New Gas Kiln

After attending the Reduction Firing Workshop at John Britt's Studio back in Feb/March I decided to purchase a gas kiln. I didn't have the room nor time to build one. I checked with some companies that made downdraft kilns but in the end I didn't want to spend that much money (since this is a hobby). The models I wanted ranged anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. Tom Turner and John Britt both recommended I look into Olympics Torchbearer kilns. I did some heavy-duty research on these kilns. They are updraft and aren't the simplest kilns to fire. After speaking and emailing tons of Olympic Torchbearer kiln owners I discovered two things:

1. Most people who were having serious problems had no idea what they were doing.
2. The people that did know what they were doing had some issues when they first got the kiln but made (and recorded) changes such as shelf positioning, damper settings, flame redirection, etc. It didn't take most of them long to get consistent results. One potter I spoke with last week said he can fire his to less than a 10 degree difference between the top and bottom shelves. Not bad.

Here's the kiln:
I built a small concrete foundation to hold the kiln. Olympic now offers casters on the kilns so it rolls easily.
I added short walls to keep out any breeze that might come along.

The gas company come out this week and installed the tank and line.

I fired it up today and opened up the gas. It reached 1000 degrees in about four minutes. So, I would say that I have enough pressure. It didn't come with a pressure gauge so I installed one

I keep the kiln covered with a tarp and roll it away from the studio to fire.

I plan on firing a bunch of tiles with test glazes in a couple of weeks. I will post the results from that firing. That's all for now!

More Pictures From The Reduction Firing Workshop

Fire, Fire, Fire!!!
Inside the kiln during firing...
During the firing, in between checks of the kiln every 30 minutes, John lectured.
Happy nothing blew up in the kiln...
John answering questions...
Sunday afternoon snow...
John reviewing all the work that was fired.
If you ever have a chance to take one of John's workshops I highly recommend it. Information on his workshops can be found here.

Reduction Firing Workshop

This past weekend I attended a Reduction Firing Workshop given by John Britt in Spruce Pine, NC. It was my first experience firing a gas kiln. Not only did I have a blast (pun intended) but I learned a lot about reduction, glazes, etc. We glazed our pots Friday evening and placed them in the kiln. The firing started around 7 AM Saturday and was done around 5:30 PM. At noon on Sunday we opened the kiln.
John went over each pot explaining the different glazes, how they react in reduction, and how we might improve upon the next firing given the results.
We also got some snow (about three inches). The first two days were mostly rain and then it started snowing. I spent a couple of days in Mars Hill, NC working with Tom Turner. Tom is one of the most talented, if not the most talented, porcelain potters in the U.S. Here is a picture of us standing next to some large pots he recently acquired. They are the largest pots ever thrown in the States and each weighs approximately 1500 lbs.
Just south of Mars Hill is a small town named Weaverville. I found a great restaurant with live music six nights a week. The place is called Blue Mountain Pizza. I wish we had one here in Gainesville. I spent every evening in Mars Hill at Blue Mountain listening to local live music.

After the Workshop ended early Sunday afternoon I drove up to Bakersville to visit with Joy Tanner. Not only is Joy a super nice person but she makes amazing pots. I bought a tile (to hang on the wall)...
and a cup...
Her website is http://joytannerpottery.com/ and her blog is located HERE.

That's all for now.

Reclaiming Clay

Until recently I didn't have a way to reclaim the clay I discarded. I threw it out. Don't get me wrong - there wasn't much waste. I throw out very little. A couple of weeks ago I bought some plaster and made a couple of plaster slabs. Now I can reclaim my clay after it dries on the plaster boards. Here is my discarded Ellen Buff clay that is drying out to be wedged, kneaded, and used again:

I will be attending a reduction firing workshop at John Britt's studio next month. This is in preparation for construction (and firing) of my own gas kiln once I get back. I have only fired in an electric kiln so far and I'm looking forward to being able to fire in reduction. My friend John Tilton gave me a bag of cone 10 porcelain clay to make a few pots and test tiles to take to the workshop. The clay was formulated for John by Miller Clay. It throws very nicely! Here are some test tiles I made yesterday:

That's all for now. See you soon.

Take A Good Look...It Won't Stay Clean For Long

Today I took the splash pan off my wheel and gave it a good cleaning. 

I keep my studio super clean and organized but lately I had let my wheel go. It got pretty nasty. Well, no longer!

Mission Accomplished

I finished the moving and installation of the electric kiln. It used to be inside the studio and is now located in the covered addition on the back of the studio. 

I have a lot more space inside the studio now!

The five shelf metal cart (with wheels) was the best purchase I've made in a long time. I now have places to store green ware, bisque ware, test tiles, containers of test glaze, etc.  Nice!

Recently on a trip to Atlantic Pottery Supply in Jacksonville I purchased a bat which holds small tiles upon which you throw.  I was skeptical at first, but after throwing a couple dozen cups on them, I now have grown the love it!  After throwing the form you can just pry off the small rectangular bat and set it somewhere to dry.  The ware will pop off once it reaches the leather hard stage.  He's a picture of the rectangular pieces:

and here's a picture of the bat that fits on the wheel:

I got inspired and threw some cups.  Here they are drying and awaiting the attachment of handles:

That's all for now!  Sorry it's been a while since posting...but the Holidays were a busy time!  

Cups, Cups, and more Cups!!!

I finally ran out of room in the kitchen for storage of cups I have purchased recently.  Over the years I have bought a lot of cups.  In addition to those in the picture below I probably have over 200 in boxes in the attic.  Why do I continue to buy them you ask?  Good question!  Today I had to sort through the ones in the kitchen cabinets as well as those purchased recently to determine which ones went in the cabinet and which ones went to the attic in a (yet another) box.