Lessons Learned

One of the things I love about ceramics is that you can never stop learning. You could dedicate your life to the process and you will never master it all. This can also be frustrating at times. For the most part the ceramic community is loaded with people who are willing to share their knowledge, time, experience, triumphs and even failures. I guess I have a failure to share with you today, but I'm passing this information on so you don't make the same mistake.

REFRACTORY BRICK...it's not created equal. I purchased 600 hard brick on craigslist.com a few years ago. Good brick, but not for my application. It's brick for a glass kiln, which I didn't have a clue, nor did any of my friends, that it's made for very high temperatures, but not the changes in temps we potters put it through. We made my grate, posts and a couple walls out of this brick and during the first firing the grate started to break up. Of course I was as stressed as could be because the posts were cut from this brick that was falling apart. We thought maybe we didn't leave enough slop between bricks and the expansion destroyed them so we made the grate the same for the second firing, except we left lots of slop for the bricks to expand and move. Well, they fell apart again. The back wall of the fire box has a few cracks, but we think because they are under compression they are holding up. The posts didn't crack either, thankfully.

Since this second grate fell apart so bad I felt I needed to start asking around and see if anyone had some answers. Stephen Mickey didn't know, but suggested I try Jack Troy. Jack is brilliant and answered my call for help with a wonderful explanation. As I said earlier glass kilns are brought up VERY slow and held at a constant temp and their brick has a lot of silica. So now I have new garden brick. Of course I won't be using the posts we cut anymore and we'll have to figure out some sort of covering to protect the one wall that gets heat. Lesson learned.

Pictured are some of the wonderful results from firing #2. Bowls with wonderful shino glazes and soap dishes.

Within a Fortnight

We are finished with the kiln and busy making pots and gathering wood. I'm a flurry of excitement. Our goal now is to load the 19th and firing the 20th. Cross your fingers for us that the kiln Gods are happy and supportive that day. We will take lots of pictures and notes so we know what to do next time and maybe what not to do. Eric and I are nervous, but good nervous. He worked so hard and it's just as much his baby as mine. Our shelves should be in on Monday and we'll cut post between now an the firing and if we can fit it in toss together a pizza kiln with left over brick. See you soon! P.S. This is Eric's very specialized custom made glove drier. He is looking into a patent. He is a man of many talents.

Great Grate

Well, we hope. I guess we will see very soon when we test it out in December. Yes, you are hearing right the Chicken POT Pie fast-fire kiln is finished. We have a few little things around the kiln barn to do to get ready like wrapping kao-wool around exposed wood beams near the kiln, but as far as the kiln itself goes it is ready to fire. I can hardly contain myself and Eric is hard to hold back too. If it was up to him he would have a fire in it right now. We just have to get through Thanksgiving and a Holiday Sale at MHCC and we'll be ready to go!!!!

I hope everyone has a Fantastic Thanksgiving filled with love, laughs, and of course grand food.
Cheers!

So much progress

I've been neglecting my little blog and I do apologize. Eric has been working so hard on the kiln and it's going pretty well. We of course make time for socializing and other events. Life isn't just work, work, work ya know.

So the pictures here show what has happened in the last month. We got the refractory granola stuffed in tight around the firebox arch and then the ware chamber floor all nice and laid out. Then there is the flu shot, or it is flue shot? And of course the dampers. Things are moving along nicely and at a fairly stress free pace. Eric gets a little frustrated and loses sleep a bit, but that is normal for him and not just that his mind is on the kiln 23/7...somedays he takes an hour for Perry Mason.

Diamonds ARE a girls best friend!

I didn't realize I loved diamonds until now. Sure, most ladies like diamonds hanging off their ears...just ask Cindy McCain, but the diamonds I like are embedded into a 14'' circular blade and can cut through brick like butter. Eric has been cutting the channels off of some of the brick to make flats. This is a picture of the little brick crosses we end up with. Get thee behind me Satan.

Romans would be proud

Well, maybe they would laugh at us. We built an arch. We had NO idea what we were doing, but it stayed up when we pulled the form out so I think we did a good job. My arms are killing me this morning from lugging the brick around, but no pain no gain, right? It was around 100° yesterday, but with the shade of the kiln barn it only felt like 95°. We are going to have another hot day today, they say even hotter, but we are going to stay in the shade, cook out with Eric's family visiting from Rockford, and take it easy. It's 8:30 am and I have a ton of things to do, but I'll be honest I want to go back to bed.

Namaste, B