Oxford Clay Katherine Tomlinson

Leather hard clay is when the clay has dried a little but is still wet enough to work with.
Clay is very versatile at the leather-hard stage, stronger, and less prone to breakage like bone dry pottery (also known as ‘greenware’). 
In this episode, I explain what leather-hard clay is and all the amazing things that can be created with leather-hard clay! From building slab pots, etching decoration and slip trailing, to turning the base of wheel-thrown pots and more!

Resources for Potters:
Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-potters
Pottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooks
Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbook
Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedule
Pottery Paperback Books available from amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1
Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/courses
Oxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1

Any Potter can make their own totally unique pottery glaze! Making your own signature pottery glaze is a great way of creating a unique aesthetic for your ceramics. 
You may think that making your own glaze is difficult but it's not! If you can follow any kind of recipe, you can make a pottery glaze. 

In this episode, I talk about 3 ways to make a totally unique pottery glaze: 

*Tweak the base ingredients of an existing glaze recipe. 
*Add different colouring oxides to a base glaze.
*Make a pottery glaze using plant ashes. 

If you’re interested in learning how to make a Stoneware pottery glaze, and having a base glaze recipe to make your own unique glaze,  you can download the free How to Make a Pottery Glaze workbook here: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbook

Resources for Potters:
Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-potters
Pottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooks
Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbook
Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedule
Pottery Paperback Books available from amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1
Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/courses
Oxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1

After years of practising pottery, I’ve distilled the absolute one thing every Potter needs to know: be kind to yourself!
Although being kind to yourself doesn’t seem like it has anything to do with making pottery! Self-kindness is actually something that superpowers your pottery learning journey and helps you cultivate a growth mindset.
Being kind to yourself is an absolute must for learning any new thing that requires a lot of patience and making ‘mistakes’ along the way - like pottery!

Resources for Potters:
Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-potters 
Pottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooks 
Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbook 
Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedule 
Pottery Paperback Books available from amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1    
Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/courses 
Oxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1 

Using moulds in pottery is amazing! Moulds allow Potters to make the same shape consistently over and over again, create sets of pots, and save time and energy in their making process.
Moulds can be used to make the main body of the pot or for creating decoration. 
In this episode I talk about the 5 types of moulds available to Potters and how each one is used: 
*Press mould
*Hump mould 
*Slip-casting mould 
*Sprig mould (plaster of Paris) 
*Sprig mould (silicone)

Resources for Potters:
Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-potters 
Pottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooks 
Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbook 
Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedule 
Pottery Paperback Books available from amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1    
Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/courses 
Oxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1 

Pottery is a very safe activity but there are certain times when Potters need to protect their lungs from fine powders. That’s where FFP3 face masks come in!
In this episode, I talk about what an FFP3 face mask is, how it works, and four scenarios when a Potter would need one:
*When making pottery glazes or clay.
*When sieving plant ashes. 
*When scraping dry clay.
*When applying glaze to pottery by spraying.

Resources for Potters:
Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-potters 
Pottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooks 
Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbook 
Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedule 
Pottery Paperback Books available from amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1    
Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/courses 
Oxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1 

Did you know that clay is actually made from lots of different materials such as crushed rocks, ball clays and china clay? 
Making your own clay can be a great option for Potters who want to know exactly what ingredients are going into their clay to minimise the environmental impact of their pottery. Making clay yourself can be cheaper than buying it commercially and you can save the time, effort and CO2 emissions of haulage to get (heavy!) wet clay to you.  
In this episode, I talk you through the ingredients and process I use to make my own stoneware clay. Firstly by creating a casting slip, that I later reclaim back into clay for throwing!

Resources for Potters:
Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-potters 
Pottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooks 
Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbook 
Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedule 
Pottery Paperback Books available from amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1    
Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/courses 
Oxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1