Rockhopper

If you're looking at commercial glazes, Coyote's Bronze Temmoku might get you close but, as Callie indicated - application and firing (and clay body) will affect results. This pot is Standard's 112 (speckled brown), with 3 brushed-on coats of glaze, fired to apprx ^5-1/2. (The small spots that look a bit like water spotting, are from the 'speckles' in the clay and, presumably, would not be there on a non-speckled body.)

I'm 5'11 - so reaching the bottom of a 27" kiln wasn't really a problem, but lifting shelves & pots from the bottom was a bit of a strain on the back. When I replaced my old 18x27 kiln, I decided I didn't need the 27" depth, and went with an e23S - but I built a taller stand, so the the bottom is higher, and the top is about the same height above floor as the 27". I now have a wider kiln, with slightly more volume, that's easier to load & unload, because I don't have to stretch as far to get to the bottom. (Kind-of like picking things up from a coffee table, instead of the floor.)

When you say 'completely flat' - do you mean they held their shape, but bent over, like they are laying on their side - or did they melt completely into a puddle ? (pic's might be helpful) Have you had successful firings with this kiln in the past ? If yes, look for what may have changed since the last successful effort: Any chance you got 04, 05, and 06 cones, instead of 4, 5, and 6 ? Could the cones have gotten wet since the last time you used them ? Did you accidentally add a soak to the end of your firing ?

There's a phrase that pops up frequently on the forums, with regard to glazing and other "will this work' questions: "Test, test, test". If you have a known sensitivity to specific types of mold, you could have your clay - and maybe the air and surfaces in your studio - tested to see what is there. Then, once you know what you are (or are not) dealing with, you can make better decisions about how to proceed. As Neil suggested - a 'musty' smell in the studio is more likely to be due to moisture problems in the room/building than from the clay itself. As clay dries it release a lot

I realize each supplier is different - but it's definitely worth trying Neil's suggestion. Depending on how often they order, you might have to wait a while - but they should be able to add a box or two of whatever you want to their stock order, as long as it's available from wherever they're buying their clay.

Ask your client if it is mastic, or thinset mortar. (From your description, it sounds more like thinset.) Mastic is mostly 'glue' and will probably mostly burn away - with lots of smelly, potentially toxic, smoke in the process. Thinset will likely still have some burn-out, depending on the exact formula, but not near as much. Just curious: Are these tiles you made , or are they commercially produced ? (Don't think I'd be willing to load my kiln up with tiles of unknown composition or firing characteristics - even if a small test sample was successful.)

How are your canes made ? Are you using the same clay body throughout, and adding stains and/or oxides to get different colors - or are you combining different clays ?

Do your pieces have holes in them, for attaching a wire ? If so, you could try put a string or piece of thread through the hole, and dip them in your glaze.

By 'original coils' - do you mean the ones you were replacing, or a set of new, never-used coils made for that kiln ? Unfortunately, if your new coils have the same resistance (ohms) as the ones you replaced - you won't have any better results than you did with the old ones. To restore 'like-new' performance, you need to find out what the original factory spec is for the elements and make, or buy, new ones that match that number.

As Callie said, it probably won't damage the kiln, but it will create lots of smoke. Another potential issue is: It may not burn out as completely as you would want. Paints usually use oxides as colorants and/or opacifiers. Some of the same oxides are also used as washes, and in glazes and under-glazes. Depending on the paint, and how much you apply, you may wind up adding permanent color where you don't want it - or causing the color you do want, to turn out different than expected.

@irenepots 1/2" under bottom shelf is fine. I think Chilly was concerned that andryea was using (only) 1/2" posts between shelves - which would definitely be too close.

Sometimes with a window A/C, there's an option to mix in some outside air - but not likely with a 'split system' central a/c. However - if your kiln exhaust is aimed directly at the a/c unit, there's a chance that chemicals in the kiln exhaust could interact with the metals in the condenser (often aluminum), and shorten its life. Also a chance that heat from the kiln would affect the cooling efficiency of the a/c. See what your hvac guy says - but might need to add some duct-work on the outside, to direct the exhaust away from the a/c.

Just a personal preference, but I've never been a fan of pots with attached trays/saucers. I have some plants that I want trays under when they are indoor in cold weather - but I want them to be tray-less when they go outside in warm weather, so there's no standing water to attract mosquitos. Guess it depends on the design - but a lot of the attached trays I've seen are too small to be practical as water catchers, and they're harder to clean. Also, depending on the shape of the pot & size of tray, you can't stack/nest them as easily when empty, so they take up a lot more space on th

If you're using the same batch of clay, same under-glaze and same glaze - but different kiln and/or 'kiln-master', then you almost have to look for differences in the firing... Was it over/under fired compared to previous work ? More/less densely packed kiln ? Fired next to pieces with glaze that off-gasses a lot ?

Looks like you're working with a white clay, and the pieces you're trying to emulate are brown. That probably doesn't make all of the difference -but is definitely part of it. One of the biggest factors when layering is how many coats of each, and how thick each coat is. Looks like you are applying your glaze a lot thicker than the other person. Try different combinations: 1 coat of each, 1 over 2, 2 over 1, etc.