Comments for Potter's Journal http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog The life and times of a rural Utah potter. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:36:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 Comment on The last August Pots by Joanne aka Ellany http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1638#comment-2055 Joanne aka Ellany Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:08:04 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1638#comment-2055 Joe, don't you love pots in the green state? I do! These are so lovely. So I guess I've been using my "butter pot" as a sugar bowl for all these years! I love it though. I just started making pots again. It has been a while since I've been is the swing because of teaching a lot. Going into the studio today! Yay! Happy trimming to you and have a great day. Joe, don’t you love pots in the green state? I do! These are so lovely. So I guess I’ve been using my “butter pot” as a sugar bowl for all these years! I love it though.
I just started making pots again. It has been a while since I’ve been is the swing because of teaching a lot. Going into the studio today! Yay! Happy trimming to you and have a great day.

]]> Comment on Q and A by Andrew Felger http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1637#comment-2006 Andrew Felger Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:33:11 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1637#comment-2006 Hi Joe, Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions. I really appreciate it and your answers help a lot. I have also been looking at Brandon Phillips kiln and was kind enough to answer some questions also. Both his and yours are similar sizes and I am trying to decide if I should have one large room or two so I can fire two different atmospheres or salt/not at the same time. Thanks again! Andy Hi Joe,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions. I really appreciate it and your answers help a lot. I have also been looking at Brandon Phillips kiln and was kind enough to answer some questions also. Both his and yours are similar sizes and I am trying to decide if I should have one large room or two so I can fire two different atmospheres or salt/not at the same time.
Thanks again!
Andy

]]> Comment on Q and A by Joe the Potter http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1637#comment-1993 Joe the Potter Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:28:09 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1637#comment-1993 Thanks Jay. I have never broken things down to the extent that you have. I do, in figuring how to price a new item, think about how many mugs I can make with that much clay, time, kiln space etc. As one old potter friend of mine told me 35 years ago, "Mugs are money." My 1 lb mugs are $12 wholesale. I wholesale out of my shop. Everywhere else including mail order is retail. Who knows what a full time potter is? I make enough pots to keep my showroom full and then occupy myself with other things like gardening, hiking, river running (that pays) and generally making myself useful to my wife who paints and makes the best hand and foot salve out there. If I were making it on pots alone I would hustle a lot more on the sales and production end of things. Thanks Jay. I have never broken things down to the extent that you have. I do, in figuring how to price a new item, think about how many mugs I can make with that much clay, time, kiln space etc. As one old potter friend of mine told me 35 years ago, “Mugs are money.” My 1 lb mugs are $12 wholesale. I wholesale out of my shop. Everywhere else including mail order is retail.
Who knows what a full time potter is? I make enough pots to keep my showroom full and then occupy myself with other things like gardening, hiking, river running (that pays) and generally making myself useful to my wife who paints and makes the best hand and foot salve out there. If I were making it on pots alone I would hustle a lot more on the sales and production end of things.

]]> Comment on Q and A by Jay Wiese http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1637#comment-1992 Jay Wiese Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:43:29 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1637#comment-1992 I'm not yet a full-time potter, but I've come up with some rules of thumb in terms of pottery production that seem more or less reasonable to me. Hope this helps!: full-time, wholesale $50,000 year gross sales working full-time (40 hrs/wk) (net is about half this, $25,000) $11 per 1-pound mug wholesale ($22 per mug retail) 4546 mugs per year 10 firings per year 455 mugs per firing 12 mugs per cubic foot of internal kiln space minimum total kiln internal volume: 38 cubic feet minimum studio shelf space for work-in-progress is 1.5 to 2 times minimum total internal kiln volume or 57 to 76 cubic feet throwing time is about 10% of total work time total work time is about 40 hours per week for 48 weeks, or 1920 hours per year throwing time is about 192 hours per year, or 11520 minutes per year throwing speed needs to be about 2.5 minutes per mug or better Jay W. Gainesville, Florida I’m not yet a full-time potter, but I’ve come up with some rules of thumb in terms of pottery production that seem more or less reasonable to me. Hope this helps!:

full-time, wholesale

$50,000 year gross sales working full-time (40 hrs/wk) (net is about half this, $25,000)

$11 per 1-pound mug wholesale ($22 per mug retail)

4546 mugs per year

10 firings per year

455 mugs per firing

12 mugs per cubic foot of internal kiln space

minimum total kiln internal volume: 38 cubic feet

minimum studio shelf space for work-in-progress is 1.5 to 2 times minimum total internal kiln volume or 57 to 76 cubic feet

throwing time is about 10% of total work time

total work time is about 40 hours per week for 48 weeks, or 1920 hours per year

throwing time is about 192 hours per year, or 11520 minutes per year

throwing speed needs to be about 2.5 minutes per mug or better

Jay W.
Gainesville, Florida

]]> Comment on The Dream Trip: Camp 13, March 15 by Joe the Potter http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1489#comment-1970 Joe the Potter Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:45:36 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1489#comment-1970 I could if you left me an address. I could if you left me an address.

]]> Comment on The Dream Trip: Camp 13, March 15 by Jami http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1489#comment-1969 Jami Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:17:28 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1489#comment-1969 Hi Joe, Great photos of those exciting runs through Lava! I was with the same group, rowing the blue raft with the 'textbook' run. (Didn't even get my hands wet!) Wearing a yellow visor. Any chance you'd share your photos of my run? It was great meeting you and Lee in the canyon. Sounds like you had a great trip. And it looks like, perhaps, you did another trip in June? I'll recommend to friends interested in a commercial trip that they keep an eye on your blog for future dates. Thanks, Jami Hi Joe,

Great photos of those exciting runs through Lava! I was with the same group, rowing the blue raft with the ‘textbook’ run. (Didn’t even get my hands wet!) Wearing a yellow visor. Any chance you’d share your photos of my run?

It was great meeting you and Lee in the canyon. Sounds like you had a great trip. And it looks like, perhaps, you did another trip in June? I’ll recommend to friends interested in a commercial trip that they keep an eye on your blog for future dates.

Thanks, Jami

]]> Comment on Bodhisattva by Stephen Rapp http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1583#comment-1965 Stephen Rapp Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:24:43 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1583#comment-1965 A better man then me.. A better man then me..

]]> Comment on July 2010 Firing by Joe the Potter http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1530#comment-1953 Joe the Potter Sun, 25 Jul 2010 02:33:40 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1530#comment-1953 Started the fire at 11 pm and went to 2 pm. Started the fire at 11 pm and went to 2 pm.

]]> Comment on July 2010 Firing by Susan H http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1530#comment-1952 Susan H Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:11:30 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1530#comment-1952 Nice work, Joe. How long was this firing? Sure would like to see a vegetable strata in one of those bakers (you know, zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic, mushrooms, etc. and herbs and olive oil....) Nice work, Joe. How long was this firing? Sure would like to see a vegetable strata in one of those bakers (you know, zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic, mushrooms, etc. and herbs and olive oil….)

]]> Comment on Making a lidded oval baker. by Potter’s Journal » Blog Archive » July 2010 Firing http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1090#comment-1951 Potter’s Journal » Blog Archive » July 2010 Firing Sat, 24 Jul 2010 03:00:39 +0000 http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/joe/blog/?p=1090#comment-1951 [...] had six of these lidded bakers in the firing and they turned out reasonably [...] […] had six of these lidded bakers in the firing and they turned out reasonably […]

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