Wednesday 2 November 2011

a good start

First firing this year, and it went well all considering the cold and damp start! Once the flue warmed up, it started drawing air through and I could relax. Until then it can overheat at the top, and fill the workshop with fumes! Needless to say the door and windows are open to start with!!
I missed the first gas bottle running low, so it spent half an hour gaining three degrees, but after changing over to the other bottle all went well. I have enough gas for the next bisque firing, I wouldn't risk another glaze firing from it as I wouldn't like to run out mid firing!

This firing's Menagerie!!
My Best Black Glaze- almost finished now, and I haven't been able to replicate it with commercial oxides. A good reason for a visit to North Wales!!
I may have glazed this a little too thick- this glaze always needed to be thickly applied. It could also be that it is the end of the glaze bucket...
I'm still trying to learn how to work with this kiln, to regulate the atmosphere- there is evidence of reduction throughout the kiln. Here the inside of the green jug is pink!!
This glaze has a tiny bit of copper as well as cobalt, giving pink flashes on the blue glaze.

Always learning, never stop!

I feel I have to master working with this kiln before I move to another. It is teaching me much, not just about the basic firing, but also about how the weather affects how I have to adjust damper and gas pressure .

10 comments:

Gary's third pottery blog said...

ooooooh just wonderful!

Tracey Broome said...

Very nice! Kilns will teach you a lot about yourself as well :)

yeractual said...

It's all looking pretty good from here!

Zhoen said...

A science in theory, in practice - art.

Lori Buff said...

It looks like a very good start. I love your comment about learning. I think we always should be doing that.

Unknown said...

You are so clever. Just beautiful!

Sft x

smartcat said...

Cool menagerie! Looks like you had a great firing.

Michèle Hastings said...

looking good! so much to learn when firing a gas kiln.

red dirt girl said...

I like the black glaze - haven't seen it before. Especially like the bottom shot of the blue bowl with flashes of pink. I like the unpredictability of a kiln firing (which probably makes a potter feel crazy!) I like that you make, you glaze then you hand it over to a process you can't completely control. And magic happens.

Are those some wee little dragons I'm spying??

Happy New Year
xxx

gz said...

Z...Yes!!