Making Iron Oxide with Steel Wool - ExperimentalJustins Makery2026-09-24 | Making Iron Oxide with Steel Wool - ExperimentalGargoyle with Umbrella - Pewter and Ceramic using a 3D printerJustins Makery2023-08-09 | I made this fun sized gargoyle out of pewter and decided to give him a ceramic umbrella for a bit of fun and color. A 3D printer can definitely be helpful around the studio for those oddball projects.
I hope you enjoy.
www.justinsmakery.comCasting metal onto Pottery - FailJustins Makery2023-06-09 | This is a simple experiment to see if I can use the lost wax method to pour a bronze handle onto a piece of ceramic pottery. It didn't turn out well, but I learned a few things.
I also try again to cast a 3D printed garden gnome riding a crab. Yes, maybe a bit odd, but fun none the less. Still not perfect, but my results were much better.
I hope you enjoy.
www.justinsmakery.comBronze casting at home 3D printed lost wax methodJustins Makery2023-05-24 | I've been working on improving my casting skills as of late. 3D printers are a game changer for making models. My next project will be to test if I can cast metal onto a ceramic piece. It should be fun.
I hope you enjoy. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Discount code "DEC15" fore 15% off any tool purchase at www.justinsmakery.com until the end of the year.Plates - Making plates on a pottery wheelJustins Makery2022-09-03 | This is a quick video showing the making of a set of casual ceramic plates for my personal everyday use. I also use the same technique to make platters to go under pots for house plants.
The tool I use is a "Bottom Setter" tool that I make and sell on my website. If you are a potter they are worth checking out.
Thanks for watching.
www.justinsmakery.comGlaze Tests - 15 Oil Spot Combos - Coyote Texas Two StepJustins Makery2022-09-02 | I recently ordered a sample set of Coyote oil spot glazes. This sample set cost $46, so I thought I would share my results and help you decide if you would want one of these glazes.
The results were a bit underwhelming, but if I had to pick a winner, I like the Coffee Bean base and Marshmallow cover combo best.
Let me know what you think.
www.justinsmakery.comAttaching Pewter castings to Ceramic - Follow upJustins Makery2022-08-24 | This is a quick follow up video showing how the pottery turned out from the last video. The embedded wires worked great and better than epoxy alone.
Be sure to go back and watch my previous video for more context: youtu.be/u_VuM68P3rQ
www.justinsmakery.comCasting Pewter for Ceramics - Pewter Frog and FlyJustins Makery2022-07-28 | I've been experimenting with casting pewter frogs and bugs as attachments to my ceramic pieces. This is still new to me, but you might enjoy seeing how I've done it so far.
Enjoy
www.justinsmakery.comFiltering Molten Aluminum with a Ceramic Filter - FAILJustins Makery2022-06-30 | "Try something new and fail quickly" sums up this experiment.
A while back I made ceramic sponges, and at the time I wondered if it could be used to filter molten metal. Commercial metal casting processes do use ceramic filters, so it's not a totally crazy idea.
I probably should have preheated the filters, but I ended up loosing interest after my first try. I don't regret the attempt though...
www.justinsmakery.ccomGlaze Results - Lizards and FlowersJustins Makery2022-06-15 | This is a follow-up on my last video showing the glazing and results on two of the pots I made. I still have a few more lizard pots to glaze, but it's always better to try one and see what happens before committing to doing them all.
I read all of the comments, so please leave me your thoughts.
www.justinsmakery.comCeramic Lizards and Flowers - Decorating progression of ideas.Justins Makery2022-06-09 | I try to throw a few mugs and decorate something almost every day. Most days I'm not particularly inspired, but I decide to try something new and see where it leads...even when it can be a bit crude or embarrassing in the process. This was a fun progression of ideas that I plan on doing more with.
Thanks for watching.
www.justinsmakery.comCeramic Textures and Sodium Silicate Crackles - New ToolJustins Makery2022-05-29 | I made a new set of texture wheels for my texture tool, along with a variety of pots using sodium silicate and expanding them in crackle patterns.
I hope you enjoy and leave me a comment on which piece you like best.
Tool and texture wheels are available on my website: www.justinsmakery.comMaking Art with marbles in a pottery kilnJustins Makery2022-05-19 | A few experiments with melting marbles in a pottery kiln. Pottery fired to Cone 5 and Marbles fired to Cone 016.
www.justinsmakery.comMelting Glass Bottles on Pottery - What is the best temperature?Justins Makery2022-05-01 | What is the best temperature to melt glass bottles in a pottery kiln? I tried 8 different cone firings to find out.
The temperatures shown in the video are what my kiln reported after each firing. Your results may vary slightly, since "Cone temperatures" are more of a range than an exact number.
Be sure to subscribe to see more videos like this. Thanks!
www.justinsmakery.comCast Iron Enamel Repair in a Pottery Kiln (fail)Justins Makery2022-04-21 | Can pottery glaze be used to repair chipped enamel on cast iron? I try it so you don't have to.
www.justinsmakery.comDamaged Car Wheel Recycle Upcycle for the Pottery StudioJustins Makery2022-04-09 | A damaged Enkei car wheel came into the shop, and rather than melt it down, I decided to turn it into a new piece of studio equipment.
I hope you enjoy. Don't forget to subscribe for more videos.
#upcycleNew Clay Tool - Weld TextureJustins Makery2022-04-03 | I had a customer reach out to me and ask if I could make a tool that would give a texture like a metal fillet weld. I've been wanting to make a texture tool system for a while, and this was a good excuse to follow through.
I asked if they minded me making a video about the tool and offering it to a few other people to spread out the effort. "Go for it!" was the answer, so here you go.
You can find this tool for sale on my website at www.justinsmakery.com if you are so inclined.Glazing with Mushrooms - ExperimentalJustins Makery2022-03-21 | I need a good use for mushrooms that grow in the yard. I'm not confident enough to eat them, so I'd like to use them in artistic way. This was my first try and the results were underwhelming.Glazing, re-glazing and re-glazing pottery againJustins Makery2022-01-11 | A random "vase glazing" video turned into a bit of a re-glaze scenario. Not sure if it is worth the time to re-glaze a piece of pottery, but I ended up taking a few swings at this vase with varied results.
I hope you enjoy.Artist Spotlight: Josiane Cadieux ~ The NellieJustins Makery2021-12-28 | It's the day before Christmas and this pastel drawing was about to be wrapped up and given to my parents. I was so impressed with how good this art was, that I had to take a moment and make a quick video.
Josiane Cadieux is the name of the artist. Please go check her out. Facebook: JoCad Animal Artist Instagram: @jocad_artist_animal Web: www.jocadanimalartist.com2,150 degree Spark Plug in an Electric Kiln.Justins Makery2021-08-01 | Out of curiosity, I fired a spark plug from a car to Cone 5 (2,150f) to see if it would melt. I had a vague idea about making mugs with spark plugs on them. I'm still not convinced.3D Printed Chuck Jaws - Wood Lathe Collet SystemJustins Makery2021-07-13 | "Can I 3D print chuck jaws for my wood lathe?" Yup.
This is a quick video showing how I 3D print chuck jaws for my wood lathe that I have used regularly for years. My chuck is a Oneway Stronghold, but it is certainly doable to make a set of jaws that fits your chuck to allow you to do specific things.
I have posted the files on Thingiverse here if you want to print your own. (thingiverse.com/thing:4906797) Or you can contact me through my website and I'm happy to send you the .stl files.
*SAFETY NOTE* - I do not recommend 3D printing jaws to hold any significant weight. I use these for sanding and drilling, and the occasional light scraping. If the jaws were to break while holding something heavy (like a bowl or a log) it could be catastrophic. Please be careful if you try this.DIY Ceramic Landscape Lights (not to mention the mason jars)Justins Makery2021-05-07 | I've been working on making landscape lights for my backyard and thought it might make a fun video. The key to this project is using some sort of gauge to estimate shrink rate for the clay so things fit together. Lots of tests were done to arrive at the final sizes for these lights behind the scenes. I hope you enjoy!
By chance, if you are a potter in need of custom clay stamps or pottery tools, please check out my website. www.justinsmakery.comMelting Glass on Pottery (again)Justins Makery2021-01-10 | This is a second attempt at melting mason jars onto pottery in an electric kiln. I think I'm getting over this idea. Not sure.
Be sure to let me know what you think.Unfinished and Failed Ceramic Projects: End of Year Wrap-upJustins Makery2020-12-30 | I am always starting new ceramic projects, and most never work out. To end the year, I thought it would be fun to share a few failures from 2020.
I hope you are inspired to try something new in the coming year.Adding Vacuum to a Home Made PugmillJustins Makery2020-12-13 | This is part 4 of my home made pugmill. It's a quick video showing how I hook up a vacuum pump with underwhelming results. I still love the pugmill, and I thought I needed a vacuum system for it to work well, but it turns out you don't.
If you have thoughts on what is happening in the video with the clay being held back under vacuum, please leave me a comment.Handmade Ceramic Pulleys (Decorative)Justins Makery2020-11-08 | Here is a fun hand building project. Sometimes it is fun to not stress about the details, and just make something new. That is certainly the case with these pulleys. I haven't made them before, but really enjoyed the process.
I hope you are inspired.Melting Glass Jars on Pottery - ExperimentalJustins Makery2020-10-22 | A quick series of tests melting glass over pottery in an electric kiln.
Let me know if you have tried something similar.3 Glaze Experiments - Cone 5/6 - Electric Kiln FiredJustins Makery2020-10-04 | This video is a combination of three completely different glaze experiments. I do a lot of random tests that never make it into a video, often because they don't work out. I still like doing these tests though, so if you feel like hanging out for a while to see what I'm up to, perhaps you will leave with a new idea yourself.
Test #1 - Epoxy Resin colorant added to a glaze. Test #2 - Maple leaf decorations. Test #3 - Low fire clear over Cone 5/6 glazes.
I hope you enjoy.Pottery Delivery! Jon the Potter MugsJustins Makery2020-09-10 | John The Potter sent me pottery. I thought you might want to see.Building a Clay Mixing Pug Mill - Part 3Justins Makery2020-08-01 | In this final video, I add clay to the mixer for the first time. It didn't take long to find a couple problems, but nothing that couldn't be fixed.
The soft clay that comes out of this machine is unlike any bagged clay I have thrown with. It is so much easier to move around bigger amounts of clay on the wheel. Slap down a 15+ ball of clay, push it around, and if it flops, it just goes right back in the pug mill.
Overall, I enjoyed the challenge and the process of this build, and of course the resulting machine. I hope you did too.Building a Clay Mixing Pug Mill - Part 2Justins Makery2020-07-29 | This is part 2 of making a pug mill for my pottery studio.
Be sure to watch Part 1 first.Building a Clay Mixing Pug Mill - Part 1Justins Makery2020-07-26 | I have put off getting a pug mill for too long. New ones are crazy expensive, and good used ones are rare. I have never seen one in person, but I'm pretty sure I can build one myself. Here is my attempt at that.
This is Part 1 of what will be a 3 part video series.
Hopefully I leave enough information/explanation for someone who wants to build something similar. I know many of you won't have all of the equipment I used to make this, but you may have a friend who can help. I encourage you to send them a link to this video to them asking "hey, do you think you can do this?"
Fun fact: The big metal lathe and Bridgeport mill in this video were both craigslist purchases, and their combined purchase price was less than the price of a new pug mill.
...and be sure to subscribe and leave a comment.Mail Delivery! - Matthew Kelly PotteryJustins Makery2020-07-23 | I just got a package from Matthew Kelly! Let me show you.
Matthew's Channel youtube.com/channel/UC19npAMIfG47wgdrFX--4zwClay Inlay Attempt - Making and Glazing PotteryJustins Makery2020-07-11 | Carving patterns into a pot and rubbing a darker clay in the spaces, hoping to trim the pot and reveal the patterns. That was the idea. Here is a quick video about how it went.
Spoiler: It didn't go as expected, and I wasn't sure if I would even fire it.
Be sure to subscribe if you like this sort of thing.Making Ceramic DiceJustins Makery2020-07-02 | Humans have been rolling dice for thousands of years, and I am sure many potters have made them, even if just for their own enjoyment and use. The idea of making a handmade set of dice sounded like fun, so I thought I would give it a go.
Commercial dice can have sharp edges and corners, which I didn't want. I also didn't trust my ability to hand carve each die from a slab cut cube. Deviating ever so slightly from ancient tradition, a 3D printed mold seemed like the best way to go.
These are by no means precision dice. Family game nights and camping trips?...for sure. Vegas Casinos and high stakes gaming?... not so much.
I hope you are inspired to try something similar.
www.justinsmakery.comCasting Stone Monkeys in an Electric Kiln - ExperimentalJustins Makery2020-06-25 | I have melted stone in previous videos, but never into a mold. In this video I 3D print a couple of models, make clay molds, and give it a try.Glazing Pottery with an Air Compressor Pt.3Justins Makery2020-06-19 | In my last air compressor glazing video I learned that applying glaze to a fully fired piece gave interesting results. In this video I try it again on 5 new pieces of pottery.
I hope you are inspired to try something similar.
Be sure to subscribe and leave me a comment.Wax Resist Alternatives - ExperimentalJustins Makery2020-06-08 | I do a couple of quick tests using bacon fat and butter as a wax resist alternative for glazing pottery. It doesn't seem too far of a stretch to think that potters of the past used things like animal fat when glazing their pottery.
Let me know if you have used an alternative resist to commercial wax.Glazing Pottery with an Air Compressor - 2nd TryJustins Makery2020-06-01 | This is a second attempt at glazing pottery using compressed air. I try to blow the glaze around on a fully fired pot to get interesting patterns.
Let me know what you think.Following a Glaze Recipe - John Britts Spotted PurpleJustins Makery2020-05-25 | John Britt recently made two videos about a spotted purple glaze. I had to try it myself.
For me, a big consideration is firing schedule. My kiln is just big enough where a special firing schedules for one glaze color isn't practical. Also, my Laguna B-Mix clay bloats badly above Cone 5.
Because of that, I want all of my glazes to be tested and modified to work in my Cone 5 schedule. There are so many variables in glazing that every potter will need to make sets of tests to find what works for them.
In this case, I simply made the glaze as per the recipe and fired it.
Watch John Britt's video here: youtu.be/QXC65Zqza-oGlazing Pottery with an Air Compressor - ExperimentalJustins Makery2020-05-15 | I got this idea stuck in my head about blowing glazes around on a pot to get a tie-dye effect. Similar to how paint or ink floating on water can be manipulated.
I decided to add sodium silicate to a white glaze and then tried using compressed air to blow colored glazes around on top. I also did a second experiment by blowing a stream of glaze onto a rotating pot.
What do you think? Were they all fails? Let me know if you have any ideas or experience trying something like this.
Thanks, and don't forget to subscribe.Rock Mushrooms - Glazing Rocks in an Electric KilnJustins Makery2020-05-03 | A little while back, I made a video on glazing river rocks. A viewer suggested in the comments that making mushrooms with rocks would be fun. It sounded like fun to me too.
I hope you enjoy.Color Blending Ceramic Glazes with Mason Stains - Cone 5/6Justins Makery2020-04-27 | I'm doing a few glaze experiments to help a customer get the colors they need for a project. I shot this quick video in case you were curious about my process.Bagel Pigs? - Making Ceramic Bagel Dog Baking TraysJustins Makery2020-04-21 | Do you have extra bread dough? ...and a kiln?
In this video I address one of the biggest concerns in current times: the sinking hot dog in a homemade "bagel dog". I make a ceramic tile with pokey-up bits, and decide to make the bagel dogs look like pigs for no apparent reason.
What would you call these things? Bagel Pigs? Not really a bagel. Bread pigs? I'm sure you can do better.
Thanks for watching.Ceramic Glazing Rocks in an Electric Kiln - Cone 5/6Justins Makery2020-04-19 | Can I glaze a cobblestone from the back yard? I had to find out.Glazing with Carbon?Justins Makery2020-04-16 | Feel like wasting some time? I did.
Sometimes the best way to know a thing is not to read about it, but to waste a lot of time learning the hard way.
I have some fun new videos coming up, so be sure to subscribe.Antacid Glaze ExperimentsJustins Makery2020-04-12 | My local glaze supplier is closed and I'm stuck at home and in the mood for an experiment. Time to look around the house for something to glaze with.
My answer: Pepto-Bismol and Mylanta
Fun fact: A $13 pint of glaze is 81 cents per ounce. Brand name Pepto Bismol is 69 cents per ounce. Brand name Mylanta is 58 cents per ounce.Glazing Pottery in a Vacuum Chamber - ExperimentalJustins Makery2020-04-02 | In this video I do a few tests with applying glaze to pottery in a vacuum chamber. Specifically, I want to know if I can force glaze into the ceramic body under pressure. I break the pieces and look closely. Not exactly scientific, but hopefully interesting.
As always, leave me a comment and be sure to subscribe.