Many potters just think of glaze leaching and food safety when considering product safety (topics covered in the September event), but there are many other considerations when making your work into something that is safe and comfortable for the user, not going to cause problems or damage in use and strong enough to be durable. As well as basic requirements such as stability and waterproofness, Tim will be looking at the strength of different types of clays together with glazes and how a glaze can significantly strengthen or weaken the clay. He will also talk about the requirements for handling heat, whether that is making a mug of coffee, use in the microwave, or making your product freezer or oven proof. As well as looking at why problems arise, Tim will look at ways of minimising them, and how you can easily test pieces in your studio and kitchen, based on the various standards for pots. Along with being aesthetically pleasing, a pot should meet these requirements to ensure that it is not going to fail or cause harm to the user, and meet ergonomic and functional design requirements that ensure it does its job properly.

Following this talk, you will get one month’s access to Tim’s technical website for free. After one month, access to the site will be at a cost of £2.50 per month if you choose to sign up.