[Bubbles In Black Stoneware]

This is a very common issue with dark clay bodies, as Bruce said. I haven't used it myself but everybody I know who does has had a similar issue for the reasons described above. I hope a hold works to solve the issue for you!

[Just How Old Is Too Old For A Kiln?]

 

 

Bar or cone shaped sitter cones?

 

We use pyrometric bars.

 

 

Have you readjusted and reached max flux capacitance yet?

Lol Nope I'm not touching my dad's kiln. I would probably be lured to the dark side. I will learn soon enough when I finally get mine hooked up.

[Just How Old Is Too Old For A Kiln?]

Bar or cone shaped sitter cones?

We use pyrometric bars.

[Just How Old Is Too Old For A Kiln?]

 

 it also tends to fire a tad hot. 

 

 

Try adjusting the sitter: http://www.hotkilns.com/how-do-i-adjust-my-kiln-sitter

 

 

 

It's not my kiln, it's my dads. I have never personally done any kiln maintenance on it, but I do know that he adjusted it already. It was firing to Cone 7 or 8 when it was set to Cone 5. Now it fires to Cone 6 when set to Cone 5. LOL I generally use that big kiln for bisque and then do my glaze firing in smaller batches in the other one, which is a Duncan Teacher-Plus. 

[Just How Old Is Too Old For A Kiln?]

My dad has a Jenkins kiln that someone bought, never fired once, and then sold 35 years later. He replaced the coils and that thing runs like a beast. It's in beautiful condition. He's planning to spring the money to convert it to automatic since currently we have to turn it up every hour for the first three hours and it also tends to fire a tad hot. Still, for a 35 year old kiln that's impressive. 

 

Incidentally my dad is almost 70 and he can outwork me any day of the week. Seems he found the proper kiln.  

[Submit Your Community Challenge Ideas]

I thought both challenges left lots of room for creativity while still sticking to a theme. For example, a flowerpot inspired by spring was pretty specific and yet everyone's was vastly different! I think setting two guidelines gives a nice limit of range to the competition.

 

 

Lots of the ideas I would have said have already been shared here but I think these are different: 

 

1. Emotion: Happy, sad. Hungry. Home. Love.

 

2. Shape. (Oldlady's comment inspired this idea) You could say something like "a triangular functional pot". No other rules. It could be wheel thrown and altered, slab built, pinched. does this make sense? It could be shallow and plate like or a closed 4-D pyramid. Lots of wiggle room. 

 

3. It could also be a specific process, like a slab built plate or platter. Or a wheel thrown item with sgraffito decoration of some kind. Would that deter people, if they don't like that process? For me, a flower pot is not in my comfort zone so throwing one with an attached saucer was a good stretch of my ability.