Bracker's Good Earth Clays, Inc.

Mason K5987 Red, Mason K5988 Dark Red, and Mason K5997 Cherry Red (shown here in 1/4# bags for either $10.50 or $10.65 each, depending on color) are brand new encapsulated cadmium/selenium sulfides which are very safe to use and stable from extremely low temperatures to Cone 11/12. They can be used in underglazes, added to existing glazes, mixed with water to an inky consistency and brushed on over glazes, in slips, and even as a body stain. They can also be blended with many of the Mason regular, non-cadmium stains to achieve many variations of colors not normally possible with the chrome-tin crimson/pink varieties. This color is NOT affected by normal amounts of boron and should take reduction conditions under most circumstances!

Reference
1 (Can be used as a body stain at high temperatures)
3 (Max Temp = 2300°F)
6 (May be used with or without zinc)

Slap Stix are hard plastic texturing paddles from Custom Design Manufacturing in Liberty, Missouri. Create interesting and unique textures on both handbuilt and thrown pottery. Each of the eight paddles have two different texture designs.

This new item ensures that making standard square tiles is a breeze. Perfect for classrooms, home studios, or busy pros. It comes with everything you need to get started. The main part of the tile maker is the large MDF form with the inset square tile shape. MDF shims are included so you can achieve three different thicknesses of tiles: 1/4", 3/8", or 1/2". Select the shim (or combination of shims) for the thickness you want then slide in a slip of 6" x 6" paper on top of the shims. The paper (cutting up old newspaper works well) prevents the clay from sticking to the shim and makes moving your tile easy when it's finished.

Once you've set up the TileMaker with shims and newspaper, you're ready to smoosh clay into the form. Start at the corners with soft clay and squish it in tightly, then work your way around the edges, then finally fill in the middle. Add more clay than you'll need - a slight bulge above the top of the form is preferable. Grab the rectangular piece of MDF and use it to scrape it across and level the clay. Start at the middle and work your way out to each edge as you scrape to further compress the clay into the form. You might need to take a moment to fill in a few voids of clay then re-scrape for the smoothest, most even surface. When you're finished smoothing, use the big square with the peg on top. Position the tile form on top, lining up the peg with the hole underneath the tile form. Gripping opposite edges of the form firmly, push down evenly so the tile pops out cleanly. Transfer your new tile with the paper underneath it to a worktable, shelf, or ware board, then start all over to make the next uniform 6" tile!

According to our supplier, the market for nickel is fairly volatile right now and prices on chemicals including nickel have increased substantially. Unfortunately, that means that our prices on Nickel Carbonate and Nickel Oxide have gone up dramatically, too. Nickel Carbonate is now up to $26 per pound and Nickel Oxide is $36 per pound (half pound amounts are available for both of these chems).

It's been a long time since I actually posted anything here. Sorry! It's been a crazy summer around here - busier than normal. Some things wind up getting lost in the shuffle, and this blog was one of them. I'll be posting more regularly again. It's good to be back!