a key fob for all members, and removing any additional fee for those who already have a key fob. If you do not currently have a key fob, you should find a blue button fob or a white key card on your shelf next time you visit the studio. Yay!
Underglazes:
We have expanded our underglaze offerings. You will find Amaco and Speedball underglazes available for your use on the gray cart near the front of the studio. Additional underglazes can be found in the first bookcase near the bottom in a cardboard box. We have also purchased some Clay Lady Clay Paints that are located on the same bookshelf. A sample tumbler with these is placed at the top of the sample bookshelf near the clay body samples. Clay Lady Clay Paints are intended to be used only on greenware. Underglazes can be used on moist or leather hard greenware or on bisque fired pots.
For those of you who are new to underglazes - think of them as a colored slip. They fire matte and most potters who use them add a clear glaze afterward. If you apply them at the greenware stage, you can allow them to dry, then bisque fire, as usual. After bisque, you can apply more underglaze (or not) and then add a clear glaze.
If you use them at the bisque stage, you can allow them to dry and then immediately clear glaze them. If you use this method, you may want to dip in clear for a bit longer or heat the piece first since they seem to have more trouble absorbing the clear glaze after they have absorbed the underglaze.
Sue’s White Glaze:
We have a new formula for our studio white glaze. I recommend an 8 second dip. A sample tumbler and test tiles are available on the glaze table.
Member Challenge: Cylinders
In the studio, you will see a large white board that should include member names. In addition, there are instructions for completing the challenge. When you finish, please mark next to your name with a star and let me know. You will receive a magnetic badge for your shelf to show the work you’ve done! I hope you will be able to collect these badges. We will be introducing a new challenge each month.
Member Meeting and Social Throw:
We will resume member meetings and social throws in the fall. They will be held the last Monday of each month.