Kiln Repair

Last week I started a bisque firing in my electric kiln. I have an L&L Jupiter kiln and I've been very happy with it. I typically use the 'easy fire - slow bisque' program to cone 08. I checked on the kiln periodically and things seemed to be going normally. Then, after several hours, I noticed the temperature was rising too quickly. I turned the kiln off (using the switch on the control panel). I continued to hear the elements heating up even though the kiln was 'off'. I pulled the plug from the wall and heard the elements stop heating. Once the kiln cooled down I began the investigation.

First I unplugged the power cables to each element set from the controller. I immediately noticed a problem with the zone 1 outlet (that controls the top two levels of elements). This is what I found:

The cord to the controller was also damaged at the plug:

I replaced the outlet as well as the cable. L&L was great to work with. I phoned in the order and the items were delivered just a few days later. After replacing these items I plugged the kiln into the wall and immediately heard the elements start to heat up...even though the kiln was turned off at the controller. Therefore, I had replace the damaged items but the problem wasn't resolved. I determined the only other thing it could be was the relay. I called L&L and ordered a new relay:

I installed the new relay and then tested the kiln once more. Everything worked perfectly.

This was my first experience with kiln repair...other than replacing elements. It wasn't too bad. I've got lots of greenware to fire. Time to get busy!

Go Gators

I know this is a pottery blog but tonight I watched the number one ranked Florida Gators defeat the Florida State Seminoles at Ben Hill Grifin Stadium. It was a beatdown...37-10. Beating your rival is always enjoyable!

It was Tim Tebow's last game at home and I was there to see it. After the game he walked around the field shaking hands with fans. 30 minutes after the game ended 90% of the crowd was still there. He is the greatest college football player in history and makes me extra proud that I'm a Gator. Not only is he amazing on the field but he is just as special off the field.

It's great to be a Florida Gator. It's the SEC Championship game next Saturday against Alabama and then, after beating the Tide, the National Championship game! Go Gators!

Tim Tebow, #15. Resume includes: one Heisman Trophy, two SEC Championships, two National Championships, and playing for thirds! Oh yeah baby!

Reduction Firing Video

Here is a video I made while firing my kiln for the first time. I will post more pictures as soon as I have time. Enjoy!

Celebration of Seagrove Potters

This past weekend was spent attending the Celebration of Seagrove Potters festival in Seagrove, North Carolina. This is the fifth year in a row I've attended and the quality of pottery (and people) is unequaled. The first year I attended I found a bed and breakfast in nearby Siler City named Celebrity Inn Dairy. It's a working goat dairy farm that is also a bed and breakfast. The place is great - super nice people and wonderful animals. Here are few pictures I took while there:

We attended the Gala on Friday night at Luck's Cannery. This was an opportunity to meet the artists, enjoy some food, listen to the band, and be the first to preview and buy pots. It was well attended!

We returned Saturday and walked through again. I bought a few more pots but was quite content with what I purchased Friday evening.

Friday night was spent in nearby Pittsboro having dinner at the General Store Cafe. This place is amazing and it was quite a find. The atmosphere is great and the food is amazing. The Gravy Boys rocked the house for over three hours. The Gravy Boys are a semi-local band that plays Americana music (like that in the movie 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou?'). These are some of the finest musicians I've had the pleasure of hearing.

After a great breakfast at Celebrity Dairy on Sunday morning we headed over to Mark Hewitt's. Mark is such a nice person and we spent about an hour chatting with him and looking over his pots. I bought a few and will upload pictures of them soon.

After leaving Mark's we drove up to Creedmoor, NC to the Cedar Creek. While strolling through the gallery I spotted a Melon Pitcher by Steven Hill. I couldn't leave without it. The picture I took (with my cell phone) isn't that great. Here it is:

It's blurry and this photo doesn't do it justice.

It was a great four-day weekend of pottery! Unfortunately it's back to work tomorrow!

Well, that's it for now. I will post more pictures of new pots I bought once I photograph them. I also finished firing my gas kiln last weekend (firing #1). I will be posting photos and a video of that adventure soon. Thanks for visiting!

New Trimming Tool

Yesterday I received my new Bison trimming tool.


My friend John Tilton has used them for years and has nothing but great things to say about them. The tools are made by Philip Poburka in Las Vegas, Nevada. They are made from tungsten carbide and stay very sharp. I love the rounded wooden handle. The shape keeps the tool firmly in your hand as you trim. The Bison tools website is located here.

If you have used these tools please share your feedback.

Getting Centered

This evening was spent throwing a couple of new forms. I have never made 'chips and salsa' platters before and decided to give it a try. I was happy with the outcome:


The walls of the bowl in the middle is higher than the walls on the rim of the platter. After throwing them I stood there trying to determine the best way to trim the bottom. Any suggestions?

Over the past couple of months I have been working with larger amounts of clay on the wheel. As I increase the amount of clay I have found that centering can be quite challenging. As part of this process I have spent considerable time thinking about my technique and paying very close attention to every movement I make (in preparing the clay as well as centering it). This has helped me learn a valuable lesson - DON'T HURRY, TAKE YOUR TIME. I used to try and get the clay centered quickly and had a lot of trouble. It works on two pounds of clay but not on ten. Once I slowed everything down I found that clay is much easier to center on a wheel. Another lesson I learned - PREPARE THE CLAY PROPERLY BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THE WHEEL. After kneading the clay I spend some extra time shaping it into a nice cone. A nice cone shape does so much to simplify centering.

Tonight I felt like I reached a milestone. I was able to center twenty pounds of clay - by far the largest amount I have ever attempted to center. Now when I look at ten pounds, which used to be very intimidating, I have the confidence to know I can handle it without a problem.

Test Glazes

After months of procrastinating I finally made up batches of test glaze. All glazes are cone 10 reduction glazes and are best fired using the R1 firing profile in John Britt's book The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes. The glazes I will be testing are:

1. Malcolm's Shino
2. John's Red
3. Rutile Blue 1
4. Winnie Blue
5. Choy Celedon
6. Penn State Shino
7. Leach Clear
8. Ice Trap Celedon
9. Hamada Temmoku
10. St. John's Black
11. Tilton Gator Skin
12. Hanna's Fake Ash
13. Haynes White

Here is a picture of my scale and empty cups on the new table:


The scale at work:


All the glazes have been mixed and the cups sealed:


I need to fire at least one more bisque load (in the electric kiln) before I'm ready to fire the gas kiln. Trying to find a day on the weekend to fire it has been challenging. This weekend I will be attending a workshop at St. Pete Clay with Elmer Taylor. The workshop is a throwing and trimming workshop with concentration on lids, spouts, and handles. I'm missing the Florida Gators football game vs. Arkansas to attend this workshop. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I must love throwing pots...because I don't miss Gator football games!!!

Just a quick note before I sign off - I've been captivated lately by soda firing. I've looked at a lot of soda fired pots online and I find myself amazed by the colores and textures. I'm starting to educate myself on the soda firing process. In addition to testing the glazes above I am contemplating mixing some slips and having them fired in the soda kiln at Atlantic Pottery Supply in Jacksonville (about an hour and a half away). More to come...

Goodnight!