Have you ever wondered why cone temperatures are random?

We're back. 

Glaze Calculation Online from Alfred University.

Have you ever wondered why cone temperatures are seemingly random? Have you been frustrated by a glaze that you can’t get to stop crazing. Have you had enough of your clay body slumping?  What is the deal with Cone 6 anyway? Have you ever wanted to learn about how glazes work? Do you wonder what goes on in our clay bodies when we fire them? Do you need a refresher in ceramic materials, or just want to learn some cool things about clays and glazes?

 The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University has a new opportunity for all ceramicists out there. This December and January we will offer our Glaze Calculation and Raw Materials course online. The course will be offered during our Allen Term, which runs the course of our winter break, December 15^th to January 16^th. The class is open to everyone around the world who wants to learn about ceramic materials.  It is a perfect opportunity if you attended a school that does not offer a materials course, or if you missed the window to take it at your school.  The course will be offered for credit for students currently enrolled at other schools. It is also open to the general public, if you are a lifelong learner. Maybe you are someone just getting started in ceramics and want to know more about what is going on when you fire a glaze. It is also perfect for the professional who wants to develop the glaze they see in their mind, but just can’t seem to get on their work.

We will explore everything you need to know about ceramic materials.  The nature of glazes and clays, the background on raw materials, ceramic chemistry, how colors work, oxidation and reduction, firing temperatures and schedules, glaze and clay flaws and failure, special effect glazes, maximizing clay bodies, food safety, the unity molecular formula. Everything that you need to know to make your studio the best it can be.

The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University is an internationally renowned school for the study of ceramics. We have a long history of educators dedicated not just to ceramic art, but the holistic study of Ceramics. Pioneers such as Daniel Rhodes, Val Cushing and John Gill have strived to make ceramics a dynamic and exciting art form for over 100 years. Alfred also has one of the world’s best ceramic engineering programs. Professors like Dr. Bill Carty, pioneers in the study of ceramic science from the artist’s perspective.

Glaze Calculation Online will be taught by Matt Katz, Alfred’s professor specializing in ceramic materials. Matt has been teaching Ceramic Materials at Alfred for over 12 years. Originally studying in the school of art and design, Matt went on to study with Dr. Carty for many years. Matt has a special perspective of materials from both the artist and engineer’s point of view.  Matt’s experience has allowed him to design a new version of glaze calculation that includes the intrinsic knowledge of the artists with the wisdom of the ceramic scientist.

We hope that you will join us online this winter; it will be a course you will always appreciate as you continue to strive to make your studio experience better. 

Course listing:
Topics: Introduction to Glaze Formulation Online - ART 300 01

For more information regarding enrolment please contact the university at 607-871-2123

Or visit http://www.alfred.edu/academics/allen-term/

If you have questions you can email Matt Katz: katz@alfred.edu

Happy Trails

We are writing from Matt and Dave’s Clays with news of the future.  Sadly, that news is that this is the end of the line. Matt’s family has a new opportunity that they have decided to follow and we can’t continue without him. So we are going to be closing our doors.

We have loved our time helping everyone make great things and we have loved seeing the things that you have made. We will miss you all. We will be accepting orders until Wednesday the 26^th of March. If you would like to stock up, please place all order by then. Also, our formulas will be for sale for artists and manufacturers if you are interested in purchasing them email matt@mattanddavesclays.com.

In the future, we will be available for consulting for ceramicists large and small. If you have ceramics problems, questions or require research, please feel free to contact us.

We hope you all the best and can’t wait to see what everyone makes in the future.

Best,

Matt and Dave  

New Coup!

The new Coup is here! The new Coup is here!

We have taken all that was great about The Coup and made it better, and by better, I mean cheaper! Now only $13.50 per box. 

But that's not all. We've made the clay itself even better. If you used the clay before, it works exactly the same, our testers have universally loved it.

It now has a even better thermal expansion, to assist you with glaze fit. It now has a CTE of 5.6, perfect for a porcelain,

Other Facts.
Density 2.38
Absorption 0.2
Wet to Fired Shrinkage- 13.16%
Wet to Dried Shrinkage-4.5%

Come on over to www.mattanddavesclays.com and get some New Coup.

Snow White is now available!Come to www.mattanddavesclays.com and get it.This is the whitest, most translucent clay that we could make.Available in a clay body, casting slip and building slip that all match perfectly and filter pressed to perfection. Check it out and get all the technical specs at www.mattanddavesclays.com

Snow White

White
Translucent
The pure white porcelain your dreams are made of

Meet your Prince Charming very soon.


Matt and Dave's Clays

Upward and Onward!

New clays are coming...
Cheaper clays. 
Seriously cheaper clays. 
With the same great quality that you love. 

Watch here.

Royal Flush

Via Reddit

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Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

Are you going to go my way?

We all know that we live in a world of celebrity endorsements. In fact coming soon, Matt and Dave's Clays new spokes person will be Jim Nabors.

And we know that all celebrities love to have their name on products, just see the latest perfume by, well everyone. Here we have a development that I never saw coming.

Rock star (is he even that anymore) Lenny Kravitz has attached his celebrity to a new line of... wait for it.... decorative wall tiles. I know, just what your life was missing. Made by LEA Ceramiche these new tiles are inspired by... what ever... the only question is are they nice to look at and would you like them in your home.

Now let me be clear, I don't have anything against the tiles, they are interesting and I'm sure were designed by a designer with a long life of study and work. But the application of a celebrity to slap their name on it and to market as their own is silly.

So get out there people and make a name for yourselves. Don't let Lenny Kravitz take all the credit.

Link

_______________________________________________________________________________
Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

He Blinded Me With Science!

Hi everyone,
I return with data!

You can now head over to Matt and Dave's Clays website  and soak in our all new Science section.
We've updated the page with a bunch of new information for your ceramical perusing.
We've added the Powerpoint slides from NCECA 2012- Seattle- On The Edge.

These include my talk on how Cone 6 glazes work and how they don't work. I've done a lot of research on the strength of Mid-Temperature glaze and how well the stand up to daily abuse. There is some really interesting information that you should apply to your own glazes if you are working at anything under Cone 10.

Dave did a talk on "How Glazes Melt". A really interesting study on what is going on inside our glazes in the kiln. Looking at the way eutectics are formed and how glazes interact with the clay body.

Finally, Bill Carty did a talk about the forensic examination of Korean porcelains. He examined the make up of 12th centuary Korean pottery to find out, how it was made and how that effects our pots today.

All very cool research and we had a great time doing it.

But that's not all!

I've also included my FREE Glaze Calculator! This is an Excel spreadsheet that I use everyday. It is a basic spreadsheet that will allow you to calculate the Unity Molecular Formula for any glaze out there.  It does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the sheets out there... but did I mention it is FREE?

We've also added a copy of the famous Stull Glaze map, which documents the melting of glazes. Also my new companion map on the UMF limits of Boron. You can see this map at the top of this post, I am super proud of it and I think it will change the way we all deal with glaze chemistry and temperature. As the sheet documents exactly how much Boron your glaze needs at any temperature From Cone 10 to below Cone 04. Super Cool!

So get on over to Matt and Dave's Clays and soak in the Science!
 

NCECA 2012 data is on its way!

Hey All,
Thanks for a fantastic NCECA 2012. We had a great time and a lot of fun at our presentations.
As I said on stage, we are going to post our presentations over at www.mattanddavesclays.com. It is going to take a few days, we need to do some editing of the presentations and add a new page to the website. keep checking in and it should be up later this week.

NCECA 2012- Be there!

Hey All,

I want to invite everyone to come to our talk next week at NCECA in Seattle.

Myself (Matt Katz), Dave (Finkelnburg) and Bill Carty are presenting our Lecture/Panel "So You Want To Talk About Glaze Chemistry?" On Thursday the 29th at Noon in Ballroom 6A.

It is going to be a great talk, Dave is going to speak on "How Glazes Melt". Talking about the ins and out of how materials do their thing in the kiln.

I have a talk about Mid-Temperature glazes. I have done some research that I am really proud of. I take a look at how Mid-temperature glazes work. Exploring how we get glazes that perform well at Mid-Temperature. Also examining some of the unknown pitfalls in durability and safety in Mid-temperature glazes that is right before our eyes and we don't even know about it!

Finally, Bill Carty is going to present his fantastic research on "Forensic Ceramics". Where in he was able to discover the methods and techniques of 12th Century Korean ceramics, using modern ceramic science. And how those techniques effect us today.

All of this will be capped of by a Q&A lead by our friend Tina Gebhart.

So please come on by and see our talk! And if you see us wandering around, please feel free to stop us and says hi or ask us any questions you may have.

See you in Seattle!

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Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

Out of your Gourd

Hey, Sports fans!

I  hope everyone is doing exceptionally well. Spring has sprung here in Alfred. Mrs. Rose's Crocuses are blooming and our neighbor's bee hives are buzzing.

Today's find is a not A ceramical one, but is one that those slip-casters can take part in.
Instructables has a profile on how to shape a gourd into the shape of your choosing. With just the application of a plaster mold your Fall gourds can be the most decorative in town!

Via

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Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

Smash!

Today brings us something super cool. These photographs by German photographer Martin Klimas are amazing little things. He has his camera set up to shoot on the sound cue of the pieces smashing. Creating tableau of battle.

I am amazed that we haven't seen this as an effect in a movie yet.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

Kansas City here we come!

Hey everyone!

We are proud to announce that our clays are now available to the
greater Kansas City area though Crane Yard Clays! http://kcclay.com/

On top of that Dave and I will be at Crane Yard Saturday, February 4th
from 12 to 6 for thier big introductory shindig! If you are in the KC
area we hope to see you there!

Also if you want to get some of our fanstastic clay, they have a 200
mile distribution area. I'm sure they would be happy to bring you some
to your studio or school!

See you all there!

-Matt

Reservoir

I have a controversial standpoint and I will take your abuse in the comments. I don't prefer real maple syrup. Now don't get me wrong. I like it just fine and God know that when the Top Secret Pancake house near Alfred opens for the season soon, I will be there. But when it comes to the syrup I reach for, I go for the fake stuff.

I also am not a fan of soaking my pancakes. I confuse Mrs. Rose as I stack my pancakes and then cut them one at a time and not slicing through the whole stack. What I am trying to say, is that I am pancake weird.

My pancake fastidiousness is being satiated bu this new syrup reservoir plate by uncommon goods. I think that this is for more than just pancakes, sauces would do very well here too.
None to shabby.

Link
Via
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Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

 

Notes

I am again behind the times. As I assume all of you have heard, Eva Zeisel passed away at the age of 105. We should all be so lucky to have such a rich and wonderful life. There is nothing I can say that has already been said. Of course when a a ceramicist gets a obituary in the New York Times they are some one to remember.

A few things to address from Matt and Dave's Clays.

The first, is a big announcement coming soon for our customers in the Mid(dle) West. We will announce it soon.

For everyone else. As you know all of out products are available to you through direct shipping from the USPS. The USPS flat rate shipping is a great tool for us to get our clays to you quickly and affordably. As they promise 2-3 day shipping for all 50 states.

That said, we reside is chilly Alfred, New York. where winter has set in. So to minimize the possibility of freezing in the shipping process, we are going to restrict shipping on all orders to Monday and Tuesday. This way we can minimize the amount of time your clay will sit in chilly post offices. We are sorry for the delay in getting clay to your studio, but it is for the best.

That said, we have studied clay freezing and it is not a big deal. It has no effect on the quality of your clay. It may require a quick wedging, but you should be wedging your clay anyway ;)

Also, mark you calenders as Matt and Dave will be at NCECA 2012 in Seattle. We will be doing a presentation on the nature of Mid-temperature glazes. It should be pretty exciting and we hope to see you all there!

Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

Malcom Davis 1937-2011 by Dave Finkelnburg

Like very many folks, I suspect, Malcolm Davis bounced into and through my life in clay at rather high speed and with seemingly boundless good humor. If you were around, that meant you got to share in the fun too! He was also genuinely humble, and one of the kindest people I have ever known besides.

I met him at my first or second NCECA. He was nationally famous by then and had dropped in on a carbon trapping breakout session where someone insisted on holding forth at great length on the only right ways to do anything and everything involved with trapping carbon in a glaze. Malcolm corrected the blowhard a few times, but each time with such ease and pleasantness that I think the guy never even figured out who Malcolm was!

Later I had the good fortune to spend a few days in one of Malcolm's workshops. The conditions were abominable. Malcolm was privately furious. He was also the quintessential professional. I doubt that anyone else in the workshop was aware of what he had to put up with. With his unflappable good cheer he brought off each session without so much as a hiccup, and kept all of us laughing along the way.

We collaborated on a magazine article, spoke at NCECA, and corresponded via e-mail. Along the way I learned that Malcolm had his serious side, too. There were glimpses of it when he gave the closing lecture at NCECA in Philadelphia. In between the smiles and jokes and laughs it was clear that art was serious to him and that the welfare and humanity of people was serious to him, too.

As skilled, talented and hard-working an artist as Malcolm was, I think he would be one to agree with the note I received regarding him this morning.  "It occurs to me that if you are remembered for being a positive and loving person," it said, "it seems a life well lived."

Here's to you, Malcolm. You lived your life very well indeed.

Cast Recording

I was sent a great blog post by Jeremy Brooks, who is teaching a Tools, Materials, and Process class at the University of Michigan. The class is working on a project where they have to create a cup and a cast of their mouth to work as a cup holder. It is a really cool experiment of art, design and process.
Jeremy sent me the post with this note.

"My mold making class at the University of Michigan has really enjoyed working with your slip. For most of them, this is their first experience with casting slip. It is incredibly plastic for a casting slip and I am impressed with how far they can push it."

Of course I love to hear great reviews about how functional and versatile our Clays and Casting Slips are!

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Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!

It's in the bag.

A very nice lamp from designer Simon Naouri and produced by Triode Edition.

Via

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Slipcast is brought to you by Matt and Dave's Clays

Clays designed by Scientists to work for Artists!

Porcelain for the People!