A week of testing glazes
The best advice I got was plainly to slow down. Between loading the kiln and throwing on the wheel, the second one taught me more. Some of this will be self-evident; some of it took me years. I keep notes on every firing, even the disappointing ones.
The middle part
The specifics matter less than the practice of paying attention. Nothing here requires an electric kiln, though it does make things easier. Most problems with tableware turn out to be problems with time.
In practice
Little, repeatable steps beat big plans very nearly every time. Most of what I know about stoneware came from getting it wrong first. Most of what I know about firing schedules came from getting it wrong first. Test tiles are boring until one of them changes all of it. None of this is new, and that is partly why it works.
The glaze looked grey in the bucket and came out deep blue. Clay remembers every mistake you make with it. Between wedging clay and loading the kiln, the second one taught me more. Somewhere between the weekend market and home, the idea finally made sense. Most problems with stoneware turn out to be problems with time.
bowls