Wright Way Pottery

My goal for the past six years was to make a fountain pen with crystal glaze on it. I think I would be the first person ever to try such a thing. The onl thing left is two small metal turned pieces that will screw the cap to the body. I have been carving the pen shapes on a wooden lathe which I can work but the metal lathe, different animal. This week is the week. I’m going to a machine shop that my cousin Randy Russell recommended to me. People do often ask me why are my crystals so small. I dont think large crystals would look like they fit on a fountain pen. Hence the small uncrowded crystals. If you have seen all of these in past posts I apologise. I am at the final turn of the race track, so here are some crystal pen high lights.

Living in Pittsburgh is nice as a ceramic artist is something I never take for granted. Pittsburgh is home to Standard Ceramics in Carnegie, PA. They produce some of the finest clay varieties in the U.S. The selection of different porcelains is almost mind numbing. Ive been using English Grolleg Porcelain #257 for a long time. This summer i decided to try their Troy Porcelain #437. It is pricier than #257, which is weird because i thought English Grolleg was the “Bees Knees”. #437 is smoother than butter cream. Then 2 weeks ago, becuase i couldn’t help myself i had to try the other cone 10 porcelain #130. definitly not as smooth. I have 12 vases ready to fire. Holding my breath.
Thursday morning at 2 a.m. I decided to do a post-reduction fire. 6 a.m. Friday morning wearing my Scrooge McDuckian night shirt and a Tweed S***t Shooting vest, I did another. It was 10 degrees and snowing. Here are a few of those pieces.

With time and enough zinc crystals will continue to grow next to one another and shapes commonly know as axe heads will begin to appear. Here are some examples of axe head shaped crystals.