05/11/2026
Sneaky short throwing session between teaching yesterday, it felt like I was throwing pretty quick.
However, it was still about 10 mins a pot, the sodium silicate process adds a considerable amount of time per vessel.
Throwing the foundation shape usually a bit narrower, washing one hand to apply the sodium silicate with a paint brush, blow torching the surface of the pot and then pushing it out into it's final shape.
The sodium silicate increases the surface tension where applied creating a hard layer which when manipulated from the inside of the vessel it can be cracked. Because of these areas of harder clay, you have to be careful when pushing out for the final shape as it can very easily become off center or crack too far and make holes.
