: perkolator - Viewing Profile

yes, it's a pretty low salary and doesn't mention anything about benefits. many universities would give full benefits to a 50% employee, but since it's a small community center....
on the plus side, it's located in one of the nicest parts of CA and you get to use the facilities.

I'm a fan of sponging off the piece to get standing water off and be more tacky, wiring it off while slowly spinning, dry my hands a bit, then lift the piece off the wheelhead and set it on a board. First time I saw someone do this I was dumbfounded, but now I don't even bother with any other ways like water-sliding a piece or using bats (I really only use bats on stuff like large bowls) - but I'm also not a potter doing this daily, and I don't hold any sentiment with pieces until they are glaze fired.

CMC gum solution. Many commercial glaze companies use a fair amount of this in their products as well as other gums/bentonite/hectorite, etc to help with suspension and brushability. It will help with suspension similar to bentonite and epsom salts (and you can even use both/all) -- but an additional benefit is that when it dries, the CMC forms a sort of "hard shell/candy coating" similar to that of dried snot/snail trail - it sounds gross, but when dry it will help keep the glaze where you put it and be more abrasion resistant to your hands or additional brushwork before being fired. It also helps the material to "flow" and be more brushable.

if the porcelain is unglazed, the clay will might take on any number of products to tint it a different color. i would probably do a small test somewhere inconspicuous on the piece, like where the clay's covered by the suspension/electrical parts.

as for what to use, you could probably try some sort of dye or ink made into a wash, or even watercolor may work. i think the product used is dependent on how saturated and how permanent you want the color since something it might fade with time due to the light.

Yes, you can fire stoneware clays at earthenware temperatures. You cannot really do the reverse since the low-fire clay will most likely melt/slump heavily at higher temps. If it's functional work, then you will want a lower-temp clay body so that it gets closer to vitrification. If it's sculptural, no problemo. In our studio we make a stoneware clay body with lots of grog and usually fire to ^04 - allows us to make thick large scale work and once-fire without much issue.

Good luck!