GiselleNo5

I did the math once and figured out that a kiln which holds 12 utensil holders is worth exactly the same amount as a kiln holding 30 mugs. And the utensil holders are easier to make of course because they don't have handles. However. The utensil holders sell much more slowly than the mugs, so just focusing on them would be a huge mistake from a business standpoint. So I fit a few larger pots in the bottom shelf and then I can get about 20 mugs into each load. It has been working pretty well for me. It's such a balancing act, and we as small business owners don't have huge million dollar marketing research departments to tell us which products will be best to focus on. It's all on us!

I used to pack my glaze kilns as full as possible but I learned the hard way with items ruined by fuming and dripping to leave enough space that my hand can pass between. I do a lot of work that I leave portions unglazed to show the clay but if it's going to be used for food I always glaze any portion that people will have to touch a lot. My mugs, I glaze the handle as well as the rim (a little over 1/4" on the rim). I have some that I've applied the glaze to the interior and left the exterior including the rim and handle bare and those mugs just never sell. Fortunately I figured it out after only doing that with a couple so I don't have too many items that are just sitting here. In the photo I don't know if you can tell (I applied the clear a tad too thickly to this one) but I carve a little well around the base of the handle and also around the portion at the top. This makes glazing it much easier as the glaze has somewhere to stop even when applied too thickly. The glaze tends to fill the little wells and render them invisible. I realize this is NOT the question you were asking Joseph but I always think information is useful and who knows, this may give some ideas as to how to handle your kiln. A side note: When I'm firing a kiln load of these pieces I actually put them real close to each other to encourage the clear gloss coat of the glaze to fume onto the other pieces. It gives it a really interesting look, I think just a little reminiscent of wood fired pieces I've seen. Gives the decoration more depth and interest in my opinion.