Lili Krakowski on thu 17 jun 04
Mugs are objects with serious requirements. As Ivor said, they need to =
serve multiple "purposes" =20
They are used without saucers, ergo should stand on their own safely. =
They tend to be used in iffy situations--carried to car, class or work, =
near computers, near books. =20
They must be VISIBLE (Oh the taupe grey mugs I have knocked over with my =
elbow!!!). =20
They must be very cleanable. Many squarish mugs have a too sharp "heel" =
where side meets bottom, and if anything milky is allowed to dry there =
it is an A1 scrubbing job. Mugs frequently are abandonned half-full, or =
uncleaned, for days....Figure your glaze around that....
They must be balanced. That means that one must be able to hold given =
contents comfortably with given handle. The handle must stand out far =
enough so one does not burn one's fingers on the MUG while holding by =
handle. The handle must be wide enough so mug does not tend to sashay =
from left to right. Test your mugs on older people with arthritic =
hands, or on young children.=20
The lip must be inviting. The totally straight lips on those squarish =
commercial mugs with Doreen's Bar & Boxing stencilled on tend to drip at =
the lip if one is not careful.
THE COLOR must be pleasant with drinks normally drunk from mugs......
And (and here the dear old thing repeats herself for the hundredth =
time!) please: if you make funtional ware for the real world go to a =
furniture store, a Home Depot, something like that, and get yourself a =
chart of the measurements of kitchen cabinets!!!!!!! Oh the mugs that =
cannot be put away two deep, or two atop each other, because some =
artiste did not measure. Yes, we simply are prostate with admiration of =
the overwhelming beauty , originality, not to say VISION of your mugs, =
but they do not fit properly into any kitchen cabinet, and no, I do not =
want a mug tree in my kitchen!
TAYLOR: I did not follow Ron Ray on the Blooming Clay Road. But your =
terracotta pot....If the poor thing once was used as a flower pot then =
the water "pulled" soluble materials (dare I use those words?) from =
the earth or fertilizer through the clay to the outside. Often a good =
soaking and scrubbing will help. =20
Lili Krakowski
Ron Roy on sat 19 jun 04
Hi Lili,
The soluble salys in most clays migrate to the uppermost surface as the
clay dries. They are fluxes so they become part of the clay and would be
very difficult to remove - you would have to grind the clay away.
This is a problem for those who fire red eathenware without glazeing it -
the salts - unless tied up with barium Carb. - will show as a bloom on
certain parts of the ware - usually a whitish scum - not pleasant at all.
It can be a factor in high fired unglazed work - some even like it - but
again - it can be surpressed.
It is not so much a problem on white or light ware because the "scum" is
not noticed - being a similar colour to the clay itself.
If the salts are not fired into the clay there is always Muriatic acid to
take the bloom away.
RR
>TAYLOR: I did not follow Ron Ray on the Blooming Clay Road. But your
>terracotta pot....If the poor thing once was used as a flower pot then the
>water "pulled" soluble materials (dare I use those words?) from the
>earth or fertilizer through the clay to the outside. Often a good soaking
>and scrubbing will help.
>
>Lili Krakowski
Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
Fax: 613-475-3513
| |
|
