I Love My New Kiln

I love my new kiln.  At least, I'm ready to fall in love with it, though time will tell whether it's true love or not.  

After attending a crystalline glaze workshop I decided to try that specialized way of firing pottery.  However, it requires a kiln that is super insulated and can shoot up to high temperatures and stay there for hours while the zinc crystals grow in the glaze.  So after numerous emails full of advice from the workshop presenter, I settled on a double-insulated kiln with an element in the floor from Bailey Pottery in New York state.

I ordered the kiln in September. It was assembled, shipped cross country and arrived, after being "lost" by the freight company, in November.  And in the garage it sat and sat because it would not fit through the door into the studio without being disassembled.  Yikes!  All that expensive electronic stuff had to be disconnected before the kiln could come apart.  I was in over my head.

I mentioned my dilemma to a friend and she thought her husband would be willing to help me and sure enough, Jules came to the rescue. It took several hours in the cold garage, carefully reading the (not always clear) directions and finally it was disassembled, moved, and reassembled.  Without Jules' help, the kiln would still be in the garage.

It took me several more weeks to hook up the exhaust fan and run the ducting out of the basement under a crawl space, but finally - ta da! - the kiln was ready to fire.  

Unfortunately, the first firing was a disappointment because of operator error (that would be me) when I programed the kiln incorrectly and it shut off before the crystals could grow.

But right now I can hear the relay switches click on and off as the kiln works its way up to the target temperature.  I'm feeling hopeful that at this second firing I will have my long-awaited crystals.

Clay Club Pottery Sale

Twice a year the Clay Club of Tacoma Community College has a sale that raises funds for the potters, the club and art scholarships.  This year our sale took place during a Feminist focused art show (as you may be able see from the large work on the back wall) which added interesting color and themes to the sale.  Through the years we have been able to establish an extensive mailing list and have folks, who we deeply appreciate, who return sale after sale to see our work.

Above are some of the lidded jars I had for sale.

The other photo is work by Jill Rohrbaugh, a Clay Club member.

Our next sale will be a couple weeks before the winter break at TCC and we have found that some people like to buy handcrafted pottery for their gift giving.

Arfs & Craft Benefit Event

The Art Stop Gallery  in Tacoma, WA is having their 13th annual benefit auction which supports the Prison Pet Partnership and the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound. Potters make dishes for pets which are auctioned over a period of three days. 

This is the plate I donated. It has a white glaze that is over-sprayed with blue glaze.  A stencil I made creates the cat design.  

Arfs & Craft opens Thursday evening, April 16th, during Art Walk and the silent auction continues until Saturday, April 18th.  Stop by and look over all the original work made just for our four legged friends.

The Art Stop

940 Broadway

Tacoma, WA

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Out of the last firing (see the former entry) there were numerous pieces that turned out well enough that I was pleased with them.  Unfortunately, there were a few pieces that were on the ugly side and one piece in particular that was bad, bad and bad!

Here are a couple pots that fall in the Good column.

Here are two for the Ugly column.

And here is a pot that is going make me get out the grinder.  I used a glaze (a fake ash glaze that isn't "fake" in that it contains actual ash as part of the ingredients) which runs off pots made with smoother clays.  This was a fact that I had forgotten and now the Bad pot is affixed onto the kiln shelf.  You can see how the glaze has pooled at the base of the urn.

Alas, the Bad.  Get out the electric grinder, respirator and eye protecting goggles and hope the shelf isn't ruined.

Baked Clay

The firing was finished at midnight when the number cone 10 "dropped" and the kiln was turned off.  This photo shows the glow that is created towards the end of the firing when the temperature is around 2300 degrees F.

After letting the kiln cool slowly all day - the results.

                                                                        

                                                                   

Loaded and Ready to Fire

I just finished glazing and loading the kiln yesterday and will fire it tomorrow when it can have all my attention since it doesn't have any electronic controls and must be checked every hour. During the first few hours of firing the damper is kept completely open and the temperature rises quickly.  But after several hours when the 08 cone melts (about 1730F), the damper is slid almost shut and reduction begins.  From this point on the temperature increase is much slower (the fire is being starved for oxygen) and care must be taken that the kiln does not stall.

Except for needing cone packs, the kiln is ready to fire.

Starting to Glaze

It is time to start glazing the ware from the last two bisque firings but so far I have made limited progress.  I don't yet have a spray booth set up in the studio so I must wait for dry and warmer weather when I can use the compressor and spray gun outside.

This is what I have accomplished so far. 

The pieces, mostly jars, have been wiped with a damp sponge to remove the clay dust and then the glaze poured inside, swished around for an even coating and then poured back into the bucket.  

This glaze is the celadon that I often use inside bowls and jars because it is food safe and a lovely celery green color.  The chemistry of glazing is interesting - this pink colored unfired glaze will become green after a reduction firing.