Yesterday's firing was a hot, explosive event. Hotter than it ought to have been, and of course any explosions at all are to be avoided. There were three in this one - the top high-temp conepack and two raw-glazed mugs. I've glazed raw before with no incidents, but this time two of the three raw pots blew up and scattered bits and pieces all over. (I'm guessing they were not fully dry after glazing.) As anyone who has ever had this experience knows, shards tend to find their way to all shelves and into virtually any kind of pot. There was a lot of bad behavior by the potter during the opening of the kiln this morning. Fortunately, I had encouraged no one to join me. And I've swept up and discarded the pile of broken pots that landed on the studio's concrete floor.
The other problem was letting the heat get past cone 10. Because the upper conepack was gone, I had to rely on the bottom one and the never perfectly reliable pyrometer. The bottom pack was hard to read, and until the last minute I took the falling 11 cone to be cone 10. So I overfired. Which means little to the Shino glazes, but everything to the ash glazes. The lovely Leach Kaki on many pots became one with the shelves.
I'm only writing this because people should know we all make mistakes. I don't mean to make it sound like I took these explosions and the cone 11 heat and the resulting carnage lightly. I was not a happy man this morning. Still, good pots came from the firing. More will come again. But I don't know if I'm ready to grind all those feet ...
Photos: Shino creamer with crackle slip; three-pound Shino serving bowl; mugs; small vase with carbon-trap Shino.
10 comments:
First of all, ooooohhhh and ahhhhhhh!
Second, it does happen to all of us no matter how careful we think we are. I had a blow up last week although I was sure everything was dry. And the bad behavior comes with it! I just encourage everyone around here to leave when I open my kiln. It's better for all of us! Sorry it happened, but it will happen again, just take the good with the bad I guess:) !!!
I really and I mean really have a hard time even having Mark open a kiln with me.
And I think sometimes it is the same for him.
Bad words, hammers and hard trees all help at moments like this smash and go, smash and go- some pots are not worth the second thought.
They just need to go.
I smashed 6 cruets last firing we did in the big kiln and Mark keep saying I think I can save them.
Save this I thought-WHACK!
And then I was up the next day making pots again.
Sometimes it just seems like you pack one then you whack one.I keep the hammer close so I can end the suffering quickly and move on.
Well ... I have hammers, too, but I also have a concrete floor. Gravity and muscle force makes for a wonderful end to some pots.
Sorry to hear about the explosion, my empathy to you.
I bisque my packs to a low cone...like 020. of course it helps to have a tiny test kiln to do that in...
shit happens to the best of us, BUT...that bowl with the shell indent is a cracker...and would it really have been that good otherwise?!
Sorry to hear about the kiln disaster. I don't know how you potters pick yourselves up from that. I admire the perseverance that it takes!
I love the shino pitcher.!
beautiful shino bowl with the shell impression. sorry for your explosions :-(
yep, the crap happens to all of us... we have a lot of extra shelves and right now there is a pile of them that are needing some grinding... ugh.
Sounds like some fine catharsis, if viewed from that perspective.
these are beautiful pots, Hollis. Shinos are among my favorites...and ash glaze too. I even brought some ash back from the North Cascades for last load of shino pots.
Post a Comment