Callie Beller Diesel

This one from my students. If you manage to wear the skin off your pinky, vet wrap is a good way to protect it. 

Yes. 
Most glazes are just fine with running through an 80 mesh screen once, some run it through twice. I hold a bit of the water back to rinse the sieve out at the end of sieving to try and get as much out of it as possible. 

cool.  I wanted so much to know if it lived up to the hype.  have been building a fish all day, and because i needed to add feet (I always put feet on my fish), i have to let the body set up a while and add the feet, and then the fins--just did that, so we will see what it looks like in the morning.  here is the photo so far  so far just making what I can use up without letting it get stinky.

If you can’t get proper pottery plaster for a reclaim slab, you can lay an old sheet over wire racking and lay thick slurry out on that to dry. 

I used paper clay for a couple of years. It lives up to all that hype! It’s much more forgiving about when you attach pieces, so if you’ve got time constraints, it’s a great material.
The 2 main things you want to watch are the stink from cellulose breakdown, and to be mindful that then end piece will be somewhat more friable than the same piece made out of regular clay would be. How much more friable will depend on how much pulp you add. 
The rot can be managed in a few ways, the easiest being to only mix up what you’ll use in a short time frame. The next easiest is to prepare a larger batch, and dry it out in really thin sheets that can be stored and rehydrated as needed. 
 

I used paper clay for a couple of years. It lives up to all that hype! It’s much more forgiving about when you attach pieces, so if you’ve got time constraints, it’s a great material.
The 2 main things you want to watch are the stink from cellulose breakdown, and to be mindful that then end piece will be somewhat more friable than the same piece made out of regular clay would be. How much more friable will depend on how much pulp you add. 
The rot can be managed in a few ways, the easiest being to only mix up what you’ll use in a short time frame. The next easiest is to prepare a larger batch, and dry it out in really thin sheets that can be stored and rehydrated as needed. 
 

If you can’t get proper pottery plaster for a reclaim slab, you can lay an old sheet over wire racking and lay thick slurry out on that to dry. 

If you can’t get proper pottery plaster for a reclaim slab, you can lay an old sheet over wire racking and lay thick slurry out on that to dry. 

From the Kanthal website, they recommend an oxidation firing to 1050C / 1922F for 7 to 10 hours. I'm thinking the people who hold for 7 to 10 hours are going to be few and far between if they mean a hold at 1922F and not a slow rise up to this temp. I typically hold for 3 when replacing elements. I don't know anybody who does a re-oxidation of the heating elements. I guess they are talking about a repeat empty kiln firing? 
edit: Euclids recommends holding for "several" hours also.
"To protect elements used under these conditions there is an element conditioning process that is desirable for FeCrAl elements, which requires heating the elements, in air, above 1830oF/1000oC, and holding for several hours. This develops an aluminum oxide coating on the outer element surface, which can dramatically improve element life.https://www.kanthal.com/en/knowledge-hub/heating-material-knowledge/operating-life-and-maximum-permissible-temperature/
 
"In such cases Kanthal® alloys are recommended, provided the heating elements are pre-oxidized in air at 1050°C for 7–10 hours. Reoxidation of the heating elements should be carried out at regular intervals."
 

L&L just recently changed their recommended first firing schedule from cone 5 to cone 04. Either will work fine.
Probably because they still have a bunch of cone 5's to use up. Use them when you do your first glaze firing.  I'll talk to them about getting some 04's instead.
Personally, I would do an empty glaze firing (just shelves) with the 5's because if your glaze firing is running hot or cold you can ruin a lot of work.

There is some conflicting information about the first firing floating around, both from different kiln manufacturers, for different purposes, and even within the same manufacturer's instructions. L&L's printed manual has long instructed owners of their new kiln to do an initial break-in firing of the empty kiln (but with the furniture) slow bisque to cone 5 (yes, five, not oh-five) with a 3 hour preheat for the dual purpose of seasoning the elements to develop a protective oxide coating and to set the cement used during manufacturing to hold the kiln bricks together. Their newest manual indicates these instructions are for both the Dynatrol and Genesis controllers.
Conventional wisdom by some other kiln manufacturers instruct owners of their new kilns to do the initial firing slow to 04. This is consistent with the recommendation from the manufacturer of the Kanthal elements for seasoning newly installed replacement elements, again to develop a protective oxide coating on the wire. Out on the interwebs, many commenters who own these other brands of kiln will adamantly (but incorrectly) assert that new owners of all brands of kilns should do the initial firing to 04.
And now we have this new video from L&L for programming the first firing on a Genesis controller that instructs a glaze firing to 04 with a 1 hour preheat. However, if one looks around on the L&L website, there is another video for programming the older Dynatrol controller for the first firing that is consistent with the printed instructions, i.e., slow bisque to 5. Is the basic kiln constructed differently for a Genesis vs. Dynatrol controller that it would need a different initial firing? I don't work there, so don't take my word for it, but the conflict seems fishy to me. With 3 instruction sources to choose from (the printed manual and 2 videos), I would go with the 2 that are consistent, i.e, the printed manual and the Dynatrol video. But maybe that's just because I am a recovering accountant...

I second all of what D said above.  While the details may vary it all has to do with properly oxidizing the new elements, whether it is a brand new kiln or simply an element replacement.  In the case of a new kiln it is also about making sure all the kiln body itself is properly seated and set.  People used to think you needed to fire higher than cone 04 but I think the more up to date concensus is that cone 04 is the new standard most people go by.  Congrats on your new kiln!

Another thing that works for rims instead of a piece of chamois is the microfibre cleaning cloth that comes with eye glasses. They last a long time and don't go slimy at all.
Wire coat hanger corners to make callipers. 
 
 

Tiny tips one may have never seen, read, or heard 'bout before.
Flexible metal rib, ideal (almost) for moving insects on the surface of water/glaze/liquid to outside the Studio.
Tiny spiders, gnats, et cetera land on the surface tension - timely removal can prevent a tiny insectoid blob (and the bug can live on!). The rib's edge, just on the surface, allows the bug to change footing without wetting, nor harming them. Step outside, blow the bug gently off the rib, onto a rock, plant, or somewhat. Note the tiny antennae nod of thanks.
Using actual real chamois leather chamois*?
Is it floppy - stretched out - slimy and soft? When next you pour hot water into your throwing bucket, note that your chamois, when exposed to hot water, will shrink and "tighten up" considerably! ...maybe too tight? Don't worry, it will loosen up after while...
It's not rainy today!

*We have an actual leather chamois that was a gift promotion from an auto parts store, decades ago.
I've been trimming strips off of it for pottery use over the last six+ years...

Since you have a deadline, it may be impossible to remake the piece in time. In that case, I would go ahead and fire the piece. Those cracks are not likely to expand to the point of destruction unless additional stress is put on it during the firing. You may need to accept the modifications to your piece as part of the process, maybe even emphasizing stress lines with glaze or coloration to incorporate them - an “I meant to do that” approach 
If there’s a possibility of completing a new piece in time (using and improving on what you have learned so far) I recommend that you make two or three at the same time as insurance, or at least the greater likelihood, of a piece completed as you envisioned. And maybe you’ll have a series! 

Hi everyone, I fired it according to my schedule, with only three hours at 80C to start with and kept the soak at 30 minutes at the end. 
It turned out well, am very happy with it. 
It's a Japanese style stone tea lantern. they are sold in my local garden centre, they are quite expensive so I made my own!
I've out it in my wildlife garden next to our little pond. 
 

It's going in tonight - will let you know how it goes!

They are probably using alcohol inks.  Which are FAR brighter than normal inks.  But beware - alcohol inks tend to fade badly with UV exposure over time.  That may be less an issue with the glaze itself to help filter out some UV but you might find that in a decade the ink could use a new application to freshen up the color.  You'd do better to just use the more stable fade-proof inks as you are, or even better, rub that down with thinned china paints into the cracks and then just fire it.  Then you KNOW it's permanent and won't fade or wash out over time.  You can get the color of your choice and simply thin it with alcohol, then dab it into the cracks.  Buff off any extra and then fire to the standard 016 or so, whatever your china paint calls for that particular color.  
SUPER NIFTY alternative for a more Japanese look?  Rub down all the cracks with GOLD or white gold luster, then buff off any external residue, then fire THAT.  Particularly over a dark glaze that looks amazing!  Or use a thinned gold or silver paint if you don't want to deal with the toxic burn off and cost of actual gold lusters.  Trick of course is to get it thinned enough.  Wider your crazing cracks the better.  If they are SUPER fine then you may have a hard time using the niftier alternatives.  But worth a try on a test piece.  Different kinds of crackle glazes can give you finer or coarser crackling.  If the crackle is too fine to get your stain materials into it, try soaking the whole thing in the stain of your choice over night.  Or your crackle may just be too fine to absorb anything but pure inks.
Just be sure if you want to use the items for food, the crackle has to go on the outside ONLY and not inside where food may be in contact.  Crackles will trap bacteria.  Or better still, use crackles for non-food uses, ideally with a fully vitrified clay so there won't be porosity where water can seep in and cause the clay to break your glaze off later like it does with earthenware.

If the mixture is homogenous, the shrinkage rates should wind up somewhere in between the 2 different points. You’re making a whole new clay body.

In all the years I had to transport work for firing, I found the best fix was to have small sealable sandwich bags of glazes to do touchups when you got there. 

If the mixture is homogenous, the shrinkage rates should wind up somewhere in between the 2 different points. You’re making a whole new clay body.

Yes to both questions. 
I would suggest just putting that 5 gallon bucket of glaze to one side for now without trying to adjust it. Make up some slip with your claybody and try that with your colouring oxides or stains. Your altered glaze might be just fine the way it is. 
 

I agree regarding the firing schedule. A shorter firing with holds in the proper places could cuts hours off the firing time, and probably reduce firing costs as well. The slow creep to 300F is totally unnecessary, especially if your work is dry. Just run it up to 200F or 220F, hold as long as needed to make sure everything is dry, then go for it. Also, that first ramp  can be a lot faster than 60F/hr, like 150F/hr will work just fine. There's no reason to take 2 hours to get to the preheat temp, because the hold is where you're really drying things out. 

I would put furniture in.
I think it is the clay. Hoping a more fluid glaze will fill the pinholes but might not be enough. Plates are going to be the litmus test as there isn't gravity to help.
 
I have a newer bag of wollastonite that isn't as agglomerated since I wrote that I needed to whiz it in a blender, now I just add an extra little bit extra when I'm weighing out the materials to compensate for what is left in the sieve. My bucket top up batches have 985 grams of wollastonite, so I bump this up to 995 when weighing it out.

I use a shop blender for all zinc =think zinc margarita and blend away then add that measure beaten zinc to bucket and sieve normally.