Hi all @Ceramics folks - message on behalf of us the @CeramicsTechs about some bits in the space!
TLDR: big clear out of abandoned projects coming up, if projects with tags older than 4 months old are still there in 2 weeks (by Friday 17th October) they will go straight into the recycling bin. Red the full post for more detail!
- A gentle (but firm) reminder that the ceramics area is not to be used to store projects long term. The policy is clear - we are meant to only keep our projects on the shelf until they are dry enough to go on to the next stage in the process (trimming, firing, etc) - that means projects really shouldn’t have tags that are more than 4 months old. So - I have been through all of the projects currently on the shelves above the wheels and have put all the projects tagged with a tag older than 4 months old in the bottom 3 shelves. If you wish to claim any project that is there I advise you come into the space in the next two weeks and take it with you/continue working on it and put a fresh tag on it. All the projects still left there by Friday 17th will be recycled.
- Some people are storing their projects on the round bats. This is not allowed - we have a limited number of round bats and they should be saved for potters to throw. If you throw on the bats, leave it on there for only as long as it needs to get to leather hard (in the summer, this is less than a week) and then transfer it to a normal wooden board. If the projects on round bats are not moved to a proper wooden board by Friday 17th, they will also go in the bin.
- There are a few projects that are untagged. This is not okay - every single piece should be tagged so we know how long it has been there for. These are also now on the bottom 3 shelves and will be recycled unless someone claims them and tags them by Friday 17th.
- There are a couple of projects on the top shelf that are 1) incorrectly tagged (no date) and 2) not on wooden boards. Double whammy. Whoever made them, please claim them before Friday 17th, correctly tag and put them on wooden boards (this is very important so that us techs can re-organise the space to ensure everyone can use it!), or I will recycle them.
- There are 3 containers on the shelves which have non-Makerspace clay and slip. The rules are clear - we are not allowed to store non-Makerspace clay at the space, and you shouldn’t make a big batch of slip and keep it stored away - we simply don’t have enough space for it! So, you guessed it - if no one claims this and takes the clay away/recycles the slip, I will do so on Friday 17th October. Please remember NOT TO recycle outside clay in the space - we can’t mix it with our own!
- The space has been increasingly dirty over the last few months - please always remember to fully clean the area after you use it. On top of it being very inconsiderate to the fact that this is a shared space, it is a health and safety issue - dried out leftover clay on the benches, floor, etc becomes clay dust which is highly harmful when inhaled. Please be respectful of the space and others and make sure you clean and dry thoroughly after every use!
It would be very helpful if potters who use the space between now and the 17th October stored their projects on the top 3 shelves so I can keep the bottom 3 for the “at risk” projects - I will obviously triple check all the tags before recycling on the 17th, don’t worry!
Finally, a note to say that I appreciate it is difficult while we don’t have the kiln in function (I promise, we are working on it) to see projects through beginning to end. However, as you know, there are options of kilns for hire available around the space which a lot of us are already using - so, if you have projects you want to fire, please do look into that. We simply don’t have enough space, and it is unfair on other potters if there is no place for them to put their projects!
Thank you all so much. If anyone is worried one of their projects might be amongs the ones facing the clear out and cannot make it to the space in the next two weeks, please message me - I have the info of all the projects that will be affected and can let you know if yours is one of them etc.
Thanks all so much!
Laura
