Starting the mug glazing process… putting some tenmoku glaze into the stamped details. When they dry, I’m going to wipe the high surfaces so that the glaze stays inlaid in the indentations.

Finally loading the bisque kiln… putting in a LOT of mugs on the bottom layers!!! You know they’re my favorite thing to make, so this has been the perfect project to keep me busy for awhile!

So here’s a sneak peek at some of the commission mugs with geometric shaped stamps! Looks like I need to do a little more cleaning up on them as I start to set them out to dry… but then they should make it into a bisque kiln in the next couple days!!!

At this point they’re all assembled, detailed & ready to start drying slowly. Headed off to the bisque kiln soon… moving along nicely with this commission project!

Okay, so it took awhile…
but I finally have all forty… err, thirty-nine… handles attached!

Handles pulled… then looped over so they can start to firm-up a bit. I flip them like this so that they get the curve established right away while the clay is freshly pulled. If they start to stiffen up while straight, they’ll be harder to curve later. Plus, they stand up this way… so no weird marks or blemishes from laying them down on the table. Once they stiffen up, I will cut out the part I need & attach it to the mug. The rest of the clay will go back in the bag!

Time to make the handles… starting with wedged clay that has been cut-up and formed into “carrot” shapes ready to be pulled the traditional way. I like to pull them separately & then attach them to the trimmed mugs. I also like the cool shadows making it like a little “clay-henge.”

Well, this is what happens when you’re so accustomed to using your handy-dandy Giffin Grip … and need to go back to the “old-school” way of centering & trimming your pots. I had a lot of cylinders to trim… and one of them got away from me!!! Flew right off the wheel. Even my wonderful trimming tools from DiamondCore couldn’t save this one!

Working on the mugs again… spending some time stamping the geometric patterns! Pretty pleased so far finding out that the new stamps are working well. Making the quantities as requested… plus a few extras “just in case” something happens along the way! Perfect for another MUGSHOT MONDAY!

All thrown… a very productive day!
Forty cylinders thrown to make forty mugs. The commission isn’t quite that large… but they will be soda-fired so I’m making a few “extras” in case some of them don’t turn out so well?! You know how soda-firing is kinda random… I can only “control” so much!