Roberta12

full.  My shelves are full.  There is a purge that happens once a year, then mysteriously they fill again.  The wooden shelves, metal shelves.  All of them.

No I haven't, looks like a good option to try. Thanks.
 
Me too. Thanks

I have been using Kentucky Mudworks Kota.  They call it a porcelain  but it is the easiest throwing porcelain I have ever used.  And it is more white than Laguna 16 (which I think is Miller 16 on the east coast)   I have not used any of Kentucky Mudworks other clays but I am hearing great things about all of them.  
 
Roberta

Maybe somebody who has okay correspondence with him could email him on your behalf Morgan?
I'm sorry for your experience.

I haven't purchased anything from him in over a year, but he has made 4 tools for me over the years without any issues and I was always pleased. He always consulted with me about a personalized fit for the handle etc and seemed to take pride in his work and packaged them well. He also repaired a tool that I had dropped on a cement floor. I paid as a "friend" too, but understood it as a way to avoid PayPal fees. I wonder if there is something wrong with his health? I'm sorry this happened to you.

Super hard for me to see the pics are small to my eyes but looks like it could just me as simple as brushing on a white matte glaze unevenly/thin/thick and maybe a brushed cobalt wash? Could be underglaze but seems more like a wash from afar. 

Thought this was a good time (seeing it is American Thanksgiving), to put out a thank you to the potters on this forum who give selflessly of their knowledge and time to help other potters.  Together you have built a great resource and you are very much appreciated.  
 

With the caveat that my kiln does not have a digital controller that would be much more subject to temperature variations, yes, I am proof you can easily run a kiln at 0 C. Mine is in a metal shed outside. The kiln does start to struggle a bit at  -30 C, and at that point I can’t blame it. We don’t get those temperatures for more than a week or so in most years, and they tend to come at times where I can easily wait to fire. The power consumption doesn’t go up measurably: 20*C difference in temperature matters to human comfort, but not to a kiln. 
It’s not uncommon where I live for potters have kilns in their garages, which are typically unheated and are often uninsulated. A digitally controlled kiln will need to have a temperature reading from the thermocouple of 0 C before it will turn on, and what many do will put a small space heater inside the kiln to warm the area before they begin loading. Once the kiln is generating its own heat, it’s usually fine.
Ventillation is another matter. Even with an electric kiln, you will want to make sure it’s vented properly. As the different minerals loose organic components, those carbonates and sulfates will need to go somewhere, and that shouldn’t be into your home, never mind where you sleep. In North America they sell kiln vent kits for the purpose, but you should check with whoever sells you the kiln about locally available equivalents. 
The only time I’ve seen gas kilns indoors was in institutional settings, where the building was purpose built and incorporated a LOT of venting. Otherwise they should be outdoors, but sheltered from the elements. They emit everything an electric kiln does, plus combustion, plus presumably some incomplete combustion for reduction.

We do our own kiln repair but there is something that came to our attention regarding installing kilns. When we were shopping around for a new home insurance policy quite a number of years ago most home insurance providers wouldn't insure me unless I could prove a licensed electrician did the direct wiring for the kilns. 
I don't think the "Potter" designation means you have to do absolutely everything. Are we ruling out people who use pre-made dry glazes, bottled glazes, bought clay,  etc. Slippery slope.

This thread is bounced off this one that was discussing extruders then went off on a bit of a tangent. I brought up the subject of thrown handles as another alternative for @Pyewackette . (other options such as cast, press molded etc in the linked thread also)
Super quick demo photos below, hope this helps Pye.
Throw a donut on a batt, for mug handles that need to be straight use as big a batt as you have or throw on the wheelhead if it's wider than your batts. Center the clay then open it up right down to the batt.  While throwing the donut press down firmly on the clay as you are pulling it outwards from center. 
Clean up the edges of the donut and shape into a dome top, flat, ridged, whatever profile you need. Can use  rib made from an old credit/gift card to make identical profiles for the donuts if making a lot of one style that need to be the same.
Cut into the donut with a pintool then slowly rotate the wheel to cut the donut off.
At this point you can either let the donut set up a bit or work it now. Cut off a section and either hold it up and smooth the  cut edge or let the sections dry a little then lay them facedown and smooth the cut edge. 
For mug handles pull them straight and let them hang until they are dry enough to attach. 
   
   

Obviously my mind was elsewhere!  I have a show coming up, on a deadline.... and I accidentally fire my bisque load at cone 5.   I use Laguna Bmix clay and dip my glaze, layering w Amaco Potter's choice.  I (when my brain is working) bisque fire at cone 04 and  glaze fire cone 5 with a 5 minute hold. Right now I am firing a test load w a few small pieces at cone 5 to see if the glaze will hold. My confidence in that working is low. Waiting for the kiln to cool a little more before I open it. My fear is that the cone 5 bisque is no longer porous enough to hold the glaze. Unless I am unbelievably lucky does anyone have any ideas? or does that whole load get trashed?  bummed

What temp/ cone does your clay fully vitrify?
Unglazed, rough folk seem to like these days.
Could brush and wipe an oxide wash and refire the stuff, to top temp recommended,  suited to that.

I am afraid that you will have to dump it if the glaze test doesn't come out well.   At least you are test glazing it and not wasting your time on the whole load.   It happens to all of us.   Did you heat up your pieces and then dip them in the glaze for your test firing?  I hope your firing is a success.     Denice

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077583GZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use these.  I can fill them with whatever underglaze I choose.  I do a lot of drawing on both greenware and bisque with them.
 
Roberta

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077583GZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use these.  I can fill them with whatever underglaze I choose.  I do a lot of drawing on both greenware and bisque with them.
 
Roberta

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077583GZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use these.  I can fill them with whatever underglaze I choose.  I do a lot of drawing on both greenware and bisque with them.
 
Roberta

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077583GZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use these.  I can fill them with whatever underglaze I choose.  I do a lot of drawing on both greenware and bisque with them.
 
Roberta

My vote is that it will not implode

@Pyewackette, +1 for just using a very light spraying of flashing slip.
Also, I would pour the liner glaze not spray it. When you spray inside a form such as a deep bowl or vessel there is a huge amount of glaze blowback coming back out at you. I'ld spritz the inside of the (bisqued) pot with water at the bottom and lower part of the wall where the glaze will be thicker and do a quick pour of glaze of about 1/3 the volume of the pot then very quickly pick it up and swirl and dump the glaze out to coat the inside. If you are using the same glaze for part of the top / outside then quickly dip that area after doing the liner.
I'ld also hold this pot back from your first soda firing. I would suggest taking some less precious pots, take some really good notes on what slips are on each pot, application details, where they are in the kiln etc. Learn as much as you can from the first firing, how other peoples pots turned out and any details you can get about those pots and the firing then apply that knowledge to the slips/glazes/placement/firing of this large one.

It’s possible for glaze tension to crack a piece in half, but it’s unusual. For example a very thin piece, made of clay that’s over fired, glazed too thickly, glazed only on one side, and with a glaze that has very compressive fit is a good candidate.
That said, I do soda fire at cone 6, have done dozens of firings. My own work, my own kiln. Ninety percent of the work is glazed only on the inside and about 1” down the rim. A flashing slip is applied to wet and leather hard work (50/50 Helmer and neph sy). I’ve never had this problem in my soda firings. 
Michael Cardew discusses it in Pioneer Pottery, he treats it under the section on clay body defects and refers to it as “shattering.” It is a real thing, but generally happens under a particular combination of circumstances. I share his opinion that it’s best understood as a clay body defect. 

Another approach to consider is incising the lines, filling them with underglaze, then wiping away the excess. The drawing is different because you’re drawing into the clay instead of on it, but this technique can produce very fine, crisp lines. Lorna Meaden’s work comes to mind. The technique has its own learning curve, you’ll find yourself now looking for the perfect incising tool, haha! 
Underglaze applied using fine tipped applicators, like @Roberta12 mentions, are the best thing I’ve seen for no frills unencumbered drawing of fine lines. Underglazes are generally predictable and won’t run or bleed. The tools clog easily, so you need a straight pin or fine wire for a stopper when not in use. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077583GZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use these.  I can fill them with whatever underglaze I choose.  I do a lot of drawing on both greenware and bisque with them.
 
Roberta

The flame should be drawn in only in the bottom holes. There is too much leakage around other areas of the kiln (the seams between sections, the peeps) for the inflow to be concentrated solely at the top holes. But having the top holes helps even out the inflows.

I usually spray larger pots,  dip dishes, poured glaze on 1200 tiles, and a lot of fine brushing  a little bit of  sponging.  I have a turkey baster at the ready for my next adventure in clay.   I am still trying to finish my mural,  I fired  sky back ground tiles a couple of weeks ago and hated them.   Fortunately I made two sets of tiles for the sky,  I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.  I have four vertical feet of a three dimensional landscape finished.  My husband and son (visiting us from Costa Rica)  said it doesn't look to bad,   I am my own worse critic but there appraisal confirmed mine.  Between major remodeling on our house and many house guests it is a wonder I get any work done.  I am about to fire some new test tiles for this project.  Fingers crossed.      Denice

And don't sand over the sink!  That will plug up your drains in no time.  Sand outside if possible.  wear a mask and just be aware of the negatives of dust.  Lin