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[Virtual Russian]

Could we see an upgrade to the very young ceramics industry?  I am a professional potter and have some very simple/reasonable suggestions that would make it much more realistic.  I doubt any of these would require serious work and could be implemented quickly.

1.  Earthenware should be able to be glazed by lead.  It would consume galena, historically it was dusted onto earthenware pots and then glaze fired.  This is the only way to properly waterproof earthenware, ash glazes are for stoneware or porcelain and would leak on earthenware.  Tin is a colorant in glaze, tin glazed earthenware is actually a lead glaze.  Interestingly, a properly made lead glaze is safe for food.  So syndromes are not needed.

2.  Allow for production of mugs, potters live and die on mug production, it would be a nice addition.

3.  Porcelain should be more like steel.  It should require at least 1 fuel, 1 kaolinite and one flux stone.  Realistically it would also require sand.  Real Porcelain is the combination of Kaolin, Feldspar and Silica/sand.  This would probably increase its value further.  In the time period DF is supposed to imitate in European history porcelain was nearly worth its weight in gold.  The King of Saxony once traded a regiment of Dragoons to another King in exchange for some large porcelain vases. 

4.  Perhaps this isn't possible, but tin glaze is traditionally painted on with certain oxides.  Perhaps glazers could put imagery onto the ceramic the way it goes on clothes or the way crafts reference history.  Colours as follows:  Cobaltite gives blue,  Rutile gives yellow, Iron gives brown, copper gives green.  Traditionally these are processed, but use of raw materials would be fine.

If these were added we would have a much more realistic ceramic industry, though I am grateful its in the game at all.

[StagnantSoul]

1: Yes please! Keep the base price the same, but have a lead glaze add on at least 50 in value.
2: I don't see why it's not already an option.
3: That would probably make it cost as much as electrum. I'd say cut out the sand bit though, or else porcelain may become rare.
4: Adding on images to add extra value? Why not! That'd be great.
5: Let us choose what type of glaze we do, and what product we put it on, much like the encrust menu in the jeweller.
6: Make pottery a moodable skill.

[endlessblaze]

Mood pottery would be cool, extra points if pottery would be useful. Maybe a happiness boost from useing pottery plates? Pots can store booze IIRC so what if we gave someone there own personal booze stock in an artifact pot.....

[Zarathustra30]

I think the biggest boon to ceramics (and bane/balancing to glass and metal) would be the ability to use fractional amounts of fuel. It shouldn't require an entire bar of charcoal to fire a simple pot while it should require far more than that to forge a gold statue.

[therahedwig]

I think the biggest boon to ceramics (and bane/balancing to glass and metal) would be the ability to use fractional amounts of fuel. It shouldn't require an entire bar of charcoal to fire a simple pot while it should require far more than that to forge a gold statue.

Or the opposite. A fired pot-reaction requires 5 raw pots, 1 coal and results in five fired pots Not unlike reality where a potter would like to be efficient as well and fire several pots at once.

Mugs will likely get some use during the upcoming tavern arc. Plates.. I'm not sure. I remember something about medieaval plates being initially pieces of hard bread, then they went to wood. Perhaps it'd be very luxurious.

[Dirst]

I think the biggest boon to ceramics (and bane/balancing to glass and metal) would be the ability to use fractional amounts of fuel. It shouldn't require an entire bar of charcoal to fire a simple pot while it should require far more than that to forge a gold statue.

Or the opposite. A fired pot-reaction requires 5 raw pots, 1 coal and results in five fired pots Not unlike reality where a potter would like to be efficient as well and fire several pots at once.

Mugs will likely get some use during the upcoming tavern arc. Plates.. I'm not sure. I remember something about medieaval plates being initially pieces of hard bread, then they went to wood. Perhaps it'd be very luxurious.

5 pots is the way to go if using the [FUEL] tag, since I don't think there's a way to use up fractional fuel.  A custom reaction could be set up to require 30 units of fuel, which would have much the same effect but allow smaller batches.

Not sure what the proper term would be, but the intermediate good might be a set of raw items.  Say 5 mugs in a set or 1 pot (a pot in DF is the size of a barrel).

[Aslandus]

Indeed, an upgrade would be nice. I find it strange that glass is an industry that can essentially be your only industry, able to make containers, trap components, cages, blocks, nest boxes, and a dozen other things, while pottery only has 5 items it can make (bricks, jugs, pots, statues, crafts)...

[C27]

I think the biggest boon to ceramics (and bane/balancing to glass and metal) would be the ability to use fractional amounts of fuel. It shouldn't require an entire bar of charcoal to fire a simple pot while it should require far more than that to forge a gold statue.

Or the opposite. A fired pot-reaction requires 5 raw pots, 1 coal and results in five fired pots Not unlike reality where a potter would like to be efficient as well and fire several pots at once.

Mugs will likely get some use during the upcoming tavern arc. Plates.. I'm not sure. I remember something about medieaval plates being initially pieces of hard bread, then they went to wood. Perhaps it'd be very luxurious.

5 pots is the way to go if using the [FUEL] tag, since I don't think there's a way to use up fractional fuel.  A custom reaction could be set up to require 30 units of fuel, which would have much the same effect but allow smaller batches.

Not sure what the proper term would be, but the intermediate good might be a set of raw items.  Say 5 mugs in a set or 1 pot (a pot in DF is the size of a barrel).

Agreed, ideally we need to eliminate any fractional bars or other resources as they're an unnecessary level of obscure complication. Have firing use as many unfired items as will fit - either dependent on their weight, or just a set number - but take the maximum if it's available, yet be able to use less if there isn't enough items but at least one that can be fired.

[Badger Storm]

IIRC orthoclase is a kind of feldspar.  Finally, a use for that yellow stone!

I also suggest salt glaze (from rock salt) or lead glaze.  Some pretty nasty metals were used to color ceramics in the past, I think arsenic among them.

[C27]

IIRC orthoclase is a kind of feldspar.  Finally, a use for that yellow stone!

I also suggest salt glaze (from rock salt) or lead glaze.  Some pretty nasty metals were used to color ceramics in the past, I think arsenic among them.

Uranium glaze from pitchblende. It's nice and vivid.

[Virtual Russian]

We still use all those lovely(poisonous) metals to colour ceramics.  No arsenic though, their can be traces of it in cobalt, but if you are unsafe with cobalt it will kill you way before the small amounts of arsenic.  Most of the colourants we use are pretty poisonous.  However once they are part of the glass matrix that forms glaze they are pretty safe.  Honestly lead glaze is safe to eat on if made properly.  An expert on lead safety and disposal once said he wished all the worlds lead could be locked away in lead glaze where it won't hurt anyone.  Though a badly made lead glaze can leach lead into your food.  A badly made glaze without lead can leach other equally poisonous materials such as barium, antimony, zinc, cobalt, chrome.....

Also yes, orthoclase is useful, I use it almost everyday.  Its a great source of potassium.

I actually played DF before I became a potter.  I really excel at the chemistry side of it, but its all because DF gave me a huge head-start on geology. 

[Waparius]

I'd like to see pottery as a multi-workshop industry like metalwork - start with a potter's workshop/potter's wheel that produces unfired pottery and doesn't need fuel, and use the kiln for firing and...glazing? And maybe an additional job on the pottery workshop to dry things like mud bricks. (Not a potter, feel free to correct me etc)

[Batgirl1]

So much YES for this! (I don't see a need to make it more than one workshop, though, unless you want to split off glazing?)

[Deboche]

I love all these suggestions and hope that in the future you can trade for kaolinite and all other materials you might need in large amounts.

More than one workshop might be a good idea. A Potter's Workshop for all things clay and a Kiln that's just a furnace.

Also important is to make the amount of clay you want a number and have dwarves automatically collect it if it falls below that number with no order at the workshop necessary. I always make 2 kilns and have the second one full of collect clay orders on repeat and suspend them all when I have enough.