Tile and Mosaics: a source of income

At Plainsman we are always amazed al
how well some of our tile-making custom-
ers are doing and how quickly their busi-
nesses sometimes grow, You may not be
aware of how quickly the hand-decorated
hile, custom tile, and masabc tile busi-
nesses have increased in lhe past couple of
years. Forexampie, visithttp://axner.com
and search the “ books’ area for the word
“tile.” Stunning new books are available.
There are interesting aspects of tile pro-
duction that make it a good source of
income compared lo more tradibonal forms
of hobby pottery. You don't have to make
the tle; you can buy them already bisque
fired. Huge tile plants in Turkey and Italy
measure theif Output in acres per day and
bisque tiles are inexpensive. Do search for
a supplier that buys in volume.

Wax Line: This isa great product sold only
atthe axner.com site, If you want to hand
decorate or silk-screen, check this site.

Tiles are flat allowing you to silkscreen
decoration onto them and do large murals

TECHNO TIP

Tony Hansen

or repeated designs easily. You can utilize
graphics software on your computer in the
design and pattern making process.

Ifyou buy bisque tile and work at low fire
you can expect much fewer manulactur-
ing problems and you'll be able to gear
your production up very quickly.

While great tiles can be made al any tem-
perature and in any kiln, this is one area
where electric kiln users have a big advan:
fage. Low fire is economical and techni-
cally ideal for tile production because the
ules don't warp or sag dunng firing and
you can ulilize very bnghily colored glazes.

Mosaics adda third dimension to tile craft.
They can be applied to almost any surface
including pottery. There are many ways to
fire the small tiles and warping and shrink-
age problems arc a non-issue. Stunning
exumples of mosaic tile can be found in
currently available books.

If you want to make your own files you
should be aware that avoiding cracks and

warping during finng and drying can be
very difficult Dust pressing is the best
method for tle making. RAM pressing
second best, then hand pressing, erirud-
ing, slab rolling, and hand roiling, Plastic
clays shrink too much and the higher the
firing temperature, the more shrinkage.

The tile industry is very well represented
on the internet, perhaps better than any
other segment of ceramics. Check out a
search engine for some inspiratron, | have
lots of tile sites listed at http://
ceramiesearch.com although it may be
incomplete,

The information in this article has been
prepared by Tony Hansen with the gener-
ons supporto? Plainsmin Clays Linited in
Alberta, Greenbarna in the Fraser Valley
and Irland Pottery Warehouse on Van-
couver island are affiliates,

Do you have a query? Please call or email
the editor or the Guild affice-

POTTERS

Serving Western Canadian
Potters for the past 30 years

PRR PCY LIB

On Vancouver Island see our newest dealer
The Pottery Warehouse In Nanaimo
250-716-9966

9548 - 192 Street, Surrey, B.C. V4N 3A9
Phone: 604-888-3411 Fax: 604-888-4247

E-mail: graenbam@be.sympatico.ca

Infamet: www.greenbam.com

June 20K)

Potters Guild of British Columbia