A Broken Pot is a Useful Pot



Have you ever broken a bonsai pot or slab and ended up throwing it in the wheely bin?

Many of us have.

Too many of us think that if a pot isnt "perfect" that it will never look any good with our tree in it.

Recently, I was asked if I had any broken/cracked bonsai pots that I was going to chuck out.  Hmmm... strange question I thought.  Normally people want solid unbroken uncracked pots-brand new.

On questioning him he was adamant they would definitely have a use.  So I quite happily gave him a couple of rejects from my latest kiln firing.

I got an email from him recently  with a couple of pictures of his latest bonsai creation using a slab that had broken during the high firing.

Now this bloke is obviously talented.  To think outside the square and make use of these two pieces of pot and create a beautiful forest/group planting of beech is something to be proud of.

Here is a picture of the beech planted up on a "one piece slab" (broken one pushed together)

Looks great dont you think!  But look below

In my opinion, I think this looks even better, two separate plantings but still with the one group.

The river/stream is imagined between them.

 I managed to get him to agree to put his name to this creation....well sort of, he's about to start out his own bonsai venture and  is going by the name of Fredric Bonsai.   If you want to get in touch with him, I may be able to pass on any queries.  Better still, I'll see if he wants me to add his email address!

So the next time the dog/kids/wind/rugby ball knocks over one of your trees and breaks the pot/slab,  take a good hard look at it first before turfing it in the bin.  Nature isnt perfect, after all,  isn't that what we are trying to recreate?

Cost of making a bonsai pot

People often ask me how much it costs to make a bonsai pot.  There are so many factors to consider.  If I was making mass produced pots of a certain size, shape, glaze etc it'd be easy enough to work out. Well, not easy, but easier than working out the cost of the way I make my pots.

I don't have a set size, they are all different.  Sure you can weigh the clay before you make the pot on the wheel so you know how much you are using, but when you trim the pot up when its leather hard, you're taking clay away. Wet clay is heavier than leather hard or dry clay, at what stage do you weigh it? All too complicated and not what real pottery is about.

I'll list some of the costs.

CLAY
One of the 2 biggest expenses, freight from one end of the country to the other on top of the price of clay makes it very expensive for the hobby potter, we don't get big discounts like clubs do. I like to use 2 or 3 different types of clay, depending on what I'm making, all different prices. Nailing down the best clay to use and getting the results you want, also means alot of experimenting, and also if not successful, a bit of wastage.  I'm very lucky in that I have a mentor who is helping me out with a variety of different clays to get the best results.


 POTTERS WHEEL              
 I feel that you must learn how to use the wheel with some confidence. Its really an essential piece of machinery to have if you're wanting to make different types of pots.


WHEEL BATS AND ACCESSORY'S
You need many different sizes of these to make a variety of work.  Used both on the wheel and for drying on.

TOOLS
May need replacing regularly if using grogged clays. Although you can purchase some quite cheap basic tools, if you want them to last a bit longer,(sharpness) it pays to get better quality ones.

ELECTRICITY
This is another BIG expense in New Zealand.  My average bisque firing takes at least. 9 hours, and then the glaze firing can take as long as 12 hours depending on the temperature the clay matures at. Stoneware clays fire higher therefore costing more.  With our power prices increasing regularly over the years, many potters are moving on to other areas.

GLAZE INGREDIENTS
If making up own recipes the colouring oxides and materials are expensive to buy.   Premade glazes in powder form can be bought at a cost, but making your own generally works out cheaper if you have the materials.  I don't use brush on glazes as I like the more spontaneous look of a poured on glaze.  Brush on glazes dont work out to be very cost effective if you're making large pieces. Thats just my opinion anyway.

KILN
This is another must, if you are serious about making pots.  You might say that why don't you just use the local Pottery Club kiln, it'll work out cheaper than buying your own kiln.....wrong....in the long run it doesn't.   Apart from the cost, you have to take into consideration the cost of travel to and from using the kiln, the transporting of fragile greenware, working in with others using the kiln etc. etc. In my case a 68km round trip to the pottery rooms, the cost of petrol in New Zealand is very high and still rising.  Its so much easier to be able to do a firing when you're ready and not have to rely on others.  That's a big must for me, as I like to be independent and not bother others.

 KILN SHELVES, PROPS, FURNITURE
 Even though most kilns will come with some shelves, furniture etc, its never enough.  Because bonsai pots are shallow, you are able to put more shelves than normal in the kiln to make it more cost effective.  With more shelves means using more props etc.
 
FIRING CONES/RODS
Firing cones are good to use to check the temperatures are correct.  My kiln uses a kiln sitter, so each firing uses a small rod.  These aren't cheap either, and come in box's of 30 if I remember correctly.

CRACKED DAMAGED POTS
that will have to be binned!  Especially relevant when making larger bonsai pots, the bigger the pot, the more chances of cracking etc happening  during firing, so that's a pretty good reason why you don't see alot of potters making very large bonsai pots.

MY TIME (LABOUR)
If the cost of my time was added onto the cost of the bonsai pots, nothing would sell, as it would be too expensive for most.  Making a large oval pot can take 2 or 3 hours of careful hand building to get it to an acceptable standard.  Then theres the drying time and constant turning to make sure they dry evenly.

I think I just need to stop there...........I'm sure there are alot of other small expenses I haven't thought of. But I'm kind of thinking that most will say why do you bother.  Sometimes I wonder that myself, if I'm lucky I might break even with the total cost of most pots.

Why do I do it?.......because I enjoy it,  there's something  very calming about sitting at the wheel creating something.  Sometimes its spontaneous, sometimes its with a purpose in mind, but either way,  I plan on continuing making these bonsai pots.... it just feels right.  I've learnt to trust my instincts.

As far as cost goes, everything has a cost....... but if you really want to do something , there will always be a way!

                                           

It started out as a Traditional Slab but ended up looking like this

Seems to happen quite often.

Sometimes with making bonsai pots you have a rough idea in your head, but when it actually comes down to it,  the clay seems to want you to make it into something else. So I just go with the flow.

I guess thats why I enjoy making the rustic type pots and slabs. The traditional rules of proportion and shapes etc dont apply.   With these you can be a bit more creative.

This one's about 47cm long.  It'll shrink alot as it drys.

I managed to take these photos on the way to the laundry.  No I don't leave clay pots sitting on the kitchen table (not any more)

It'll be covered with a black rubbish bag and left to dry very slowly.

The freezer in the laundry is now covered with drying pots.  Its a bit of a mission getting meat out for tea at times.  I hold the lid up gently, while my daughter puts her little hand through the  gap and grabs whatever she can reach.  The pots havent managed to slide off yet - touch wood.

Those potters that have a studio are soooo lucky.   Maybe one day (sigh)

Copper Wire versus Aluminium Bonsai Wire

Recently I managed to get hold of some reasonably priced copper wire. I choose three different thicknesses. I'd heard a few different thoughts on whether its better to use than the aluminium I normally use.

So I bit the bullet and tried wiring up a very leggy pine during the late autumn.

Having heard that once the wire is wrapped around a branch it goes quite hard  I proceeded with caution...... and guess what, it doesnt go so hard so you cant bend it again.  But it does harden up more than aluminium.    But on the other hand... I wonder what it will be like in 3 or 4 months.   I've been told that you have to cut copper wire off as its too hard to unwind without damaging the bark.  So I guess I'll have to wait and see.

 I dont fancy having a bucket full of cut off bits of copper wire that I cant use again.   I'm too much of a scrooge for that.   No one from the Gore Bonsai Club uses it, and a few other bonsai addicts I know dont use it either.

I know the price is what puts people off buying it.  But the width of the wire that you use is alot less than the aluminium wire with the same holding power, so it doesnt work out as expensive as you think..

Dont look too hard at my wiring....still got lots to learn!

Has any one out there ever tried it, and how did you get on?

Its nice to use, but I'm almost a little scared to try it on much else in case it sets rock hard.

ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS?? 

Bonsai Pot Making Now Online

I've been dragged into the age of technology at long last.  Downloaded, uploaded, waited, added, edited.....at long last its finished.  Excuse the music breaks, haven't quite mastered that yet.  Much to the amusement of my kids I managed to produce this wee video on my own.  Enjoy!

Higher definition on You tube - http://youtu.be/5UshcfPTE10

If you'd like to get in touch just email me at:  howimakebonsaipots@gmail.com

You've gotta laugh, the bonsai pot that would sit nicely on a hill

Hmmm.... what not to do when you're in a hurry to do something else.

I'd always known that clay had a "memory".

Normally I wait until the clay firms up (5 or 6 hours)  before I'd even attempt to handle it, but not this time...I was in a hurry!   So I picked up the top quickly and the ends sagged.  But I quickly put it down and carried on with the base and feet.  I thought everything would be OK as it straightened out nicely and looked like it was going to be a nice big oval pot.

But oh no...... as it dried slowly the side rose up and made a nice curve in the pot.  You can see exactly where I picked it up on the sides.

So even though you may be able to fix up any distortions in clay before it gets too firm again, the clay still remembers and tries to revert back to the original shape it was moved into.  

LESSON LEARNED....... the pot I've spent a couple of hours making is now destined for the scrap bucket.   Or perhaps I should put it somewhere obvious to remind me about what NOT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE IN A HURRY.

I've made a roundish slab pot just to see how it turns out.  Looking good so far. (50cm diameter) its done most of its shrinking now.

Its been left sitting on top of the freezer in the wash house.  Not the most practical place to put it, but its the coolest part of the house, as the "man cave" is being used for sanding down man things!

Love the texture on it.  With any luck this one will shrink down so its small enough to fit in the kiln with out having to trim it down some.  Yes, I have made the odd one that's too big to fit!!

 

 This is the pot that I've thrown just an hour ago.  Its made from a nice new clay that I'd been given to try out.  Its sooo smooth and lovely to work with.  Its just a new clay but its suited to larger pieces and has alot more strength during construction.  Keeping my fingers crossed!   This pot is about 42cm diameter at the moment in its wet state, but it'll shrink  as it dries. Not sure if I should keep it plain or put rivets on it....plain is always nice.  That seems to be what people want the most.

Any way, I'd better get back the mess I left in the garage, hubby's got truck parts all over the place, DOESN'T HE KNOW I NEED THE SPACE!

If you have any comments or want to get in touch, my email is howimakebonsaipots@gmail.com



The kiln was unloaded this morning.  Great relief once again........ everything came out perfectly as far as I can see.

All of the big bonsai pots I've made over the last 3 weeks have been dried REALLY SLOWLY in a large black rubbish bag.  I changed the newspaper they were sitting on both the bottom and the top every day, and after the first week I opened the end a little to let the air circulate.   So far, so good.  I've just got to get them through the next glaze firing though, so only halfway there!

This larger oval tray is about 44cm long, very shallow.

A few crinkle marks in the clay from the newspaper when rolling the slab out though.

This is quite a wide oval about 39cm wide at the moment.  I decided to try not putting a drainage hole in the middle and only put them around the outside edge to perhaps make it stronger.

I love these wee mame pots. Enscribed with a Kiwi Style pattern.  Really enjoyable to make, but time consuming

This slab is about 50cm long at the moment, it'll shrink a bit more in the glaze firing, very happy with it so far.

The rest of my bits n bobs of bonsai pots.



I'll have to get out to the garage tomorrow and start on the glazing and oxide washing.  Fingers crossed it goes off without a hitch this time as well.

If you have any comments please feel free to get in touch either on this blog, or by emailing me on howimakebonsaipots@gmail.com

Some new bonsai pots - fresh out of the kiln

SOME NEW BONSAI POTS - FRESH OUT OF THE KILN


I love mornings like this.  I'm sure the heart starts beating faster in anticipation of that kiln lid opening.

This time I wasnt greeted by a broken pot.  As each kiln shelf was taken out, there was a quick sigh of relief that all the work that was put in making these pots had been worthwile.

My daughter and I took some pictures to share with anyone who may be interested.  Normally I put one or two on Trademe, but with their success and listing fees taking quite a chunk out of what I may get for them, we are reconsidering how we might go about things in the future.

Any way, back to the pots.

 The glaze on this large pot is just lovely.  Its a matt crystaline glaze.  If you look closely you can see the crystals that have grown as the pot has slowly been cooled down in the kiln.  If its cooled too quick they dont have time to grow.  Thats how I understand it happens-not sure if its right though.

People have been asking for large plain brown pots.  This one turned out quite nice as well.  Its been washed with an iron oxide mix.  You can see the throwing ridges a little from being made on the wheel.

The clay has quite a bit of grog in it for strength.  Its quite fine though.

 Another wee rustic looking pot.  You cant really see the texture too much on the photo, but there was some quite coarse grog rolled into the clay before it was shaped.  Quite nice,

The two smaller pots below had been fired previously, but I didnt like how they turned out, so I put them in again in this firing. The glaze has evened out more, and is a very nice dark brown.

I'll have to start making some more as the drying cupboard is bare yet again.

If you have any comments please feel free to get in touch either on this blog, or by emailing me on howimakebonsaipots@gmail.com

Cheers, Fionna

Hmmm...... has to be my least favourite job.  

Everything that doesnt make it to the kiln, (breakages, cracked pots, and disasters) get broken up and dried in large margarine containers.  When the clay's dry, I add water to cover it, and then let it soak for a day or two.  Then I tip off the excess water on top and leave the rest to evaporate away a bit more.   When its the thickness of porridge I spread it over a slab of plaster of paris or a mould  and let it draw more moisture out of the clay.  Then its ready for LOTS of wedging to get an even consistancy and get rid of any air pockets there might be.    Finally its wrapped in gladwrap and labelled ready to use again.

Finally its wrapped in gladwrap and labelled ready to use again.

Its alot of extra work, but with the price of clay these days, there's no way it can be wasted.


Just did a load of pots last night (the final glaze firing).  Hopefully it'll be cool enough to open late tomorrow maybe.  The hardest part for me is the waiting for the kiln to cool......if its opened while its still too hot you can ruin your pots with the temperature shock.  Yes, I've been there and done that!!

If you have any comments please feel free to get in touch either on this blog, or by emailing me on howimakebonsaipots@gmail.com

Time for a bisque firing!!

I had enough dry pieces to load up the kiln tonight.  Managed to get most of them in.  A bit of space is wasted in the kiln because I havent got enough shelves of the right size.  Cant afford to buy any more just yet, so I'm just making do with what I have.   Its a bit of a pain when I have several slabs to fire as I've had some cracking when I've stacked them on top of each other for bisque firing,  as some are quite heavy.



I've just made a slab about 56cm in length, as you can see it just barely fits in with not much room to spare.  I was keeping my fingers crossed it would shrink enough in the greenware stage to fit!

Just a wee view of my drawer with all the kiln sitter cones and rods.  Alot of them  I will probably never use as they're low firing cones, but you never know when someone else might need them.  I fire my bisque to 05.  I have learnt to preheat and dry my pots for a couple of hours first to get rid of any moisture, and then set the kiln to fire for 8 hours on D setting, which is quite low.   It works out quite well.  Although I have been plagued by cracking both during bisque and glaze firing, and am still trying to work out what the problem is.  I suspect its one of several things. - drying too fast, cooling down to fast after firing (dont always get up in time to put the peep hole plug in), perhaps using too much water when I'm throwing the pots maybe?  

I've started using a new clay with alot more grog, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that the  cracking problem improves soon.                                                                                  



Here's a couple more pots that are almost dry enough to go in the kiln.  I put these inside in the wash house for a couple of weeks  so they would dry slowly.   The garage just gets too hot once the sun comes up and heats the steel.  Even with the new pots being covered they heat up too much and the drops of condensation fall of the inside of the plastic covering them and makes the drying quite uneven.

Anyway,  I'll post some pictures of the pots when they're taken out of the kiln, fingers crossed that theres no fatalities!

If you have any comments please feel free to get in touch either on this blog, or by emailing me on howimakebonsaipots@gmail.com