New blog post on Hobby Ceramics

Hi all. I have done a blog post - intro to the pitfalls of Hobby Ceramics. Aimed more at the enthusiasts on Facebook - but here's the link. As always, comments and corrections happily accepted. it is quite a complex subject....

http://valputaruru.blogspot.co.nz/

This is a great subject Val Bravo for bringing it to light.

It's actually a huge topic, because it was so popular and classes were all over New Zealand. I have a 1983 magazine that Janice gave me called Ceramic World New Zealand. It also covers America and Australia, but there are pages purely for NZ. The main purpose of the magazine is to show how to decorate.

Two pages cover the Hamilton New Zealand Show where over 400 pieces were entered in the competitive exhibit and the judges reported that the quality of work exceeded previous years.
Exhibitors included:
Eagle Kilns/Mayco (this is Chris Brown) Firth St, Drury
Novor Ceramics
Eve's Ceramics
Furnace Engineering Ltd (this is Sandy and John Homer)
The Attic Studio
Western Potters Supplies (this is Quentin Whitehouse)
Heather's Ceramics
Ceramic Supplies Ltd
Silverfern Moulds
Isaac International Ceramic Moulds,
Georgette's Ceramics
PolyCeramic Industries
McGregor Kilns
Hazelwood Ceramics
Daisy Books/Ceramic World magazine
Photos of this event include the Dolphin, Tiger, Biscuit Barrel, Water Jug and Basin, Tea-set, Ballerina, Dog, Cat, Jardinière and that's just one stall !!

There is a Profile article on Sandy and John Homer (signal-red mentioned this couple regarding Terra Ceramics) Here they are called Furnace Engineering Ltd, at 10 Ward Street, New Lynn. They made Hobby Ceramic kilns and F.E. Moulds and F.E. Casting Clay. There are 30 Ceramichrome dealers throughout NZ and they offer dealerships that include a full range of products.
Photos of their factory show heaps of lampbases, Urns, Figurines, Hanging Planters, Ginger Jars, Domestic Ware and countless other items.

The main problem with Hobby Ceramics is the use of other potteries shapes that can easily be copied by making a mould from an existing piece. These mostly come from just a few suppliers, Chris Brown being the major culprit. There are still suppliers making blanks and selling them today and Titian shapes are still being used. This activity has been going on for 30 plus years.

Brilliant thanks Ev. I will add a link to your comments here... and I hope to see the magazine sometime. What a wonderful resource. Bless you Janice for finding it for us!