unpacking the kiln

Before and after
I photograph each shelf as I unpack. This time from the bottom upwards, as I was a little impatient!!


One glaze has dripped and spattered a little, looking at those yet to be fired , it doesn't wipe off the wax resist too well. Their feet will have to be re-wiped, possibly with a little liquid detergent in the water.
I'm not looking forward to grinding the glaze off the shelf, but at least it isn't a huge amount.
Here he is!! You can see how the wax resist hasn't worked so well on the rim, despite being wiped thoroughly and left for a day between waxing and glazing.
At least the platters look fine.

Glaze tests
and more!
Some that are showing potential I'll try again.
The blue/green cup in the foreground is my usual soft green glaze, put through a 200 mesh lawn instead of a 120s. It is still speckled, as I'm using Copper Carbonate, but like ball milling a glaze finer, seems to have brought the maturation temperature down a little, enough to make it easier to clean, without it being glossy.

The green glaze also showed touches of pink, but not excessively so, so obviously when the breeze is strong I need to have the damper open a little further to prevent a reducing atmosphere. The kiln fired well, I took it easy for the first 700+ degrees,(but not slowly after 300) so that I would not freeze the gas bottle! I then swapped over to a half-full bottle to finish the firing.

Now I need to get another kiln load glazed and through, before a fair on the 22nd of October.

There is so much to do, so much to learn. I could do without the pressure of keeping ahead of all the everyday paperwork and housework. This is why potters are usually men, with either wives that don't make pots or with a housekeeper!
Gardening helps, both paid and unpaid.