Over,Winter, has anyone thought about learning to make Bonsai pots?

Hey folks,

why not try your hands at pot making.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwRCdTCHjNQ

and,

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuq6LwmY80cdbgjTGYhcUHQ

enjoy.
Khaimraj

Making pots is one of those things that every body seems to think might be a really a simple process.  If you want to try it and you have access to a    kiln where you can fire your work in excess of 2200 degrees then go for it.

funny you should post this khai... (though i cant watch youtube here at work)
i have successfully made a couplafew pots/trays myself in the past (booked studio time a couple years ago at a DIY studio)

but now i am picking up a block of clay in the next week or so in order to work at home and delve into some alternative firing methods
(or have it fired at the same studio)

gotta do something in the long cold winter...

Kevin: Make sure you let us know how this turns out and maybe a little about the alternative firing method.

Kevin,

there are vitreous body recipes for lower temperatures - 1100 deg.C [ 2012 deg.F ] and lower.

Find the books by Richard Behrens and Chappell

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Richard+Herman+Behrens&search-alias=books&text=Richard+Herman+Behrens&sort=relevancerank

http://www.amazon.com/Potters-Complete-Book-Clay-Glazes/dp/0823042030/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420042911&sr=8-1&keywords=chappell+pottery

What I cannot tell you is if these bodies will handle outdoor winter, though being vitreous [ less than 3 to 5 % water absorbent ] they should.
I have a private recipe of my own creation, that fires beautifully to cone 08 [ 983 deg.c {1800 deg.f ] as white to deep red to black.
[ apologies if the deg.F is not accurate, I work in deg.C in pottery .]

Also the frit - Ferro, Pemco, Hommel, that matures around cone 02 to 06 .
http://digitalfire.com/4sight/education/index.html

The books mentioned above will also give you glazes for low temperatures that are durable. You can have Wax, Matte, Stone, Semi-gloss and High gloss as glazes go.

You can also build a test kiln like this, I did -
http://www.clay-king.com/kilns/skutt_kilns/skutt_km_firebox_se.html
Have a great time.
Laters.
Khai.......

I gave it about 2 minutes thought then had another glass of wine...all better now.

I personally love, appreciate, enjoy Ceramic Pottery, have though about going RAKU but never did...

Happy New Year...

thanks khai... i have enough tropicals to stick into pots that i make, so i dont worry overly much about winter temps for those...

re: alternative firing i have read some info on primitive means and might pursue that.

Kevin,

alternative firing - how about a solar kiln - sunlight heating a bar of iron in a kiln.
Informaton from the 1970's

Sawdust firing

Enjoy.
Laters
Khai.......