Monday 31 May 2010

I've been busy...

Reflections from glass on a hot pavement.
I've had one of those weeks when potting has got a bit squeezed out, partly because I'm trying to work out why things happened.
The bisque went well, turned off at mid-day, then had the workshop doors and windows wide open until 10pm to let out the heat .
new bowl shapes
with blown off footrings/feet. I thought they were dry enough. Could be the kiln went up to fast. I have lowered the bottom shelf to just above the flue exit. Maybe this will make it more controllable. It adds 2.25" vertically to the packing space of the kiln, anyway!!
Cracked slip. Could be that it only likes being relatively thin on this clay body. I'll be glad when I get my second wheel so that I can do red clay again!!
Cracked bottom kiln shelf...not sure why. I moved the two parts so that you could see the crack better.
Indeg looking after daughter. The bump between them is The Bump...36 weeks and counting...I don't think she will have to wait too long for them to arrive.....
Sunday afternoon we spent four hours walking, checking ponies and foals. Two mobs found (of 9 and 11)
A good bilberry patch!...We've noted this and a couple of others. Lets hope we're not to busy when they are ripe!!

7 comments:

Zhoen said...

Clay and glaze really are as much art and luck as science. Pretty bowl shapes, especially the rice bowl on the left. Sad about the footings, and other cracks.

Indeg looks familiar... . My friend also had constant cat companions during her pregnancy, a great comfort to her.

gz said...

Cats know when people need looking after

soubriquet said...

You have my sympathy.
Damn kiln shelves. Looks like too big a heat gradient.
Damp feet.
Hopefully those pics will serve as a reminder to me to be patient.
I was reading of Michael Frimkess successfully firing a small kiln with two 24"X11" pots on a regular basis, to cone 10 in 55 minutes!
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PAZR-A9Ra6EC&pg=PA381&lpg=PA381&dq=epk+english+clays&source=bl&ots=NpwOcn6F5A&sig=QOqtk36EjEPIEh2gzgrK6CUtJbY&hl=en&ei=QZUCTInPGsiH4gabx9zLDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CC0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=55%20minutes&f=false
(page 382)

gz said...

I think I need a second regulator for the gas, before the burners. (There is one as it comes out of the bottle)
It is a very enthusiastic kiln!!

gz said...

I have just had a look at that and bookmarked it, thanks soub.
Most of the kiln firing problem solving in the book seem to be how to deal with a kiln that is firing too slow....

I think I must discuss this with Mel and Pete....time we organized a salt firing too!

Susan said...

What is a bilberry?

gz said...

vaccinium myrtillus
The low green mounds in the picture are bilberry plants.
Have a look at Wikipedia, it gives you related species that you would probably know.