Best products from r/Ceramics
We found 26 comments on r/Ceramics discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 38 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes: Glazing & Firing at Cone 10 (A Lark Ceramics Book)
- Lark Books NC
Features:
3. The Kiln Book
- The figures are approx. 2.2" tall with a uniquely deformed look while retaining stylish proportion
- This installment includes 'Prototype Gundam', 'GM' (Reappear to lineup), 'Ball' (Reappear to lineup), 'Dijeh', 'Dijeh SE-R', and 'Gundam X Divider'
- Also, secret version to GM and Ball are available
- Product bears official Bluefin Distribution logo ensuring purchaser is receiving authentic licensed item from approved N. American retailer
- Bluefin Distribution products are tested and comply with all N. American consumer product safety regulations and are eligible for consumer support
Features:
4. Leaton Digital Thermocouple Thermometer Dual-channel LCD Backlight Temperature Meter Tester for K/J/T/E/R/S/N Great (Batteries included)
Different type thermocouples measuring range: J-type:-210℃to1200℃(-346℉to2192℉),K-type:-200℃to1372℃(-328℉to2501℉T-type:-250℃to400℃(-418℉to752℉), E-type:-150℃to1000℃(-238℉to1832℉N-type:-200℃to1300℃(-328℉to2372℉), R-type:0℃to1767℃(32℉to3212...
5. The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques, Fifth Edition
Used Book in Good Condition
6. Amaco 45047J High-Fire Moist Stoneware Clay, 38 White
- White stoneware clay that has some characteristics of porcelain
- Contains no grog, yet it has the strength for throwing large pieces
- The firing range is from cone 5 - cone 10
- Recommended glaze firing temperature at Cone 10
- Non-toxic and talc free
Features:
7. Chef Specialties Replacement Rubber Plug for Wooden Salt Mills/Shakers
Fits Professional Series Wood MillsFits 1" openingsSells one per packageMaterial: RubberModel #: 36099
8. The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes: Glazing and Firing at Cones 4-7 (Lark Ceramics Books)
The Complete Guide to Mid Range Glazes Glazing Firing at Cones 4 7 Lark Ceramics Books
9. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: The Definitive, Updated 2nd Edition
PU92269781585429226Brand New Item / Unopened ProductPenguin Putnam Inc.
10. Ceramic Sculpture: Making Faces: A Guide to Modeling the Head and Face with Clay
- Lark Books NC
Features:
12. Elmer's E1012 China and Glass Cement, 1 Ounce
Dishwasher safeNon-toxicAdheres to glass, ceramics, pottery and chinaSuitable for indoor and outdoor useThis is an aftermarket of generic partDishwasher safeNon-toxicAdheres to glass, ceramics, pottery and chinaSuitable for indoor and outdoor useSolvent free
15. Modeling the Figure in Clay, 30th Anniversary Edition: A Sculptor's Guide to Anatomy
- Four-eye lace-up work oxford featuring double-stitched apron toe and Goodyear welt construction
- Traction Tred sole
Features:
16. uxcell 6-inch Grit 240 Diamond Coated Flat Lap Wheel Grinding Sanding Polishing Disc
- 6-inch outside diameter, 240 Grits , quality electroplated diamond coated flat lap disk wheel.
- The flat laps wheels have a 1/2-inch arbor hole for Angle Grinder.
- They are absolutely flat and parallel to meet the most exacting faceting requirements.
- For grinding and polishing jewelry, glass, rock,stone, granite,etc.
- Recommended for rough and fine grinding on faceting material plus general lapidary grinding when precision is required.
Features:
17. AMACO Velvet Semi-Translucent Underglaze Set 3, Assorted Color, Set of 12
- Saturated color provides vibrancy from jar to dried result
- Can apply to unfired clay or bisque
- Can be used with or without glaze and is food-safe with proper glaze
- AP Certified non-toxic paint ensures quality safety and health standards
Features:
18. Speedball Underglaze Studio #1 2-Ounce Bottles, 12-Pack
- 12 liquid opaque colors that do not move or bleed perfect for studio or classroom
- Firing range Cone 06-6
- Lead-free and ACMI AP Non-toxic
- May be applied to greenware or bisqueware
- Made in USA
Features:
19. Amaco LG-10 Lead Free Liquid Gloss Glaze, Clear, Pint 16 Oz
- Great for bulletin board displays
Features:
20. Aduro Solid-Grip Phone Holder for Desk - Adjustable Universal Gooseneck Smartphone Stand, with Durable Mount (Black)
- Why Choose Aduro? Because we back our Solid-Grip phone stand with A Lifetime Limited Warranty and friendly 24/7 US customer service, so you can buy it with confidence and have complete peace of mind
- Holds anything from iPhone to Galaxy & Universal Smartphones to GPS, Camera etc. Clamp can adjust to fit anything up to 3" inch in thickness
- 360 Rotation with flexible, adjustable viewing position - horizontal, vertical, or any other angle
- Durable clamp ensures that your smartphone will stay securely fastened to your desk or any other flat surface
- Rubberized grip - two of them provided to firmly hold your device in place
Features:
The staple around our studio was the potters dictionary of materials and techniques. https://www.amazon.com/Potters-Dictionary-Materials-Techniques-Fifth/dp/0812238109
Some good recipes for clays and glazes by temperature:
http://www.alfredgrindingroom.com/recipes/
If you want a clay body that fires pure white and has good hand building properties you will probably have to mix your own. Honestly, just google clay recipes, there is no shortage of resources out there these days. For a good hand building body, make sure your recipe has some sort of grog or fiber in it like mulched paper or even straw and the like. This is going to help give strength as the clay body itself will most likely be super soft because you want a pure white color.
I find pre-mixed clays usually fire more of a buff /off white color, as pure white clays tend to not be great for hand building. It is the nature of kaolinite (the main ingredient of porcelain and the reason your clay is white) to be difficult. To sum up very vaguely and over-simplified, kaolinite cleaves too perfectly and is too uniform to be a great hand buildding clay body. It's why it's wonderful for throwing, very soft and maleable.
Look into glaze calculation resources. It will help you understand the nature of each ingredient. You have some ingredients that act as a flux (e.g. frit makes things more runny, calcium makes it less runny), some for color, some for strength, etc. Once you understand the broader principles you can make a better clay mixture to suit your needs.
I started 3 years ago again with a tax refund. I already had a wheel in storage so that helped. I bought a beat up used kiln with good brick for 225.00 cut a hole in the bottom and top. I used a 1 lb coffee can to measure. You can see my Kilns here. I bought an electric to gas conversion kit and fire in my drive with two 20lb propane canisters. If you don't want to bother with the kit go buy a weed burner and shoot it into the kiln. I have been firing like this for the last two years and have sold pots all over the world. You can get a high pressure gas regulator from Mr. Heater for 25.00 Buy your clay and glaze off amazon prime to save on shipping charges. You can also save money by hand mixing your own glazes. Now at least you can hand build! After that look for a use wheel someplace. I do all of this from my small basement. If you got question let me know.
Edit: Be sure to follow good safety practices as glaze mixing and clay dust can be harmful. Also see you state and local regulations for outside firings depending on where you live. Never trust gas.
I bought these I'm not sure in their are 3/4" but what I like is they are flexible enough to fit slightly irregular hand made holes. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009Z2E0SC?cache=e5353992cf65f22d3ccdb4b799a644c4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&qid=1411935089&sr=8-4#ref=mp_s_a_1_4
My suggestion, pick up one of the books by John Britt based on how you fire:
Mid-Range Glazes : https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Mid-Range-Glazes-Ceramics/dp/1454707771
High-Fire Glazes: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-High-Fire-Glazes-Ceramics/dp/1600592163
These books are GREAT beginners bibles. He describes all of the equipment you need, what all of the various glaze components actually do, how to do various tests, and a HUGE collection of great glazes with photos.
I'm pretty good at reading articles and putting things together, but his books really opened my eyes, and for the low cost of the books, I think anyone who wants to learn about glazes is foolish to not buy them.
When I do tests, I do 100g batches. I make my test tiles on the wheel, about 3 inches high. Then, I'll apply it to my tile in various thicknesses. Lastly, I'll do a bunch of other tests where I see what it is like when it's layered with other glazes that I have. So one new glaze usually results in about 12 test tiles. I try to do at least one set of tiles every time I do a glaze firing.
I also stamp a serial number into each tile and keep notes in a log book - this is very important! Then, I put all the "ugly" ones into a box for future review, in case my aesthetics change. All of the nice ones, I hang from a small rack on my wall.
Sell the wheel and clay. You aren't going to use them in your apartment and they'll just sit around and take up space, are a pain to move around and every time you see them you'll feel like you abandoned your hobby. Sell them and take the money and enroll in a class or get access to a proper studio you can use. You can always buy another wheel and clay in the future when things settle down.
Btw, there is no harm in not touching clay for a while. It's like when you learned to ride a bike, you'll always remember how to throw. Yeah, you will be a bit wobbly for a bit but you'll pick it up.
To keep your creative juices flowing, I suggest that in lieu of clay you consider picking up a pencil and learn to draw. Go buy the workbook for Drawing on the Right Side of your Brain (https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Right-Side-Brain-Workbook/dp/1585429228) and give it a try. Not only will it improve your drawing skills for pottery ideas but it will teach you how to see as an artist, an extremely valuable skill.
I think that sculpting portraits in low relief (bas relief) is actually harder than doing a bust. Here is a short tutorial giving the basics on bas relief and there's a bunch on sculpting a face There's a book out there that's pretty good about sculpting the face in clay
My first thought when reading this was something in the lines of clay sculpting tools, but as mentioned it might be a good idea with a gift certificate (either to a store or made by you to say e.g. "to be used in a clay supply store or online").
Example of tools: https://www.amazon.com/Leegoal-Pottery-Clay-Sculpture-Carving/dp/B008OBN9YQ
You definitely want to do more research on the firing and function of kilns. The Kiln Book is a great resource. If you want any control over the end product you're going to have to put a significant amount of engineering into this project.
Nothing works real well long term that I have found. If you hand wash and are careful this product might help you get some more use out of your mug.
https://www.amazon.com/Elmers-E1012-China-Cement-1-Ounce/product-reviews/B000MVTINW
If you google sculpting the human figure in clay you will get quite a few hits.
My personal favorite is anything by Bruno Lucchesi. You can find a few of his videos on YouTube. His book "Modeling the Figure in Clay", while a bit sparse on details, served me very well in college.
For anatomy, a copy of "Grays Anatomy" would not be remiss, however, I prefer Stephen Rogers Peck's "Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist"
Leaton Digital Thermocouple Thermometer Dual-channel LCD Backlight Temperature Meter Tester for K/J/T/E/R/S/N Great ( Batteries included ) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018QHQSB8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_58A5BbBE01YJ2 is what I got. I only use it with one channel but it supports 2
It's a great one! The one I go back to time after time is Clay and Glazes for the Potter by Daniel Rhodes. https://www.amazon.com/Clay-Glazes-Potter-Daniel-Rhodes/dp/0873418638/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1536187998&sr=8-14&keywords=Ceramic+glaze+chemistry
You need to buy glazes, which depending on how much variation you want is probably going to cost you anywhere from 10-20 dollars a per color if you want the expensive stuff, however you can probably buy a set of 12 underglazes for about 47 dollars and a pint of clear glaze for about 10.
If you go this way, it's pretty similar to painting regularly, all you have to do is slap a few coats of clear glaze on it after you have the design on it and find a ceramics studio that will fire it, the place where I live charges about 2 dollars a pound for each peice or about 60 dollars to rent an entire kiln.
Here's some underglaze sets and a clear glaZe you could use, but you should check the nearest studio to see if they have any discount glazes
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0044SATSM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1415905256&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX200_QL40
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003IGIDR0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1415905406&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0044S97QW/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1415905420&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDZJ1ZE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_DnYgAbCDKHM79
This one is great.
What your ig? I am @ryanreichceramics
This looks like an olson.
Very similar to the one on their kiln kits page.
As /u/dirtygremlin mentioned, "The Kiln Book" is an invaluable resource.
I have the 3rd edition but it looks like there is a 4th edition out.
There are some turn key gas kiln setups out there but they are all going to require more work to set up than an electric kiln.
Almost all of them will have some custom elements involved.
The Britt book is pretty solid if you are doing cone 10.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-High-Fire-Glazes-Ceramics/dp/1600592163
Like this, you mean? https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Diamond-Grinding-Sanding-Polishing/dp/B071SD8LTP/ref=pd_bxgy_3/138-6533951-9210162?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B071SD8LTP&pd_rd_r=1b7c5c59-5aeb-11e9-b29f-6f56b9d52ae1&pd_rd_w=xkQTZ&pd_rd_wg=bH7NV&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=XSRD1H4256C7AASSDCMV&psc=1&refRID=XSRD1H4256C7AASSDCMV Can it be cut down to a smaller size? 6in diameter is a bit unwieldy.
That is far from the only reason why a a ceramic piece would crack. This book has 9 pages on different kinds of cracks and the reasons why they happen.