Robert Fornell Ceramics

Artisans share their Teaware Art.


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Aug 25th, '09, 16:08
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Aug 25th, '09, 16:08

robert beautiful koudai !

can you please share more information about your small hybrid 8 chawan kama ?

i'd like to build one. sounds cool

hikidashi goro and other firing techniques using combustibles i could gather here in the islands would be wonderful with this 'test' kiln.

we have access to macadamia nut shells as a by product from the industry on the big island of Hawai'i. was thinking this might be cool to fire hawaiian clay with macadamia nut shells.

aloha

cory

Thanks for the comment regarding the koudai.

I'm in the process of settling into my new shop as I write so how about I post a few pics once the dust settles?

I checked out your web site and liked the chawan done in Punaoa (sp) clay best! I'd be barkin' up that tree for sure! Ruff, ruff!! :lol:

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Aug 25th, '09, 19:18
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Littlepig2 » Aug 25th, '09, 19:18

we have access to macadamia nut shells as a by product from the industry on the big island of Hawaii. was thinking this might be cool to fire Hawaiian clay with macadamia nut shells.

aloha

cory
oooh, oo, oo, oo, oo ooh! I am having visions of macadamia nut shell ash and am wondering how that would turn out as glaze!
jean ann

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Aug 25th, '09, 23:57
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by bonjiri » Aug 25th, '09, 23:57

Littlepig2 wrote:
we have access to macadamia nut shells as a by product from the industry on the big island of Hawaii. was thinking this might be cool to fire Hawaiian clay with macadamia nut shells.

aloha

cory
oooh, oo, oo, oo, oo ooh! I am having visions of macadamia nut shell ash and am wondering how that would turn out as glaze!
jean ann
aloha little pig

yyy, i need to try it. its probably high in silica.

i'll test fire some soon

c

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Sep 2nd, '09, 22:00
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Sep 2nd, '09, 22:00

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Sep 2nd, '09, 22:06
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by woozl » Sep 2nd, '09, 22:06

Very nice! woof woof
Compelling tea pot.
Thanks for sharing.

Curious about the size?

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Sep 3rd, '09, 10:51
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Littlepig2 » Sep 3rd, '09, 10:51

woozl wrote:Very nice! woof woof
Compelling tea pot.
Thanks for sharing.

Curious about the size?
ditto on the very nice. WOOF WOOF!

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Sep 3rd, '09, 11:37
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Sep 3rd, '09, 11:37

Very nice! woof woof
Compelling tea pot.
Thanks for sharing.

Curious about the size?

thank you, thank you, thank you

sized at 18cmW x 20cmH a soft oval in shape.....

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Sep 3rd, '09, 12:58
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Sep 3rd, '09, 12:58

More, albeit somewhat different, from the kiln.....



You make the best pot you can, place it in the kiln where you think best, then let go......... it's out of your control.

The alley behind the studio is not paved with failure, (my shards) but learning.

The difference between the shard pile and a treasured piece is seeing, as it's easier to change how you feel about/ see the pot than it is to change the pot.

We don't so much as look at things, but rather overlook them.

I'm just the enabler not the creator... I merely gather the materials together to allow them to have their conversation inside the kiln.

If you think you have it figured out, fire again. A wonderful lesson on humility.......

I can show you my path, but you have to walk your own.

It's just dirt..... Don't get too attached.

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Sep 3rd, '09, 22:45
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by chicagopotter » Sep 3rd, '09, 22:45

Ok, I gotta ask...The shino on the first image you posted way back on page 1 (cha 3b.jpg) -- is that formulated from Japanese materials or US materials? I've been looking for a recipe similar to that surface-- more transparent like 2% milk than opaque white/orange/red. Is your body low iron and are you using higher potassium feldspars? Is that considered a muji Shino? Do I even know what I'm talking about?

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Sep 4th, '09, 11:36
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Sep 4th, '09, 11:36

Ok, I gotta ask...The shino on the first image you posted way back on page 1 (cha 3b.jpg) -- is that formulated from Japanese materials or US materials? I've been looking for a recipe similar to that surface-- more transparent like 2% milk than opaque white/orange/red. Is your body low iron and are you using higher potassium feldspars? Is that considered a muji Shino? Do I even know what I'm talking about?

Thanks for your questions Chris. The Shino piece on the first page is made with US and Canadian (Nepy sy) materials. The glaze was originally a Casebeer I believe, which I have tweeked to my tastes with local kaolin etc. The clay body is a basic buff so yes I'd call it low iron, which I've added to in order to liven it up.

I find one of the difficulties of working as a potter in the US is that all the materials sold are milled to industial specifications/uses which tends to take the life out of them as well as impacting ones work. The same clay bodies can be found coast to coast........Wonder Bread if you like. :(

I'm not familiar with "muji" shino..... Please help me out if possible.

Best,
R
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Sep 4th, '09, 13:17
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Intuit » Sep 4th, '09, 13:17

I think I understand your point about commercial production uniformity for clay body manufacturing process(es).

Have you tried talking to the producers
http://www.vickihardin.com/links/ceramicsuppliers.html

about the possibility of milling and source variations to provide novel clay 'recipes' for potters? These would be different (and substantially cheaper to produce, btw) product grades.

As far as composition goes, can it be that uniform? I mean, we're talking companies that use local/regional deposits. The deposits they work from can't be identical from coast to coast.

I suppose the largest regional producers have to assure a high degree of mixture uniformity to meet industrial specs, or clay product companies would have a helluva time ensuring product quality continuity within production runs.

However, you would think there would be specialty clay companies that offer unique clay body recipes. Or you could mine and beneficiate (stepwise mineral processing) your own clays. That would, of course, substantially increase your base materials costs.

The vast majority of artists, potters in particular, barely scrape by financially - so they are left to be creative in their pottery arts using standardized materials.

*shrug* Might be akin to a similar problem observed for commercial versus artisan bakeries and breweries. Hence, the technical truth behind your 'wonder bread' lament.

Regarding your failed Yakima trip: when you try to locate rock minerals that emerge at or near ground surface, check the state US Geological Survey technical reports (many available online, free); these documents may provide more exact locations for outcroppings with general coordinates. The USGS or local soil survey (NRCS) office for quad maps for vehicle access and check with the county on property ownership (unless you like to risks with onery owners).

State USGS office is located in downtown Tacoma - they can walk you through finding appropriate technical documents. I've done cooperative inter-agency work with them - they're super cooperative folks, most times.

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Sep 4th, '09, 14:29
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by bonjiri » Sep 4th, '09, 14:29

ronin ceramurai wrote:
Ok, I gotta ask...The shino on the first image you posted way back on page 1 (cha 3b.jpg) -- is that formulated from Japanese materials or US materials? I've been looking for a recipe similar to that surface-- more transparent like 2% milk than opaque white/orange/red. Is your body low iron and are you using higher potassium feldspars? Is that considered a muji Shino? Do I even know what I'm talking about?

Thanks for your questions Chris. The Shino piece on the first page is made with US and Canadian (Nepy sy) materials. The glaze was originally a Casebeer I believe, which I have tweeked to my tastes with local kaolin etc. The clay body is a basic buff so yes I'd call it low iron, which I've added to in order to liven it up.

I find one of the difficulties of working as a potter in the US is that all the materials sold are milled to industial specifications/uses which tends to take the life out of them as well as impacting ones work. The same clay bodies can be found coast to coast........Wonder Bread if you like. :(

I'm not familiar with "muji" shino..... Please help me out if possible.

Best,
R
robert
i think i have doug casebeer's shino recipe, same one from anderson ranch ?

what is your recipe ? and how did you tweak it ?

thanks
humbly

cory

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Sep 4th, '09, 15:59
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Sep 4th, '09, 15:59

Excellent post Intuit and thank you for sharing.
Have you tried talking to the producers
http://www.vickihardin.com/links/ceramicsuppliers.html

about the possibility of milling and source variations to provide novel clay 'recipes' for potters? These would be different (and substantially cheaper to produce, btw) product grades.


I haven't contacted producers directly as the volumes I use of say a courser grade feldspar tend to be fairly minimal, around 200 pounds per year, and I didn't think to ask them if they'd want to deal with a quantity that small. Worth a shot though.....
However, you would think there would be specialty clay companies that offer unique clay body recipes. Or you could mine and beneficiate (stepwise mineral processing) your own clays. That would, of course, substantially increase your base materials costs.
My lament concerning Wonder Bread clays is due to the fact that while all the various regional ceramic supply houses produce their "own" blends, the base materials that they start out with tend to be pretty much from the same sources/mines hence the uniformity. Consequently I frequently end up doing what you suggest, and that is to source materials locally, excavation sites/mining cast offs etc and blend them to a base clay body. In the end that results in fewer pots however, hopefully they are more personal but which I have to charge a little more for with the hopes that the buyer can see/touch/feel/ "get" the difference...... developing an "eye" as I mentioned a few posts back. As an aside, if one can begin to "work locally", just as "eating locally" is now back in vogue, it does help to reduce ones carbon footprint as clays aren't being trucked from one side of the country to the other. Hopefully it will help to offset all the energy we potters burn up...... :D
The vast majority of artists, potters in particular, barely scrape by financially - so they are left to be creative in their pottery arts using standardized materials.
Agreed, financially the road of a potter is not easy, however there are sucessful potters who do work right from the box. My students tend to be surprised when I bring in a bag of my clay for demos as it's much shorter and courser that what they're used to hence probably the demand for such a body might be fairly low from a producer stand point. They look for clays which throw and trim easily and fire out predictably while my concerns are somewhat different.
Regarding your failed Yakima trip: when you try to locate rock minerals that emerge at or near ground surface, check the state US Geological Survey technical reports (many available online, free); these documents may provide more exact locations for outcroppings with general coordinates. The USGS or local soil survey (NRCS) office for quad maps for vehicle access and check with the county on property ownership (unless you like to risks with onery owners).
Thanks for the tip regarding reports and the USGS office in Tacoma. I use a book titled "Roadside Geology of Washington" which is fairly good as well as being fairly precise. Accompanying me on my search was my 5 year old daughter, and while her enthusiasm for the search was as high or higher than mine, unfortunately her patience wasn't.

Then again, the trip was similar to much of ceramics, (my search for nezumi shino only to "find" kurojino) searching for something fairly specific, pink feldspar near Yakima, but coming away with something different, pinkish/marroon rock from White Pass. This too relates to some students who tend to want you to get them to the end point of the journey as soon as possible (product) rather than walk their own path (process) to reach their destination thus missing the joy of discovery as well as all the wonderful side trips.

Thank you for putting up with my ramblings and many thanks Intuit!


Best wishes,
R

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Sep 6th, '09, 00:18
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Sep 6th, '09, 00:18

robert
i think i have doug casebeer's shino recipe, same one from anderson ranch ?

what is your recipe ? and how did you tweak it ?

thanks
humbly

cory
Cory,

The Casebeer shino is as follows:

Soda ash 4
Spodumene 12
Kona spar 15
Neph sy 50
Kao 12
Ball 3

I've mixed variations increasing ball clay, XX in my shop, and kaolin from E. Wash to stiffen the glaze as well as increasing the spar or neph sy to increase coeffiency of expansion to soften it. Depends on what your tastes are as well as your clay body/firing.

Play around with it and enjoy!

Cheers,
R

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Sep 6th, '09, 12:33
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Sep 6th, '09, 12:33

Afore mentioned Kurojino.....

Cheers,
R
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Kurojino chawan courtesy of Cavin-Morris Gallery
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