Read about my latest tests and experiments
pottery blog
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Candles
Candles and making candle sticks has turned out to be something very important to me. Partly, I suppose, because candles have always featured in my familial life. A single candle for Finnish independence, candles on the dinner table on special occasions, a candle lit to help burn away the farts of either my dad or…
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Where to find me this festive season
I have a host of markets and events between now and the year end, and I hope to see many friendly faces at them! Open Studios 14th November, 13:00-19:00 Canal St Studios, Vulcan Works, Longport, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 4NW Me and Emily will have plenty of seconds available if you want to grab a bargain! There…
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Mid winter and mid summer firings
We are lucky in the UK that the weather is fairly temperate and so the firing season is pretty much all year round. That has not stopped us having to fire in some fairly extreme weather (usually being forced to by a neglected deadline suddenly sneaking up on us…) The first time was in minus…
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Cordierite in a clay body for soda firing
I have been starting on a path of exploring high percentages of cordierite in clay bodies. Cordierite is one of the minerals which is commonly used for making kiln furniture, and its a magnesium alumino silicate. I like magnesium, I like alumina, and I love silica so I thought this would be a cool material…
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The second firing of the Vulcan Works Wobbler
Firing two. It took much longer than planned to get to this point, some work on the kiln was very much required and it meant the whole thing had to come down and be rebuilt. Why? Mostly, I wanted a layer of insulating bricks under the floor (which budget did not stretch to 6 months…