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About Callie Beller Diesel

- Currently Viewing Topic: Just How Old Is Too Old For A Kiln?
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Rank
Moderator
- Birthday 11/14/1976
Contact Methods
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Website URL
http://www.dieselclay.weebly.com
Profile Information
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Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Interests
Soda fire, all things reduction, and a little bit of glass.
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Catatonic reacted to a post in a topic: Started my glaze firing with top for switches on (accidentally) EEEEK!!!!!!!
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Babs reacted to a post in a topic: What’s on your workbench?
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Callie Beller Diesel reacted to a post in a topic: HCSM 1 + 2 White?
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Cress B-23-H to cone 018?
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Tumbleweed Pottery's topic in Equipment Use and Repair
Contact Cress. They’re really nice. -
Bill Kielb reacted to a post in a topic: Glaze Crazing
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rox54 reacted to a post in a topic: Glaze Crazing
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Roberta12 reacted to a post in a topic: Glaze Crazing
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It’s mostly a matter of fit.
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What’s on your workbench?
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Pres's topic in Aesthetic Approaches and Philosophy
Shhhh! It looks deliberate. No one else noticed this. I like the soft lines. -
Callie Beller Diesel reacted to a post in a topic: Raw Fired Clay: Is it safe?
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Drying clay for firing
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Fuller's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
Shrinking is normal. All clay shrinks as it looses water, and it will shrink more in the glaze fire. -
Callie Beller Diesel reacted to a post in a topic: Drying clay for firing
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liambesaw reacted to a post in a topic: Liner glaze
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Hulk reacted to a post in a topic: Liner glaze
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I don’t know who thinks less of planters. People who have boring houses with no plants, I suppose.
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Drying clay for firing
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Fuller's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
Hi Fuller and welcome! Just as a heads up, if your wet pots freeze, they’ll break apart and collapse as they thaw. -
Raw Fired Clay: Is it safe?
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Mare's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
I agree with Sorce about refiring probably making the pooling situation worse. Will it be necessarily harmful to use as is? Probably not. Will it break down eventually because of that thick pool on the bottom? Probably. Verdict: use it yourself to find out *exactly* how that works and what it’s like, but don’t sell it or give it away. -
Callie Beller Diesel reacted to a post in a topic: Raw Fired Clay: Is it safe?
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Bill Kielb reacted to a post in a topic: Slip cast porcelain vs. stoneware cone 6
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Callie Beller Diesel reacted to a post in a topic: What’s on your workbench?
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Pres reacted to a post in a topic: What’s on your workbench?
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I think he’s just working with might just be straight oxides, perhaps with some flux added. I think the uneven drying of inside vs outside of the pot in order to create that rough, cracking texture, similar but milder than the sodium silicate effect is what he’s after. The fact that the slip or glaze is changing somewhat under the blowtorch is likely just a side effect that he’s taking advantage of.
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If your elements have dark spots, that’s a strong indication your elements are dying, along with the fact that it’s firing that unevenly. Elements can be shot, and still be in place and upright. Testing your resistance is a quick and easy way to confirm that, yes. If you don’t own a proper meter, make sure you get one that can be used on a stove. There are ones that don’t read up to that level of voltage, and they’re cheaper, so you might be tempted.
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Making my own peeps
Callie Beller Diesel replied to mnnaj's topic in Studio Operations and Making Work
Gas kilns tend to be outfitted with sensible peep plugs that are made out of one form of insulating brick or other. Electrics mostly come with slipcast ones that are breakable and stupid. Or maybe not stupid from the point of view of whoever manufactures them. -
What’s on your workbench?
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Pres's topic in Aesthetic Approaches and Philosophy
Is this a case of all vacations are trips, but not all trips are vacations? -
I totally use liner glazes. I’ve found it’s important to decide exactly where you want which glaze to end and the other begin, and pay attention to how you make your rims in order to make that happen more easily. For instance, I like showing off a little of the red clay in each piece, so I throw my serving bowls (see current profile pic) with a flat beefy rim that I polish, but leave as bare clay. Because of the rounded square edge, it’s easy to make that line of demarcation nice and neat with a little wax and a quick wipe. With mugs, bare clay rims make me shudder to think about. So I b
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Can glazed bisque pieces freeze?
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Cajonat's topic in Clay and Glaze Chemistry
20% humidity will definitely result in bone dry ware indoors. Especially with an indoor temperature of 21 C. -
Eco friendly packaging
Callie Beller Diesel replied to Morgan's topic in Business, Marketing, and Accounting
So, my husband has worked in shipping and logistics for the last 15 years or so. At one point in his career it was his job to to send electronics, and hazardous materials for scientific analysis over international borders. So he’s passingly familiar with convoluted shipping rules we all fear falling afoul of. He says first, using popcorn is a draw for rodents in warehouses, and please, for the sake of people who work there, don’t. Also, using popcorn may be illegal, depending on where you’re sending it to. There are some surprisingly strict, yet obscure rules about shipping foodstuffs, prepare