oldlady

yes, but i sieve the slip with the color mixed in. no streaks.

just fyi, the firing took 18.05 hours. i ordered elements and thermocouples from neil on tuesday and they were delivered today, wednesday, at 3:30. amazing.

thanks, neil. yes, i know about the 2 hours but not that it was included in the total time shown on the controller. only concerned today because yesterday all the bad things that could happen between glazing and firing did. i lost about 40 pieces, some small but several large ones. show in 2 weeks. going to be busy today making things to fill the shelves for that sale.

i fire glazed greenware in a single firing to cone 6. i use an L&L kiln with controller from 2003. i use the preheat and slow glaze program built into the controller. i put 11 minutes into the "hold" for the preheat. it has worked well for me and i normally have no concerns about the length of time of the firing. the hours and temperature appear on the controller after the firing. today i am waiting for the kiln to turn off and i realized that i do not know if the time of firing shown includes the preheat time as well as the firing time.

paige, i think there are big company stores here in the US selling the kind of shed you are looking at. they sell a number of styles and sizes, the largest about 8x10 feet. they are packed in a cardboard box that is only 8 to 10 inches high and are about 7 by 4 feet wide. so that is what the flatpack means. instructions for screwing the walls and roof together are packed with it. a floor can be added but does not always come with it. the interior height is very low, i have looked at them and the peak of the roof is only about 6 feet high. they are not insulated and i do not know how insulation can be added unless it is the kind that is sprayed on. the steel eventually rusts . aluminum would be better. there are already made aluminum sheds sold here as well. i use one as a studio in florida. they are delivered by truck and placed by a machine called a mule. or dropped off the truck on your already poured and ready concrete foundation. many are very large and used as garages if equipped with a big door. this assumes you have the room for that kind of delivery. they are built on wooden studs as well as metal. look at my profile, find albums and see what can be done with one of the ready made aluminum ones. i have insulated it with rolled fiberglass and covered that with plywood. there are vents allowing air to flow in and out. i have not noticed condensation but i am not there in the heat of summer. good luck finding just the right thing.

it happens. someone familiar with the chemistry might explain it for you. cobalt blue glazes seem to be the ones that do it. this is why i am careful not to put cobalt blue pieces too near the edge of the shelf. i don't want spots on the elements.

jody, remember that there is a variety of clay types available. if one is causing you a problem, changing to something else might be a souluton.

tom, the question is from Scotland.

it sounds as though you are doing everything possible, within reason, to keep yourself and house clean of any dust from clay work. will just add one thing, do not use canvas as it attracts clay dust and will hold it until touched or disturbed in any way. plain wood, plywood, anything without varnish is a good surface to work on so the clay does not stick. "within reason" is the important thing to remember.

is there a counselor available to you? i know nothing about college but assume that you are not the only student to find yourself questioning your next step. there must be someone who you can talk to about these feelings. asking for help is hard but necessary sometimes.

pat, you have not said whether you do wheel work or handbuilding. some clays are suitable for one but not the other. i use an east coast clay, Highwater Little Loafers which is a white clay but not as white as porcelain. it is good for both. it has a low coe, something i know nothing about. Min has been extremely helpful in suggesting recipes that work on it. it throws very well and i have been doing slab work for a number of years with it. depending on what you want to do, it might be just right.

will be using glazes that i made many years ago and have not used, just tested. they will cover the empty bowls i need to make and i will be combining several of them by layering. not my usual kind of thing and i am not sure whether they will work together. there are several 5 gallon buckets with dry mixed ingredients, one is apparently a popular glaze called "Varigated blue" which i have tested as a base, nice white, almost matte. there are lots of others, Nutmeg, Randy's red, Sapphire, Licorice base which takes colors beautifully, and Luster Green. more are hiding behind the first row. anyone with suggestions of how to combine? any history working with them? i just want to do simple bowls this year, lots of other things in the way.

dana, look for a metal label on the kiln. not on a sitter that might be attached to the kiln but on the kiln itself. there will be electrical info and the highest temperature you can reach. if you can post a photo of the label so it can be read, not sideways or upside down, lots of info can be given back to you.

well, christy knox has just shown you exactly how i start my stuff. her things are wonderfully beautiful. the layout of plants, the colors she uses, the care taken to get everything just right is shown so perfectly that i have given up any idea that i would make a video. notice how many patterns she has stored in those shelves near the window. it would be a feast just to visit her studio.