IMPRESSING WORDS WITH CUSTOM RUBBER STAMPS

DUNCAN DISCONTINUES SOME PRODUCT LINES

Duncan is discontinuing several glaze lines, and cutting back on colors in some other lines. If you have some favorite colors, this is your chance to stock up on them before they are gone. We will sell our stock on hand, then remove the items from the website as we run out. However we may be able to get colors from our distributors even after we have sold out. So let us know what you are looking for.

The following lines have been completely discontinued:

• ST Stonewashed

• RI River Rock

• SA Sandstars

• SN Satin (except 351 Clear and 355 Orange Fizz)

• CY Courtyard Art

• HF High Fire

The following colors have been discontinued (but the rest of the line is intact):

• Envisions Glaze: IN1046

• EZ Stroke Underglaze: EZ029, EZ045, EZ046, EZ049, EZ060, EZ062

• Concepts Underglaze: CN001, CN002, CN003, CN004, CN005, CN006, CN611, CN613, CN621, CN623, CN631, CN633, CN641, CN643, CN651, CN653, CN661, CN663

• Art Glaze: AR726

• Sparklers non-fired: SG883, SG884, SG885, SG886, SG887

• Ultra metallics non-fired: UM960, UM961

• Granite Stone non-fired: GS644, GS947, GS951, GS952, GS953, GS954, GS955, GS956, GS957, GS958

• Liquid Pearls non-fired: PL177, PL182, PL207, PL208, PL216, PL221, PL228, PL230, PL231, PL234

• Bisq-Stain Acrylics non-fired: OS554, OS557, OS561, OS562, OS566, OS577, OS578, OS585, OS587, OS588

• Accessories: AS960, AS975, AS976, AS977, AS978, AS979, AS980

Also, 5 and 50 Gallon sizes were discontinued in many colors, as well as gallons in some colors.

To look up colors, use the Glaze Index or type the number into the search box at the top of every page. Glaze Index

GLAZE GALLERY NEW! HELP US BUILD UP OUR GALLERY!

Let's face it, we all hate color chips! Particularly for glazes that are mottled or vary depending on thickness and such. Wouldn't it be better to see a whole piece covered in a glaze? I'm not sure why manufacturers don't offer this. So we are putting together our own Glaze Gallery. If you have any pieces glazed with one of the commercial glazes we sell, please take a digital photo and send it to us! Some people are doing wonderful things with layering of commercial glazes. Visit the Glaze Gallery

TIP/Project 60: Impressing Words With a Custom Rubber Stamp

This project comes from Kellie DeFries in San Diego, CA. She threw 50 plates for her wedding party, and used a rubber stamp to impress the lyrics to an old hank Williams Sr. Song.

HOW SHE DID IT

I found these plates very impressive, so I asked Kellie how she made them.

Kellie: "I printed the text in a graphics program called: Freehand. Attached the text to a spiral line. Printed out a laser copy. Sent it to California Rubber Stamp Company. 4 hours and $85 bucks later, I have an AWESOME 8 inch by 8 inch rubber stamp. And I asked them NOT to mount on wood, to be more flexible with the clay, so it is just a piece of rubber stamp material. AND.... it is almost CLEAR, so I can see where to position the stamp in the base of my plate. Once it is placed on, I gently rub with my fingers until all has been smushed into the clay. Lift it off to reveal MAGIC!!

After the wet clay gets dry to the touch I press in the stamp. If it is tooo wet, it smears, if it is toooo dry, it won't press in all the way, and won't show up. Timing is everything in clay! ( I am a fan of the BLOW TORCH for these impatient moments of mine! )"

Then as a final touch, she used ink on the stamp to continue the design onto the packaging boxes.

A few other tips. She used a smooth clay with little grog, which is important to pick up the detail in the stamp. If the stamp got too wet she would simply rinse it off and let it dry. Because she needed a smooth surface on the plate, she used a translucent glaze. Translucent glaze is darker where it is thicker. So it is darker where it pools into the letters. For non-functional pieces you could use stain or glaze and wipe it off the surface, leaving it in the letters only.

Note: Type "custom rubber stamp" in a search engine and you will find many companies selling these types of stamps.

Kellie also made her invitations in clay!

CLAY: A STUDIO HANDBOOK

Clay: A Studio Handbook by Vince Pitelka is one of our top selling books. Introduced about 2 years ago, this thick book is hundreds of pages of words, covering all aspects of making pottery and being a potter. Loaded with tips, it is often referred to as a favorite by professional potters. Yet the instructions are simple for beginners. Vince has been teaching pottery for years and it shows! Read more about Clay: A Studio Handbook

SETTING UP YOUR CERAMICS STUDIO

Setting Up Your Ceramics Studio is a new book by Lark. This is a picture book, with hundreds of photos taken from 12 successful potters' studios. The studios range from very small to very large, but each is full of ideas you can use to organize your studio, and make it a place you love to visit!

STAYIN' ALIVE

Stayin' Alive is the newest book from Robin Hopper, a professional potter with 45 years experience. This book is basically a survival guide for making your living in clay. Legal and business advice, as well as philosophical strategies for the artist.

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