: Mossyrock - Viewing Profile

I remember a workshop I attended where the instructor used a fire clay (AP Green I think) on a piece he was throwing. When he had the piece nearly thrown, he heavily coated the outside of it with the fire clay. Then he finished throwing from the inside only, not touching the outside so as not to disturb the fire clay. The result was a gorgeous 'dry creek bed' sandy effect because as the piece was pushed out from the inside, the fire clay split and cracked in all sorts of interesting ways. It was reduction fired to cone 10.....no glaze on the outside. Very interesting piece.

I use Forbes water-based wax. I have a dedicated brush for using in my majolica decorating and I put a few drops of dishwashing liquid on it before dipping it in the wax. I also put dishwashing liquid in the water for keeping it from drying out because I will use it many times during a decorating session (the jar is the taller baby food jar and I put a clothes pin on the brush so that it suspends just the bristles in the water .... the clothes pin rests on top of the jar). I've used the same brush for years.....never a waxy buildup.

If I'm waxing the bottom of a pot before glazing, I use a piece of sponge cut from one of those mattress toppers - the egg crate type. The little knobs make perfect 'fingers' for waxing.

I agree with Jim.....I think the type of wax makes a difference in the cleanup.

A friend and I just made a trip to Highwater Clay in Asheville, NC and she purchased a liner brush that has a reservoir to hold the colorant so it can do a lot before running out. Much more than just a liner brush. She does a lot of very fine-line decoration on her pieces. When she tried it out, she said it was the best brush she had ever used for this purpose. http://www.highwater...upright_145.jpg

I cut stencils from used Tyvek envelopes (or buy new ones if you don't have used ones). It's thin and strong and can be reused over and over.....just wash off and let dry. I'm a handbuilder so I usually roll the stencil onto freshly rolled out slabs using a pony roller, then apply the slip or underglaze. When the sheen is off, pull the stencil, wash off and store for reuse.

One of my favorite random texture tools is a broken soft kiln brick that I 'pounce' into the clay. I turn the brick to different angles to create a different texture so it doesn't all look alike. The harder I pounce, the deeper the texture so I can vary that also. When I first started using it, I had to brush a few crumbs of the brick out of the clay, but all of the crumbles have disappeared and now it just gives great texture. It gives an aged appearance....like the clay has been sort of eaten away by time.