JohnnyK

There is nothing to stop you from doing anything, Curt...If it is a fibre kiln, I would guess that you are firing with gas. I would also guess that it is going to take less time to get it up to cone 10 than a kiln with bricks. It should also cool down faster than a brick kiln. So again guessing that the kiln is easy to open (like a Raku kiln), why not just open it to the atmosphere and ambient temp? In ceramics you constantly hear the mantra "TEST, TEST, TEST"...Just try what you want and look at it as another test. You'll find out soon enough what works and what doesn't... JohnnyK

One combination of tools is a set of shade brackets mounted on the wall above a desk that I use for a photo station. When not in use as a photo station, I have a large painting on the wall and a wedging platform on the desk, but when I want to shoot photos, I take down the painting, remove the wedging platform, and install a white window shade that I pull down and use for a seamless background to shoot my pieces. When done with the photography, I roll and remove the shade, hang the painting, and put the rest of the stuff back in place.

To follow up with what Hulk said, section the next teapot you throw to check the wall and base thickness to make sure you are not causing undue stress when the pot dries. It may not show up during the bisque and glaze firing but when you pour hot water into the teapot, the wall will expand more quickly than the foot area causing the cracking if you have uneven thickness.

If you were to ultimately find your rolling pin and it has a finish, you can always sand the finish off...don't use a coarse sandpaper...use 120 grit to start and work up from there...

You can buy it in either a spray or quart cans. If the pieces are wide mouth, you can use the spray. If narrow mouthed the pourable quart would be best. pour it in and pour it out and let dry. If used the spray on the inside of a painted cinderblock fountain that was leaking and it hasn't leaked in more than a year with it being exposed constantly to water...

When you say it's basically stripped, Karen, what do you mean? Have you rounded the nut so the wrench doesn't grip anymore? Are you using the right size wrench or an adjustable wrench? If you are using an adjustable wrench, get the correct size wrench to fit the bolt head which is probably still sound and vice-grips for the stripped nut which is a lock nut. If either of these don't work, cut the bolt off with a hacksaw. It would be best to hold the foot pedal in a vice for this procedure... With the proper wrench and vice grips you should be able to tighten it, too. Send a photo of your stripped bolt or nut for better analysis... JohnnyK

I have been doing some horsehair Raku recently, all of which are essentially non functional in that they will not hold water, but I am planning on experimenting by lining my pots with a rubber material, something like FlexSeal clear. They won't be useable for food purposes, but should be useful as water holding vases, which is a step up from their current status. Another option would be a clear acrylic or urethane product for the inside of the pots...

You may find too that overglazing the area you are concerned with may be affected by the Iron oxide as in this sample. The red piece was unglazed and the yellow/black had a clear over the same iron oxide.

In the summer I don't spend as much time in the studio as I would like, so I put a very damp tea towel or other towel-rag in my clay bags to keep the clay from drying out. Here's where the mold forms. This time around some of the blue dye in the towel leach out to combine with the mold and left some interesting striations in my extrusions...

Surprisingly, no mold. Even after all these years...

Glaze Nerd is the expert for that on this Forum. Hope he's checking in these days...

How about a large plastic storage tub with lid made into a Damp Box? Mix enough potters plaster to make about a 2" layer in the bottom and after it sets hard, add a cup of water to the tub. (I add about a cup of water every 4 to 6 months and as long as I keep the lid closed, that's all it seems to need to keep things moist.) I checked mine today and I have a pair of bowls that I threw in 2013 and they are on the damp side of leather hard...too soft to trim. I want to see how long I can keep them there before they start to fall apart. Place the box on a dolly from Harbor Freight and it can be rolled anywhere!

Have you checked to see if you are missing a dog or cat or pet hamster? There's a good probability that you are not going to die...was there any kind of residue in the kiln when you opened it up...or have you even opened it up yet?

Like Tarheeler above, I'm a craftsman, tradesman, artisan, potter...farmer, photographer, plumber, electrician, carpenter, painter... and on a number of occasions I've been dubbed "Renaissance Man"...I can go with any of them or all of them...and now that I'm "retired" I can be any of them or all of them...whatever floats your boat...