Studio Archives - Rahu Road Pottery

Our New Cardew Wheel

Duncan Shearer — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 08:04:10 +0000

The Cardew Wheel (NZ Version)

This is the story that I’ve heard about how we have a few Cardew Wheels in New Zealand. In the 1960s Peter Stichbury travelled to Abuja in Africa to work with Michael Cardew and when he returned home to NZ, brought back the plans for the Leach Treadle wheel and the Cardew Special wheel.

The Leach Treadle wheel was then made by Seaboard Joinery in Auckland and sold to potters throughout New Zealand and was also bought by the Education Department as part of the pottery equipment distributed to schools in the 1970s. I have 3 of these types of wheels and they are the most delightful tools to make pots on.

I knew Peter Stichbury for many years and remember visiting his studio as a teenager. The Cardew wheel was one of Peter’s main tools used to make his pots and I’ve been keen to have my own Cardew wheel for ages.

They are rare, maybe only a dozen were made and I’m very lucky a friend managed to find one and sell it to me. I have spent a little bit of time painting the woodwork and adjusting the mechanism. These wheels (also built by Seaboard Joinery) utilised wheels from Bren Gun carriages that were surplus World War II equipment – these became the heavy flywheel.

State of the flywheel before…

…and after

The wheel is spun by a motor driving a belt that rubs against the flywheel, spinning it up to a maximum speed, then you take your foot off the pedal, the motor switches off and the wheel slows down due to the drag of your hands on the clay. For small pots, once up to speed, you’re already centred and dropping the hole, so then the entire throwing and ribbing process is done as the wheel speed slowly drops, the final drag of the wire under the pot also stops the wheel rotation. So the best way to describe such a wheel is a partly motorised momentum wheel and they are a delight to use, different from the treadle, but still have the same body position and a lovely gentle feel when making pots.

The post Our New Cardew Wheel appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

Summer Maintenance

Duncan Shearer — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 21:28:03 +0000

This year we weren’t being drowned with relentless rain, so I got busy catching up on a years’ deferred maintenance.

First up was another retaining wall behind the studio, which helps level the ground higher up the section and also makes walking around the back of the studio a lot easier. It’s the smallest retaining wall I’ve built on the section, but the most complicated with angles.

Next up was a staircase leading from the studio deck up to the new platform, way safer than the slippery grass slope. Fitting it in with the wall was a bit of a puzzle, still not quite finished but I’m waiting to see how the ground settles.

Then our little gallery needed attention, firstly a good clean, so all the pots and shelving was removed. Then a repaint of the walls as the ‘whitewash’ paint job was looking tired, a ceiling touch up and finally the floor was sanded and stained black and two coats of Danish Oil applied. The furniture also had a makeover (apart from the shelves that utalise an old ladder) some old rimu was cleaned, oiled and became the uprights, then some of the old shelving was cut down or joined together to make two new shelving units. More is planned as time allows.

The post Summer Maintenance appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

First workshop firing this year

Duncan Shearer — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 00:22:27 +0000

We had a fairly experienced group of potters taking our Taming of the Kiln workshop this year and it showed in the successful results. Some arrived on Friday to get a head start on the glazing and slipping process, eager to try the 3 new glazes and flashing slip available. By lunchtime on Saturday the kiln was ready and so were all the pots.

We established a steady rhythm of selecting pieces, wadding them and setting them on the shelves. Mindful of the density and heights, ensuring a good flow of flame through the stack. By 7pm the kiln was stacked and the wicket up.

Sunday dawned another beautiful clear day and at 8am we were away. A different rhythm created by the stoking teams, the wood haulers, breaks for cups of tea and flame watching. We followed the log fairly closely and ended up with a 12 hour firing to cone 11 down.

Five days later we unpacked and analysed the results, working out the complex interplay of clay, slip, glaze, atmosphere and heat. Smiles all around greeted the huge variety of pots and all walked away with some absolute gems.

[See image gallery at rahuroadpottery.co.nz]

The post First workshop firing this year appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

Ceramic College Firing

Duncan Shearer — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 10:26:35 +0000

The idea for this firing came from a chance conversation I had with Teresa Watson at the opening of the Waiclay exhibition in 2017. From that brief chat the idea was born, and earlier this year the booking was made and workshops planned. I visited the Ceramic College students in their Bayswater studio in mid April to explain clay, slip and glaze choices and how to get the most from my kiln. Then last Saturday they arrived down to Rahu Road Studio to load the kiln. First up was a quick glazing session to liner glaze their work, then onto wad making, pot stacking and all the other jobs around the kiln loading. By 5pm the wicket was up and job done. Luckily my neighbour was away for the weekend, and allowed us to rent her house for the weekend, which meant an easy place to stay for the students. The at about 8am the kiln was lit and the 12 hours of stoking and wood hauling began. The weather was kind to us and didn’t rain, the kiln chugged along, following the schedule and before we knew it it was time to get the soda sprayer out and start squirting. This Sunday all will be revealed…

For more about Ceramic College follow this link: http://www.ceramiccollege.co.nz/

[soliloquy id=”904″]

The post Ceramic College Firing appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

Taming of the Kiln Workshop

Duncan Shearer — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 22:06:37 +0000

This year a keen group of 7 potters gathered at our pottery to learn the secrets of loading and firing our wood fired kiln, with the added bonus of learning soda glazing techniques. I had earlier sent out information about clay and slip choices so that the students would come prepared. On the Friday before loading four of the students came to finish spraying slips and glazing – its a fiddly business but the layering of slips over the clay body is where the richest effects come from.
On the Saturday we cracked into the loading with pots getting sorted, wadding made, props cleaned and a carefully orchestrated dance of pots leading from the studio into the kiln. We ramped stacked some shelves, used salting cups on others, shell wadded the throat zone pots and made sure the bungs were straight and true (not forgetting to get the cones in).
On Sunday the kiln was lit and we settled into the firing rhythm of hauling wood, stoking the kiln, eating and drinking, rotating the stoking crews, watching the kiln and checking our progress against the kiln log. I gave explanations about how the wood kiln works, what the dampers do, signs that indicate the kiln is on the right track (I don’t use a pyrometer) and touched on topics around maintenance and kiln housekeeping. 12 hours later and the firing was done, a happy but tired bunch of students could relax and head home with a long week of waiting to see the fruits of their labours.
The Saturday of unloading day had appalling weather, unlike the firing weekend, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the students as the kiln was drawn. The similes of delight from the students as their pots emerged from the kiln was great to see. The occasional quizzical look (what did I put on that pot?) and the odd co-joined collaboration all added to the excitement. Well done to all the students as the firing was excellent and the range of effects was a great demonstration of the beauty possible in the unique combinations of clay, fire and soda.

The post Taming of the Kiln Workshop appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

Making pots

Duncan Shearer — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 08:38:23 +0000

It’s been a busy month of March, preparing the studio for teaching (including building a studio composting toilet) and making pots for the April firing. This month Duncan has been busy teaching in Hamilton and being a firing consultant. We have the Taming of the Kiln workshop fast approaching and still a bit of preparation around the kiln to get sorted in the next few days. It’s interesting to see the way the studio adapts to the flow of work through it, filling with pots, both ours and students, then the rush of firing, glazing and the final glazed pieces then suddenly, there’s space again.

The post Making pots appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

First Firing Workshop a Success

Duncan Shearer — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 05:59:27 +0000

My ’Taming of the Kiln’ workshop attracted 6 keen participants, eager to learn the tricks of loading and firing my wood kiln. They brought with them boxes full of pots that needed glazing and the spaying of slips on the outsides – all depending on what clays they had used. It meant the load had a big range of clay/slip/glaze combinations. The loading went smoothly with lots of help rolling wadding balls, finding shelves, props and that last small thing to squeeze onto the shelf. It was a very full load and everyone got lots in.
The next day dawned fine and the kiln was lit about 8 am for a day full of stoking, spying the flame, hauling wood up the hill, watching the chimney, hauling more wood up the hill, lots of eating and cups of tea and coffee, even more wood hauling, cones dropping, soda squirting and finally finished at 9.30pm.
A week of cooling and then the kiln was ready for unloading. It was a rich, even and beautifully flashed kiln load. Emerging from the kiln were some gorgeous pots that rewarded the efforts of the maker and the stokers. There were also some pots that are a valuable lesson on how the different clay/slip combinations work out.
I’ll be running more of these workshops next year – so keep an eye on this website or Facebook page to see when the next course is advertised.

[See image gallery at rahuroadpottery.co.nz]

The post First Firing Workshop a Success appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

Kiln ready and waiting

Duncan Shearer — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 22:06:47 +0000

With the first kiln firing workshop only days away I’ve been busy building a new constant gradient path from the carpark up to the kiln for the wood trolley. The future plans include a motorised winch to do all the heavy lifting. Also realised that without a balustrade around the kiln deck and with 6 keen stokers I might loose someone over the edge! So that’s now all safe with a solid railing. And the last of the much needed kiln area improvements is the window wall in the east side – protecting us from the miserable easterly drizzle that is a feature of the weather here in Karangahake. I’m probably guaranteed wet westerlies now 🙁

[See image gallery at rahuroadpottery.co.nz]

The post Kiln ready and waiting appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

Let there be light

Duncan Shearer — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 19:58:07 +0000

And so it came to pass that the electrician visited our studio, and lo and behold a marvellous sight was seen. Actually it was two local sparkies and lots of cable, but we now have offical power and oodles of light. What a difference it is to be able to work at night, or even when it gets gloomy. This is also one of the last steps we needed to sort out before our scheduled classes kick off.

The post Let there be light appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.

Entrance deck

Duncan Shearer — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 08:49:20 +0000

The days of entering the studio over a gangway are over. The long planned for deck between the studio and retaining wall is finally in place and makes the connection between the studio and kilns a much less fraught affair. Still a bit of landscaping and drainage to sort, but the improvement was pretty much the instant I laid the boards in-front of the door.

The post Entrance deck appeared first on Rahu Road Pottery.